Comment Take the advice of professional research. (Score 1) 551
Most universities offer a 200-level course in industrial/organizational psychology, and it was, by far, the best thing I could have done for my management career. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_and_organizational_psychology
First, it doesn't matter what kind of employees you have, they're all unique individuals. Packard's 12-item list is nothing but a sound-bite introduction to the concept of a http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_contract
Don't look at them as a bunch of older employees. Don't look at them as "technical," and yourself as "business." That's pigeonholing, and will do more damage than it will help. You are people, they are people, and winning relationships will come only from striving to understand the relationships.
