The reality is that more Baby Boomers and GEN X are in strategic or supervisory positions. They are more likely to be privy to sensitive corporate information given their tenure in the workplace. The result of online confidences is not always news worthy, but it can be business-worthy. Lowered morale, respect in the workplace and productivity are all possible consequences of what gets shared online. Even with tight privacy settings, private postings can become public knowledge.

Why this isn’t a GEN Y problem:

• GEN X
  • Teachers are sending inappropriate comments to students on Facebook.
  • A manager tweeted to a friend that his company was going to announce a layoff and he hoped he didn’t have to tell his employees before the weekend.
• Baby Boomers
  • On Facebook, a senior exec announced  a restructuring and his subsequent promotion a day before the formal announcement. The privacy settings were obviously not private enough or a Facebook “friend” disclosed the information.
  • Within hours of laying off some employees, a senior exec blogged that she felt bad about having to let some employees go and to feel better, she was going shopping. 
  • Alan Greenspan’s niece (after she was fired from her firm) emails her former hedge fund clients urging them to find a new firm, citing the company’s “considerable management turmoil”.

People will make mistakes but company risk comes from assuming that employees “should know better” and that they fully understand their online social environment.  Execs who “should know better” don’t consider who might share what they say. In such cases, employees can be naively over-confident about  privacy and the loyalty of their online “friends”.                    

Execs and managers discussing sensitive company situations may have no intention of being insensitive.  To give them the benefit of the doubt, I would call it misapplied authenticity (in some cases) and they don’t consider the varying perceptions of friends, acquaintances and strangers.

The solutions are well known but many companies are not taking action. To address these influences in the workplace, companies should ensure that they have a social media policy in place, distributed, discussed and documented. Secondly, because of the complexity of social media, companies should train their employees and managers to help them effectively work and manage in a digital era. When all is said and done, most employees are likely filter these comments inside the workplace, but they just don’t understand the playing field well enough to preempt over-sharing online.

To me, the issue of judgment is multi-faceted, kinda MacGuyver-ish. In its simplest terms, it’s about context, relevance, creative problem solving and the critical thinking skills to handle the predictable and unpredictable factors of the workplace.

So to tie all this together, here’s a snapshot of the topics that I perused:

Social Media in the workplace:

• Why some companies don’t want employees to speak on behalf the company
• Banning it from the workplace—why some companies think that’s a good thing (or think that’s actually possible)
• Social Media policy—the majority of companies don’t have one
• Legal and HR Risk: Perception vs. reality (employees and employers)
• Productivity

Gen Y:

• Over-sharing and less concerned about privacy (although that may be changing)
• Loss of workplace boundaries—will you be my friend…on Facebook?
• Having opinions and stating them (**gasp**)
• Text me, IM me, Facebook me, but don’t call me, don’t email me…

Effectively managing in today’s digital age:

• Change management
• Blurred lines between the workplace and personal space
• How information moves formally and informally outside your workplace
• Workplace issues that originate in social networks (when to hire, when to fire, when to coach—and how to know the difference)
• Workplace behaviors that create legal and HR risk for your employees and/or company
• Leveraging the benefits of Social Media in the workplace
• He/she said what, where?: Confidentiality and online reputation management—for your employees and your company

These topics collectively hint (or perhaps scream) at the significant change inside the workplace today.  This change is a key factor in the evolution of how we manage and the required skills to keep pace and manage effectively.  If these things keep you up at night, then you might consider this: in the absence of policy, do you trust your employees to make the right judgment call in this changing workplace? If not, why not?

So how does this manifest itself?  In today’s workplace, the implications can have greater reach and greater impact for employees and employers alike, just ask: Brixx Pizza, Tri-City Medical Center, Best Buy (for those who don’t like foul language, skip the video), Cookies and (dare I mention it?) the Pentagon and the Wikileaks. These are a few of the latest examples when a leap to judgment (or a lack thereof) creates a storm of media attention, not to mention job loss and a big hit to your brand (personal or business).

