After being holed up for a couple of weeks following sinus surgery, I was only able to garner the energy for marathon television viewing. I came across a series called The Bold Type. To give you some context it is about three young women in their mid 20's that work at a fashion magazine in New York. Now this isn't a review on what is perfect escapism television. Have I lost you yet? Hold on. This little series got me hooked and reflecting on what I'd love to see more boldly displayed in the workplace.
1. The boss, is open and vulnerable with employees. In this case, the editor of the fashion magazine, is still a busy and influential leader. Yet the boss is available to her employees to give guidance and counsel. I absolutely love how the editor stretches the young journalist to lean into the uncomfortable to grow. Could you imagine how many more businesses would thrive if all leaders behaved this way?
It also reminds me of a trio of past bosses that really made me feel valued and how powerful that was to increase my self-confidence early on in my career. They were (and still are) three intelligent business operators and created a work environment of openness, trust, and enjoyment, which leads me to my next point.
2. The employees have fun in the office together. They support one another's endeavours and celebrate success. Taking the time to recognise and acknowledge your co-workers needs to be prioritised. I feel each year this almost gets harder, 2020 is no exception with many businesses needing to cancel work functions. But one Christmas party doesn't bring everyone together to make the bond last year long. Even when times are busy, slowing down to engage and spark enjoyment is so important to build relationships.
This can be intimidating to start if it's not common in your workplace. Bringing it up in a team meeting to gauge interest is good way to test the ground. It is likely you will have at least one person in your team that loves organising parties, you can nominate a 'team social director' to arrange team events that bring everyone together. The events could be a roundtable lunch, after work drink, or escape room activity (I can attest to the escape room being a fantastic ice breaker). It's just about having regular non-work conversations, acknowledging everyone in the team and having fun.
3. The employees challenge the the status quo. One scene displayed how an old policy about requiring qualifications for new recruits was limiting hiring candidates with broader experiences. This is an interesting one, as organisations need to have different viewpoints but run the risk of the sameness when hiring from a pool of candidates with identical degrees. If their nature and past experiences are compatible to adding value, then unless the job is for my sinus surgery, I'm all for opening up the playing field.
In the modern workplace I feel strongly that the traditional customs or ways of working need to also be looked at with fresh eyes. To even ask 'why' three times and search for better ways. The young ones do this better. I don't mean young in age, but young in tenure to the organisation or team. As they are less likely to be culturally indoctrinated when new.
4. The narrative of the millennial generation rings true. Lastly, being personally at the front end of the millennial generation (born 1981-1996 aka Generation Y). I found the series narrated well what the younger end of the millennial generation expect in the workplace. Yes, it is a fictional program but there is truth in how the business engages millennial employees through social impact of work (sense of purpose), use of digital tools, flexibility, and personal development.
The millennial generation is coming through the ranks now and many organisations are already behind with how to engage, recruit, and retain this top talent. For further reading on how to engage millennials, I came across a post from Corporate Edge which was a great read and worthwhile sharing to spread the context about how they are viewed and how they see themselves. The millennials are our next executives and CEO's, how will they and yourself be approaching work for the better?
So as we move from the year that was 2020 with all it's challenges. Let's make a pact to be more bold in 2021.
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