May you live in interesting times – has a number of interesting interpretations!  For those of you intrigued by etymology read on!  For me it has to be Robert Kennedy in 1966, after all, I am a product of the 60s’!!

So getting to the point….  Next week I am presenting at the Haywards Heath and District Business Association (HHDBA) Conference.

The session is close to my heart as we now have three great guys working at Cullen Scholefield with an average age of 23.66!!   So I am bang in Millennial territory or Gen Y.  The fun thing is that it is really energising as a manager.

We all know that good leaders and managers relate to each of their team members on an individual level.  So what happens when the age range is diverse?  My solution has been to subtly change the way I work with them.   Cullen Scholefield is always a lively place to work but we now have more noise in terms of music and more laughter than ever before.

Our habit of playing to strengths, striving to continually improve and focusing on outcomes is really paying benefits.  What I have found is that whilst coming in precisely at 09:00 is a challenge, the energy and enthusiasm more than repays that clock watching approach.  In fact it is so easy to focus on the unimportant when what we should be focusing on is the quality of the output.

My reflections are that leaders and managers will have to re-think how they work with this challenging generation.  What I can promise you is that energy and fun are around the corner!!

Our Autumn Circle of Peers focuses on Outperformance and with more than 50% of our workforce being Millennials, harness their energy and power!

Sussex               09:00 to 14:00  25th September 2015                Roffey Park Institute, Forest Road, Horsham

Isle of Man      12:00 to 14:30  28th September 2015                 Sefton Hotel, Douglas

Gibraltar          12:00 to 14:30   7th October 2015                        Elliot Hotel, Gibraltar

See you at one of the Circle of Peers events!

For those of you who are Sussex based, how about joining us at the HHDBA Conference on 30th September.  The overall theme is “Time for a Change”.  Change is pretty constant, and this means businesses need to adapt to survive and indeed, to thrive. There’s a packed programme of inspiring keynote speakers and practical workshops helping delegates learn how to adapt their skills to help their businesses succeed in an ever-changing marketplace.  It’d be great to see some friendly faces in the audience, so please do come along and join me. You can book places for as little as £45.