You can’t teach judgment but you can improve critical thinking when you arm your employees with the right knowledge and training. You can even hold them accountable to sound decision making and managing to the best interests of the company and its employees. But let’s be realistic, that may not be enough. For some, the demands of the job may outweigh capabilities or interest.  Now is a good time to assess what you have and what you need, and plan accordingly. You might start sleeping through the night…

Some people might say that it wasn’t our decision to make. They are right. And we didn’t make the decision but as her friend, we shared our opinions. For all those Millennials, and even those who are one or two generations removed, here is my unsolicited advice:

• Take smart risks. There will be enough time in your life for making conservative decisions. The key word is “smart”.
• See the world. I wasn’t exactly twenty-something (but close) when I made the decision to start to travel outside of the US (work and/or leisure)—inspired by Dad’s love of travel. Nothing compares to that experience and it will influence your life in a lot of great ways.
• You don’t need to figure it all out now. The path you think you want may not be the path you take. Take time to explore what you are passionate about, what inspires you, what drives you, challenges you—because on your worst days, those things will sustain you.
• Don’t accept mediocrity. BUT learn to deal with it and work around it.
• Your best job may not be the one that moves you up, it may move you over—and then move you up.
• Find people to learn from. Sometimes the worst examples will provide the best learning, so you’ll find it everywhere.
• Be introspective.
• Make mistakes and learn to live with them. It means you took risks and tried new things, or you just did something stupid. Unless you are planning the next Ponzi scheme, you will likely recover from your mistakes…just own them and move on.
• Build an “I’m outta here” fund. Save for a rainy day, a really rainy day, one that lasts six months or a year.
• You control your reputation and image. Take the “did I really do that?” photos off facebook. Just kidding…uh, not. Career aside, if your friends thought posting it was funny, it probably isn’t.

I would say that these might be simple things and that we’ve all done them but…I’ve met tenured executives with offshore responsibilities and a virgin passport. My goddaughter just got back from Croatia, singing in a choir. She’s fifteen. She had a great time, except “the plane ride could’ve been shorter”. I bet that trip will shape her decisions for years to come. At least I hope so.

Think about your business associates for a minute. Have you ever been talking to someone and you say, “You know, Joe—the guy who just landed that big account” or “Bob, the guy who falls asleep in meetings”. That’s all about perception, right or wrong. It’s also about relational depth, how well people know and respect you.

Your branding should be established by the quality of your work, your business relationships (trust, confidence, respect) and the quantity of people you know. Google is a good search engine, but it is a universal brand because LOTS of people know about them–and like their quality. When people like you and get to know you better, the superficial perception (whatever that may be) erodes.  Your goal is to build a lasting personal brand regardless of the medium or environment.

Let’s talk about Twitter where all we see is abbreviated messaging. It is interesting to see how people choose to brand themselves—in 140 characters or less. In those few seconds, people will make a judgment as to whether or not they want to follow you, further reinforced by what you have to say. Brands now emerge—and merge–from the four walls of your company to the virtual walls. It’s a pretty interesting phenomenon.

Personal Twitter descriptions like “I’m (fill in the name here) and I can burp the alphabet” makes the big sister in me cringe. I’m sure her mother must be proud. She may be tweeting about politics, world events, the stock market, and she may make big business decisions every day but I’ll never know about it. In general, most people bridge the gap effectively between what they value in their careers and personal life—all in those 140 characters. I’m interested in those people. They are funny, smart, compelling and personable. While I don’t know them well I can get a sense of who they are—and what I like about them–and that’s effective branding. My guess is that their message is consistent in all areas of their life.

Today, a tweeting CEO is an extension of the company brand. His or her likability and what they say now drives public—and employee–perception of the brand. A front-line employee is equally effective as the extended brand. I’m following the Ford Fiesta Campaign where Gen Y road warriors are traveling the US. They are building grassroots interest in the car and getting consumer feedback before the car hits the streets.  If one of the Gen Y drivers said they didn’t like the car or preferred another brand, their followers might reconsider.  @fiestahugh is funny, energetic and shares his experiences in a relatable way–all while doing a job for Ford. Their collective brands have a contributing impact on the car and the campaign. If he was “fiestyhugh” instead of @fiestahugh, people might think differently about the car—and Ford.

