"Treat Your Staff How You Would Like to Be Treated", Sir Richard Branson. I Don't Quite Agree

Let’s cut to the chase.

Many people have written about challenges with Sir Richard Branson’s quote “There’s no magic formula for great company culture. The key is just to treat your staff how you would like to be treated”. While there are aspects of this statement that are not perfect, there is a viewpoint I believe makes sense and so I choose to give Sir Richard the benefit of the doubt. Let me share my dual position.

When it comes to creating a company or team culture, it is imperative to have corporate qualities / values like safety (physical and mental), honesty, equality, and to trust in your employer and the people you work with. So, Sir Richard is correct. These core corporate qualities / values (which are often referred to as Herzberg's Motivators) are vital to having a healthy, vibrant culture that attracts, inspires, and keeps terrific talent. A company or team culture like this helps us feel a sense of belonging where we can count on others and be our best – together.

But when we get beyond the core cultural traits that drive employee satisfaction, this is where I believe Sir Richard Branson’s quote doesn’t work. To explain what I mean, I believe it’s important to first share a high-level overview of each of the four generations in the workforce today from my Generations at Work Training.

• Boomers are loyal by nature. They grew up in an era where work was hierarchical. Promotions were seen as win-lose competitions, and you had to work hard to get ahead. One-income families where the norm. Boomers are currently between 60 – 78 years old (in 2024) with many being retired but their leadership style continues to have an influence on their successors.

• Gen Xers saw the birth of the computer when they were young. Women began enjoying careers in the workforce in greater numbers giving families two incomes. It became more common for Gen X youth to vacation globally and they popularized Work Life Balance. They are between ages 45 – 59 and are often in leadership positions with the most senior often in the C-suite / most senior positions.

• Millennials grew up with computers on every desk. In their teens they embraced the birth of smartphones, in-their-palm entertainment, and social media. They often traveled more than Gen Xers and their parents prioritised their education and organized recreational team experiences. They are between ages 29 – 44, eager to get ahead. Many are relatively new in their leadership positions and may feel conflicted as they reconcile leadership habits they learned from their Boomer parents and mentors.

• Gen Z have never known a world without smartphones, tablets, and laptop computers. On-demand knowledge, entertainment and 24/7 connectivity has always been in their palm. They are often highly educated and communicate more through apps and less through in-person conversations than any previous generation. They are between ages 14 – 28, just entering the job market and are eager to learn, find their place and expect an opportunity to prove themselves.

With that information in mind, I ask you to imagine you lead two people, a Gen Z who is 25-years old and a Gen X who is 52-years old. Now, I ask you to consider what stage they are at in their career and their unique experiences. What might their goals be? As they grew up, how were they rewarded and how often? How is this different from each other? How is this different from you? How has technology and the ability to work anywhere / anytime changed from one generation to the other. How do they instinctively communicate? Who are / were their influencers / mentors? Given these questions and others you may think of what are their similarities and equally important, their differences? What might be their personal preferences and aspirations. And then, take a moment to create a mental list of why it would not work to treat them how you would like to be treated?

I hope you are seeing the important differences. Let me share some of my insights and experience.

Why Treating Your Staff How You Would Like To Be Treated Doesn’t Work

As each generation ages and experiences ever-expanding options and freedoms first-hand, the more they see themselves as unique and want to be involved in the choices that impact their uniqueness.

In today’s culture, those choices include when and where they work. In addition, younger generations grew up with their parents and teachers asking for their input into decisions and sharing virtually every detail why something is the way it is. So, wanting to know ‘why?’ is second nature to Millennials and Gen Z. Simon Sinek wrote a whole book about the importance of why. And yes, it sometimes feels strange (and exhausting) to some Boomers to be expected to explain every detail – especially since they didn’t feel it was their place to ask so many questions when they were new in their career. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg about the different expectations employees have and why treating everyone the same is a challenge.

For example, it may be:

• One employee is comfortable with positive feedback being given to them in public (their preference) and another is not. Many people are not comfortable with public praise.

• One employee is happy to be given opportunities to travel to conferences or have out-of-town meetings at a client’s offices (their preference) and another doesn’t want to travel and leave their family.

• One employee wants more responsibility and a promotion (their preference and commitment to continuous learning) while another is very comfortable with their level of responsibility and current position, especially since it allows them to work remotely almost exclusively.

If you’ll humour me, please let me share one more example that is often relevant in today’s workplaces.

For most Millennials and Gen Z, feedback is a good thing, and they want it often, even if you think their excellent work is obvious. Many Baby Boomers and Gen X managers grew up thinking that 'no feedback is good feedback.' Today, as a leader, if you are unsure about frequency or detail, ask your employee or co-worker. I have a friend whose Gen Z daughter is quite literally worried about her work and work quality. She is so worried she has shared the following concern with her mom, “I have no idea how I’m doing because my boss doesn’t tell me.” In this case my friend’s daughter likely has a leader who is a Gen X or Boomer who is quite happy with her performance. The sad part is that I believe that when an employee (especially a young employee who is new to a workspace) doesn’t know how well they are doing, then that employee likely has energy and potential that is not used because they don’t know what their boss wants. 

