Honey, I shrunk the digital kids!

Ever have the feeling that despite being in a digital organization, you are a manager of a group of employees who you do not increasingly understand. Well join the club – especially if you are anywhere on the other side of thirty, and have worked in more than one type of industry before tackling the vagueness of ‘digital’!

So how does one as a manager make sure we are maximising the potential of the teams we manage?  For this a manager needs to move beyond theory to actual behaviours and mind-set change. Below are my 4 simple mantras of living a happy and successful digital manager life.

1.    Data is king; and common sense its queen

Use data in day to day life. Don’t wait for ‘big data’ to come and transform your lives. Let the strategists at the top figure that out. But you as a manager can encourage your team to essentially have the sharpness to rely on data in making decisions, analysing each bit as it comes your way. Increasingly digital employees are more comfortable in taking a practical decision when facts are represented, rather than wait to create a process to take a decision. Circumvent the confusing flow charts and move straight to linear equations – simply the details, but deal with data. Want to increase motivation in team? First look at last quarters trends in your team. Have there been complaints, grievances – how many, how often. Review size of team, its pyramid construction (how many at top, how many at bottom). Review profile of your teams – pull all that into consideration – and whoa – you are on your way to become a digital manager!

2.    Doing laundry at home on a work day is no longer a luxury

The digital population couldn’t care less whether you are flexible enough to allow them the odd day at home to work. Flexibility is the mind-set to allow work to intersperse with life. Most digital organizations abhor complexity, they simplify to the degree where things can be uncomplicated, clear and quickly delivered. New trends disrupt this industry daily and flexibility needs to be imbibed as a culture in the organization to survive the constant change and chaos. So getting your dog to work might be scoffed as a google-thing to do; but in reality what it stands for is that the organization provides you the scope to be you – as long as you deliver, on time and innovate continuously!

3.    Cash is making a comeback

I know, I know – we gasp at this. Traditional reward stories all tell us the millennial are rebels. They want their organic jeans to wear, lounge areas to put up Converse clad feet and play snooker whilst wearing trendy black rimmed spectacles all the time. Unfortunately for us, whilst we have been looking at the ‘superficial’ they have been looking at ‘actuals’. The digital population is devoted to their jobs; they are forever online, accessible and alert. They have also realised that as London becomes a hub of fintech, digital world – commodities are commercialised. Whilst we were demanding perks and rewards – they understood the important of cash-in-hand and the value of being rewarded for discrete pieces of work. So having to wait for a March payroll for bonus and recognition schemes to kick in is not ‘their thing’. If they want to do a MBA, they want a discussion now and a decision soonest. If they have delivered a project the odd company drink no longer appeases their thirst. Real monetary value as a reward for critical work delivered is gaining immense importance. The digital employee will give you their soul for interesting work – but you have to give instant reward – and preferably in real value which correlates to cash.

4.       Make silos stretchable

Keeping things interesting is important for your employees. Sounds simple? But factor in the inherent DNA of the digital employee which is that of ‘problem solver’.  They like data but are also creative individuals – even in accounting roles (sorry my finance team!). This is a conflict in itself. How do you make the life of a reward analyst going through multitude of excel sheets between Jan – March interesting as a manager?

Easy peasy. Spread their wings, make silos stretchable. Digital employees have to be given a chance to meddle. They want to be part of ‘more’. There is somewhere a warning here about too much involvement and too little ownership – but you as a digital manager have to tread that line carefully. These employees are bright and on trend – they need to be given a chance to get involved. You can’t brand them as ‘know-it-alls’ because they potentially do have opinions on most aspects of their working life and those of their colleagues. Innovation comes through brainstorming as we are taught – and brainstorming is nothing but talking about ideas, debating how things are done and analysing better ways of doing them.

So allow your team a chance to meddle in projects and job-roles where traditionally they have no right to be. Strong Talent management leaders have cracked this and their talent list no longer consists of ‘1 project per person plan’ – they are a complex web of connections within departments and projects with the digital talent coursing life through its veins.

Now whilst I go off to talk to the techie who sulks as he wants to sit by the window where he can see the sun set; whilst all I can offer him is the beige of the wall – let’s all hope for continuous common sense in digital organizations!