Given the numerous venues to brand yourself these days, the challenge is managing a consistent brand throughout your corporate, community and “social” lives.  Find your voice, be consistent and be genuine. Be the same person in your “social” and corporate worlds. The core of your brand is who you are, what you’ve accomplished, what you’re capable of, how you think, your likability (yes, that too), your levels of influence, your interests, etc.  You can control the core of your brand—even in a nanosecond world.

I asked the question about good and bad mentors on Twitter. In 140 characters, I realize it is sometimes difficult to shape your thoughts. But one person did–Abe Awasthi, a CPA in Irvine, CA  (http://twitter.com/contactabe). Abe’s comment was “The best mentors lead by example, are motivating, and actually care. The worst ones are mentors only because it’s company policy.”

That’s the trick when it comes to mentoring—how invested are you in the person you mentor and vice versa? In the past month, I have coached several former employees and they will always get my time and attention because I’m invested in them.

I have seen corporate initiatives on mentoring, assigned mentors and mentees and handy little packets of information that outline the process. Mentoring shouldn’t have to be mandated, assigned or called an initiative. Any executive worth his or her salt should be invested in the people around them—even if they aren’t direct reports. Companies succeed when they have the right talent in the right role—and the opportunity for advancement and personal development are strong retention elements.

Mentoring fails for other reasons besides corporate obligation. The program–or execution of the program–is often too superficial. Here are some things to consider:

• Understand their aspirations. At the end of the day, your job is help guide someone based on their capabilities and their aspirations. And it is also your job to gently redirect when those two don’t match…
• Learn all you can about the person. Don’t go with the top-level assessment of “these are my strengths and weaknesses”.
• Help them learn, so don’t tell or show. Learning comes best when you give someone the chance to do something. Plan a meeting. Lead a meeting. Lead a project. Conduct analysis. Write a report. Give a presentation…and your ability to assess their true development opportunities will come from observation.
• Look beyond the hard skills and evaluate the soft skills–including levels of the Emotional Quotient (EQ). I’ve seen some bright people fail time and again because they lack an EQ. Thus they struggle to communicate, connect, lead, and get results.
• Present a realistic picture of the job. Talk about the stuff that’s not in the job description. The stuff that keeps you up at night, forces you to take 2 ibuprofen in the middle of the day, forces you to the gym instead of eating lunch, causes you to miss dinner at home, or drink that sixth cup of coffee by 11 a.m. Talk about the things you look forward to as well.
• Help them understand business fundamentals: analytics, strategy, business justifications, finance, legal issues, leadership, management, reporting, business proposals, projections, planning, communication, etc.
• Help them understand how “business works” at your company: the nuances of decision makers (how they make decisions, how they synthesize information, etc.), rules of engagement, political savvy, individual motivation, effectively navigating the company as an informal leader, building “your case”, suggesting alternative ideas, building an effective network, leverage the hidden pockets of knowledge, skills or influence, etc.
• Guide them to their areas of strength and potential. This may be a different functional area or even a more advanced role in the company. Not everyone’s aspirations match their capabilities. A good mentor helps them see their unrealized potential and push them to new levels.

As my Twitter friend Abe said, the best mentors are not company mandated. Without a doubt, company mentor programs have a role but if mentoring was an inherent responsibility, you wouldn’t need the pamphlet. In my opinion, mentoring is a critical element of talent management—getting the best (through hiring and professional development) and keeping the best. Mentoring gives you a first hand view of someone’s potential, or lack thereof. We’ve seen enough examples to know that great companies can fail if they don’t have the right talent in place. Do you?

On a side note, I’m a big fan of GEN Y but they do need mentoring. The truly astute will recognize and value it—at least based on my experience. It may not be an overnight realization but they will get it.  I think this generation has great potential and in some instances, a generational skill set that the rest of us need to acquire. However, long-term success is not limited to the hard skills, their soft skills need to develop as well.  I think we owe it to them to make sure they are equipped for the future (which needs a little more work than anticipated…thanks to their predecessors).

When companies are laying off employees at historical rates, the challenge is to engage employees through motivation, not fear of job loss. As such, two-way communication is important in a down economy. A lack of communication and direction results in productivity declines, decreased morale, increased fear and uncertainty.