What Does Work

If you are getting the idea that inspiring every employee can be a zero-cost solution that has nothing to do with salary or bonuses, then you are right. And while it takes a bit more effort at first to treat your people the way they want to be treated, I believe that in the long run you actually spend less time managing people because they know what they should be doing, they are proud of their accomplishments, and they are giving you 100% instead of 75%.

As a leader (or perhaps a future leader), I invite you to reflect on the idea that one of the most important jobs of a leader isn’t to do all the work, it isn’t to control, and it isn’t to make every decision. Leadership is learning how to build people up, share a vision and a purpose, support them well, and help them be their best. Leadership is a privilege and skill that develops over time, just like being a great accountant, pilot, or machinist. John F. Kennedy is quoted saying, “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.”

I hope you are getting a sense of how the best leaders help others feel safe, manage expectations, communicate with clarity, create a sense of belonging and inspire greatness. Leading, giving instructing and giving feedback the way you prefer will feel right for you, but it may be opposite to how someone else needs to feel inspired and be a proud, productive, and loyal person individual.

And sure, we can’t treat everyone 100% exactly how they want to be treated every minute (fairness, equality and respect only work when they’re a two-way street). We all must face that work is work. But, when we can share trust, respect and are transparent with the people around us that honours their uniqueness, we should. We all have wiggle room. The more we trust the more wiggle room we have.

Let me share another quote. This time by Jim Rohn, an American entrepreneur, author, and motivational speaker. “A good objective of leadership is to help those who are doing poorly to do well and to help those who are doing well to do even better.”

As an executive coach and leadership development keynote speaker / trainer, I have never met two people who have the same needs, wants, aspirations and recognition styles. Even identical twins are different in their needs, wants and motivators as they mature. The most inspirational and successful leaders I’ve worked with understand that to unlock each person and their own potential, they need to see everyone on their team and all of their suppliers or buyers are unique individuals.

The best teams include people who are different; people who have strengths that complement each other and who respectfully challenge and learn from each other without ego. And if we embrace this, we must also accept different people also need to be rewarded differently. So why treat everyone the same or how you want to be treated?

Conclusion

Circling back to Sir Richard Branson, I don’t want to put words in his mouth, but what I get from Sir. Richard’s quote is him saying is, “Stand with, stand behind and stand up for your people.”

To be a good leader you should do you best to understand your people. You should understand what is important for them, and why it is important. Only when you know them and how they want to be treated can you make your best effort to treat them that way. If you do that, your team will know that you care, they will care back, they will be flexible and have wiggle room in what they want / need, and they will feel they belong with you and at your company. You should also know what their life ambitions are and help them to reach these.

And now let me finish by give you a real Sir Richard Branson quote that I quite like, “It is fascinating what people achieve when their perception of what is possible alters.”

Thank you for spending time with me today and reading ‘Treat Your Staff How You Wold Like to Be Treated.’

Bruce

Learn More About Bruce Mayhew

Toronto corporate trainer and executive coach Bruce Mayhew Consulting is in the people business… it just so happens that training and/or executive coaching is involved. Let us help you improve your productivity and employee engagement.

To learn more about how leadership training can to improve your skills call us at 416.617.0462.

Bruce Mayhew Consulting's most popular programs are Email Etiquette Training, Difficult Conversations, Generational Differences, Leadership Skills Training and Time Management Training

Related Workshops That Drive Business Success

• What Is Servant Leadership?

• The What, Why and How of Vulnerable Leadership

• Email Etiquette Training

• The Role of Empathy during Difficult Conversations at Work

• Difficult Conversations: Never Easy - Always Worthwhile

Toronto based corporate trainer and executive coach Bruce Mayhew Consulting proudly offers leadership training and professional development.

Creating a Multi-Generational Workplace Culture

Everyone wants to know they are a valued part of the team regardless of what generation they belong to. And because generational differences of Boomers, Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z employees matter when creating a healthy multi-generational workplace, I thought I would take a moment to discuss how generational differences often influence the way your employees may or may not respond four important motivators.

I also want to point out that besides generational differences, there are many other variables including gender differences, ethnic and cultural differences, feelings of trust and respect that are also incredibly important when creating a healthy multi-generational workplace culture. But for now, lets explore how each generation may interpret and be inspired by the following four important opportunities:

1. Recognition

2. Autonomy

3. Coaching/Continuous Learning

4. Opportunity for Advancement

Additional Note: While the list above is not exhaustive, I have purposely not included salary in the above list. I do this because salary is considered a base trait – that as long as an individual is being paid fairly, monetary reward becomes a far less reliable and effective motivator. So, lets take money off the table and look at other ways to create a multi-generational workplace culture.

Recognition

Everyone enjoys recognition. And while Gen Zers and Millennials are used to frequent recognition and Gen Xers and Boomers are used to less frequent recognition, whether an individual prefers to be recognized in publicly versus more privately is often more dependent on if they are an introvert versus extrovert than what generation they belong to.

