[MUSIC]
Now that we've got an understanding of the millennial and
what they want and what they aspire to, and how to engage them, and
lets kind of turn to some how less glamorous but equally important issue.
How do you fire a millennial?
Is it the same way we did it before or
does this require a different kingdoms or what do you think?
>> Again, hopefully that organization is one that is feedback rich.
So at the point of firing, it should not be a surprise.
And I always go back to something that Professor Irv Grousbeck here in his class
would say,
which is if you're going to fire someone during the first 30 seconds and the second
element I'd add to that is less is more in terms of the explanation in that moment.
Again, it should not be a surprise and you've had feedback along the way.
The less is more as I think as a manager,
you need to wear your HR hat in that moment.
If after that emotional moment has passed, and they want to come back and
understand a little bit more, then you can have that dialogue.
But, in that moment, quickly and less is more.
>> I don't think I concur with Michelle.
I don't think it's really changed.
And in fact, that notion of every review should never be a surprise.
That was stuff that was talked about 40 years ago.
Like that's not new and so on.
We'll run and
highly functional organizations have been providing constant feedback for decades.
And so if you have to exit somebody out or coach them out, for whatever reason,
the skill set was a mismatch, the attitude was a mismatch.
To Michelle's point it should never be a surprise, but
when it's done, you do it and you move on.
And you can be kind, you can be generous, you can be polite, but
you can't leave somebody there if it's not working out and it's a cancer.
>> And the one thing I would want to add to that is specifically related to this
generation Is often, for some of these this has been their first job perhaps and
their social network is very intertwined with this work network.
So it's not the one and done anymore, right?
You may be out of the firm, but you are still connected to everyone in there, and
you as a manager needs to know that whatever is being said.
>> Right.
>> And it's going to get right back.
>> That's right.
>> Those networks really hold tight.
>> There's like an echo factor.
But this is interesting.
I love your emphasis saying, hey, feedback shouldn't be a surprise.
Bad news ought not to be a surprise.
But let me mischievously turn it around.
Why is it a surprise then to leaders of organizations when
the millennials as employee activists,
organize the petition signing saying hey, the CEO have to be fired.
Why is that a surprise them?
>> Well, I think some of the unintended consequences of creating a culture
the positive side is you allow people to bring their whole selves to work.
>> Right.
>> Google, kind of pioneered that.
But if we get to a point where the team,
the enemy is seen inside of the building versus outside of the handling,
that can actually engender bad behaviors and I would argue that that
gets to that point, because management lost sight of what was happening.
With the employee base, what their issues were,
were they hearing them along the way.
And maybe at some point, you do have to draw a line and draw barriers and
you want to do that before it gets too far.
But you really have to stay on top of it.
And this comes back to the empathy that Michelle talked about earlier.
You've got to know where people are at what are their issues?
And by the way, then you can say always say don't employ.
We as a company have made this decision.
You may have made the choice now that you don't want to work here.
We will miss you.
>> Let me get back to this activism amongst the millennials Michelle,
is that an opportunity and a threat for corporate America?
>> That needs to be seen as an opportunity.
[LAUGH] So it may feel like a threat at times, but
you have to figure out how to work with it.
So in our organization, we've had a couple on a much smaller scale,
maybe what Amazon's going through right now.
For instance, or Google.
But of wanting to imprint one's agenda on to the brand of the company, and
it is about listening, it is about understanding and unpacking,
truly with the most motivation is what the needs are, and
then figure out where you can bend and flex while maintaining the integrity of
course of the organization of the company, the visions and the goals.
>> And this is actually an issue that's much bigger than the generational issue.
If you look at the role CEOs are having to play,
will they take stands on public issues or not?
Are they expected or in the old days you wouldn't.
It's as if we just do our job and work.
That's not the case.
And there, you look at the work of the Business Roundtable,
this notion of stakeholders versus shareholders.
These conversations run top to bottom.
It's I don't believe that that's a generational issue.
I believe it's a business issue.