There are two key sources for communication: the organization and sales management. Many companies do a good job of providing transparency but one-on-one time is often overlooked. This includes skip levels as well as meaningful time with a direct report–ideally, time or lunch outside the office. Take the time to answer their questions about the business, ask for their insights, find out how they are feeling—or let them drive the conversation.

As an example, I worked for a company where our SVP of Sales regularly hosted an evening at his home for our new hires as they came to town for training. He did such a great job of communicating and relating, that even in our toughest times he had an engaged sales force. Additionally, with each new fiscal year he recognized past successes (individual and team), and set the sales vision and expectations. Everyone started the year with a clear idea of what to expect and what was expected, while primed to give 110%.

Another way to engage your employees is to ask for their input. In terms of developing actions and priorities in a tough climate, the best ideas may come from them. In a past role, my reps helped to identify a key sales niche that reversed severely declining revenues due to a service shift. A friend of mine also did this, and found new ways to reduce cost and increase customer satisfaction in her business. Her top retention criterion, as it turned out, was employee engagement.

Be a servant leader. You can build confidence and trust by being a “selling manager”. However, it is equally important to help them perform better through coaching, removing sales obstacles, assisting in their sales efforts, employee development, etc. This is a golden rule in sales, and employees will appreciate your willingness to make them more successful.

Explain the “why” in business decisions. I always find that people respond better to change when they understand the rationale. Additionally, corporate decisions can affect customers but your sales reps can’t have a successful dialogue without the rationale. In the end, you help to set them up for success while building trust and confidence.

Be an invested leader. Selling becomes harder in a down economy, so skills must be fresh and elevated. As such, managers should continue to share best practices, provide skill and knowledge-based training as well as coaching. Maintain or develop your succession plans and stick to them. If you continue to develop your employees, you are more likely to improve retention during good times.

Maintain accountability. This may seem a bit contrary if you need feet on the street, but your top sales people know their peers and they tend to resent under-performers. You can negatively affect morale if poor performance is ignored or given latitude. Find out why they are not performing and address accordingly.

Last but not least, reward and recognition are always important. The simple fact is that small gestures are as important as the big ones. I recently saw on Twitter that a CEO took his top two performers to a national sales summit as reward for their efforts. This is a great way to get one-on-one time with employees as well. However, it can also be as simple as a gift card or an email acknowledging a great job in managing a meeting, building teamwork, writing a proposal, etc. It all adds up to whether or not you know the good things that your folks are doing, and more importantly, you appreciate it.

As most companies will tell you, employees stay for other reasons than pay—even sales people. Your people are your strongest asset, and in the most challenging times, you will continue to get the best out of them if you give them the best of yourself.   

To debunk the myth that late GenX/BB are not participating, I was very excited to read Chris O’Brien’s article on MercuryNews.com Older Generations Adopting New Technologies because it validates what I see. The professionals I know are participating. I am a member of a local Sales and Marketing group whose objectives include learning and applying social media to our respective careers. The idea generation is significant; the light bulb isn’t just flickering with the occasional AHA! moment, it is a steady state of light and vision. We see ways to market, manage and monetize.

There have been enough studies about the differences in generations and their work habits. In particular, most Gen Y that I have worked with or managed, are hard working and responsible. Finesse, politics and filtering are coachable issues; raw talent and desire are not. Social media and new technologies can be the means to develop commonality, increase mutual respect and interest.

Allow for cross training, younger employees can become the teachers in this media and older workers will benefit from the learning. Equally important, younger workers will get the chance to lead. With the benefit of experience and leadership, older workers can share new ways to apply the technology to business. GenX/BB have the benefit of been there, done that and most will see the potential of the media they learn.

Social media creates communities, allows for collaboration, real time messaging, brainstorming, best practices, and problem resolution through collective input. For companies, it allows for employee engagement. If you have the resources, create your own internal social medium or find the right public medium that is best for your business needs, but allows for levels of privacy, etc.

In and of itself, social media will provide commonality. It will also provide a mechanism for building trust because of the inherent intimacy of social media.  Through trust, you can collaborate. I may be describing an ideal state, but nonetheless, the potential exists and the ROI for companies will be tangible.

How are you using social media in your business?

For additional reading, here is a great interview with Peter Williams, CEO of Deloitte Digital on social networking and business.

Interview with Peter Williams, CEO of Deloitte Digital