The great question is, “How frequently and how sincerely do you recognize your team and team members?” Recognition doesn’t have to be a party - and please don’t start an ‘Employee of the Month’ program because recognizing one person once a month is about as demotivating as you can get. Instead, look for opportunities where you can say to someone, “Your input into this report is amazing” or “You’ve worked really hard on that sales pitch and it shows”. Recognizing someones contribution and/or effort in-the-moment is right up there with some of the best recognition you can offer… ever.

Autonomy

Historically, autonomy in the workplace was largely defined as the opportunity to work from home and seen as a perk – something employees had to deserve. Most leaders now recognize that supporting autonomy can encompasses many things like flexible hours, what to work on, where to sit (if in-office) and even professional development opportunities… as well as the choice to work from home (or perhaps more accurately, working remotely).

Thankfully even the idea that autonomy as a ‘perk’ is being replaced by the reality that most people who work remotely actually are more productive (not less), are more creative, have greater job satisfaction and employee loyalty to mention just a few benefits.

So, as you strive to create a healthy multi-generational workplace culture, look to what flexibility you can offer your employees that will help them. Do they need time to take their kids into daycare before coming to work? Do they love being in the office because it gives them a break from their family and they are naturally extroverted? Is there a project that has nothing to do with their current job that you can assign them to because you know it is related to a career path they aspire to? Those are all healthy examples of how you can incorporate autonomy into your workplace culture.

Coaching / Continuous Learning

Coaching is something every leader should be prepared to do – to both their team and to the individuals they support. Coaching ties in well to a workplace culture that promotes continuous learning, helping the team and the company stay fresh while also helping to create an inclusive, multi-generational workplace culture and to promote both collaborative and inclusive behaviour. In addition, coaching, continuous learning and being inclusive are especially important to Gen Z and Millennials.

I invite you to recognize these two generations enjoy being coached AS WELL AS coaching others, sharing their experience and helping others grow. Reverse coaching and/or reverse mentoring are important opportunities for individual and team motivation. And don’t worry if your employees are working remotely. Help employees meet other employees outside of their immediate circle and build new, meaningful relationships from afar by implementing a virtual mentorship program. These relationships will not only create meaning and benefit for them in part by satisfying our natural need to connect with one another, they will also create new synergies within the company and improve employee productivity and loyalty. 

Wondering how to start and who to include? During your one-on-one meetings with each of your team, be sure to ask them how they want to be coached and if they see opportunities where they can give back and coach others.

Opportunity for Advancement

Higher salary and opportunities for advancement have always been high on the list for Boomers and certainly of interest for Generation Xers. Unfortunately for Gen Xers, the economic downturns of the late 1980’s, early 2000’s and then again around 2008/2009 meant that fewer Boomers left the employment market for their expected “Freedom 55”. This meant the career advancement opportunities and higher salaries didn’t materialize as quickly as young Gen Xers expected. Thankfully, Gen Xers are finally getting their chance, even though they are now also competing for leadership positions against bright, well-educated and technologically save Millennials.

It is still worth taking a moment of pause here however because the traditional definition of ‘Opportunity for Advancement’ is shifting. Millennials and Gen Zers don’t only see advancement as a promotion. They also see advancement as opportunities to gain experience and opportunities to broaden their network. So, while an employee may stay in their current position, take time to learn about what they want to learn and where they would like to gain experience because it’s possible you can inspire a very motivated employee by giving them opportunities that are easily within reach and where they actually may be able to add a new point of view.

Conclusion

If you are a leader I urge you to learn as much about everyone you work with and especially people who report to you. What are their wants, needs and preferences as they relate to what they work on, how they like to work, how they like to be rewarded and connected to their preferences specific to working remotely (or not). What are their career aspirations? How can you support workplace training for each of the generations who count on you?

In addition, take a moment to consider your own leadership style and how you support, mentor and coach your team. For example, is your leadership preference lean toward creating a workplace culture where you:

• Give team members a lot of autonomy and little supervision - let them come to you when they have questions or need something

• Intentionally work at creating a culture of equality, diversity, openness and belonging

• Feel you have to have total control and make all (or most) of decisions - especially the critical high-profile decisions

• Value collaboration and input from all stakeholders, listen openly, and watch out of biases in order to explore all options before making a decision

• Focus on strategy, vision and values while making sure everyone has the resources they need to deliver

There is great value for todays leaders to focus on their soft skills and to know what inspires and motivates themselves and the people around them as they lead and create a multigenerational workplace culture.

Thank you for reading. I hope you have enjoyed.

Bruce

About Bruce and Bruce Mayhew Consulting.

Bruce is Corporate Trainer and Executive Coach.

As a Corporate Trainer Bruce Mayhew (of BMC) specialize in customized Time Management Training, Email Etiquette Training, Leadership & New Leadership Development, Generational Differences and other soft skills training solutions in Toronto and across Canada. Bruce is also an Executive Coach to a few select clients.

BMC helps your greatest assets think productive and be productive.

Bruce is an experienced motivational speaker in Toronto and has inspired audiences across Canada and within the USA and the UK. Bruce works hard to always make sure your training event, conference, retreat, or annual general meeting is a success.