Closing the Power Gap at Work

Sam was unprepared to face the rejection he encountered last year, as the president of his company. He requested a meeting with two young team members to discuss some questions. As the president, he was stunned when they refused to accept the request and wouldn’t show up. In fact, they avoided him in the halls each day. When Sam met with his HR director, she encouraged him to just be patient, that they were young and would eventually come around. He then met with their supervisor and got to the bottom of the issue. Sam learned that they felt intimidated by him. Understandably, Sam was at a loss for words. He never imagined a world where an employee could disregard or reject a request to meet by a boss. In the past, if anyone felt nervous, they just swallowed hard and faced the situation.

The times, they’re a-changin’…

As I dug deeper into this story, I think it was the Gen Zers’ attempt to close a power gap. Young employees enter their careers with little social capital. After all, they’re new. Leaders seem to enjoy all the power. I believe we must welcome Generation Z onto our teams and find a way to meet in the middle. They obviously need to learn how the workplace operates, but managers must recognize this new workforce is different and will introduce new realities going forward. One CEO told me, “I feel like I need to be a manager, a cheerleader, a therapist, a coach, and a motivational speaker every week.”

He's not wrong. Leaders do well to understand the behavioral science that’s essential to connect with and engage a new generation of employees. We must start where they are and lead them to where they need to be. While these Gen Zers enter their careers feeling empowered by their smartphone, they frequently feel intimidated by their boss. The power gap drives a wedge between management and labor that deteriorates the culture and isolates people. How do you know if your “power gap” is too large on your team?

• You find yourself surprised by news from staff?members.
• Staff don’t seem to care about the?business.
• Internal initiatives frequently fail.
• The feedback you receive is only positive, not?negative.
• Leaders are the only ones who come up with?ideas.

How to Close the Power?Gap

1.?Listening

I have always known listening was important for a leader, but today it has taken on an even more important role. The top desire Gen Z brings with them into their careers is the need to have a voice. I don’t believe they need to get their own way; I do believe they have a need to feel heard. Listening closes vast power gaps because older generations are often seen by them as judgmental. We lecture better than we listen. I have now established times when I meet with young staff just to listen to them. That’s the agenda. My assignment is: I’ll speak as if I believe I am right but listen as if I believe I am wrong. It’s a game?changer.

2.?Openness

This is more of an attitude than an act. When I am open and transparent about the good, the bad and the ugly, it fosters transparency in everyone. But I must model the way. People realize I am not hiding anything, and team members are free to talk about issues. I once worked for a leader who only allowed positive input and feedback. When that’s the case, people will talk about the boss instead of to the boss. Problems don’t get solved. Openness places a bridge instead of a wall between labor and?management.

3.?Vulnerability

This one is hard for leaders because they assume if they’re vulnerable about their own humanity and flaws, it will lower peoples’ respect for them. In most cases, the opposite is true. People already know we have weaknesses. When we acknowledge them, we can get on the same page and collaborate to diminish them. When in groups, our brain lights up differently depending on the social cues we exchange with others. The paradox is, belonging works from the outside in. When vulnerability cues are sent people let their guard down. Our brain lights up socially when steady diets of cues are sent: we are close and?safe.

4.?Empathy

This means finding ways to communicate that we not only hear our employees, but we understand them. Communicating we can feel their struggle is another game changer that closes the power gap. People must recognize that we see the big picture, but we also see their personal plight. When they do, they feel free to focus on the work, believing managers have their best interest in mind. During the quarantine in 2020, we covered personal issues before business issues in our meetings to let staff know they were priority?one.

You may have noticed that the four words above spell LOVE. They are tangible and appropriate gifts to communicate that you care for the team, and that you’re one of them. This wins the day.

I recall the story of a medical doctor who studied psychology and theology so he could set up a health clinic and a church to serve a remote tribe in the heart of Africa. After several months, both the clinic and church building were finished, and he was ready to offer hope and health to everyone. Sadly, he looked so different from the locals, no one came to his clinic or his church. He wondered if they didn’t think he was qualified enough to earn their trust. Months passed, and the locals showed no interest in seeing him.

After a year, the doctor’s son suddenly got sick and died before his dad could give him the treatment he needed. The grief was too much. As volunteers began to lower the boy’s casket into the ground, the doctor asked them to stop. He laid his head on the top of the coffin and began weeping.

As he sobbed, the locals peered at him closely, then one ran back to the village to meet with the locals. What was his message?

?The white man—he cries like we do.?

The following week, both the clinic and the church were full. The people didn’t need better pedigree from the doctor. They needed to see his humanity. This may be true for us as well.