Leadership Lessons Blog

Managing Millennials

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What is a Millennial?  Simply put, these are the folks in our workplace that were born between 1978 and 1997.  These are the folks that were HIGHLY influenced by the world of technology.  Today's younger worker is the first generation to grow up surrounded by digital technology and they can't imagine a world without it! 

Millennials don't want to be TOLD what to do.  They pride themselves in invention.  They communicate in chat rooms and on FaceBook with ease.  They collaborate, make plans that involve many people in a matter of seconds and they prefer "sound bites" to lectures.  They want things to be done quickly and efficiently and don't have patience for a lot of rework. 

As managers what do we need to do to manage Millennials effectively?  If we want to be a company that keeps the best and the brightest then these are the characteristics that we need to value:  confidence, creativity, and independence.  It is due to these qualities that we find ourselves needing to manage differently. 

Millennials crave constant feedback.  They have seen what happened to their baby boomer parents and they demand work/life balance and strong workplace relationships.  Business leaders need to take a strong look at their company values and how they approach management and begin to alter the environment to meet the needs of these young workers. 

The trick here is balance!  Don't forget that you have older workers as well.  These workers need to be educated about what to expect from their younger colleagues.  We need to make room in our company vaults for the use of FaceBook, Twitter and other social network sites during the work day.  The net is the key to their success.  If we block access, we block creativity and we block freedom.  We run the risk of unhappy workers. 

We used to call them coffee breaks...now we need to make room for "virtual breaks!"  The younger worker needs time during the day to connect.  Sure, we need to monitor use of social networks during the workday, but research of the younger worker has shown that by allowing them the freedom to "virtually break," we create a more focused work team. 

Think about how social networks have changed how we do our jobs.  Virtually every company uses social networks to profile and hunt for job candidates.  Studies indicate that more than 40% of employers use social networking sties to examine the profiles of job candidates.

Best-selling author Don Tapscott says, "The old HR model--recruit, train, supervise and retain--should be shelved.  Instead, companies should adopt a new model--initiate, engage, collaborate and evolve.  Employers have many ways to make themselves attractive to a potential Net Gen employee:  customize job descriptions, use game0based training to train employees for short-term projects, and keep in touch with former employees to find new people and get new ideas."  "My research has shown that companies that selectively and effectively embrace Net Gen norms perform better than those that don't. 

Leadership and Committment

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Working in a small company has its challenges.  It means that you can't easily hide in a cubicle and get lost in "doing" your job and it means that you are very vulnerable to the scrutiny of everyone you work for and with daily.  Even the small business is "family-owned" and operated you also face additional challenges, especially when the "decision-maker" is very vague.  You can be marching successfully to the drum of one owner and be completely missing the boat with another.  If you avoid one directive over another directive, you find yourself sandwiched in a "no-win" situation. 

As employees who work with father and son teams or husband and wife teams of sibling teams, we need to ensure that we work hard to understand the protocols of the company and how to survive mixed messages or confusion over strategy and vision. 

I work with many small companies, many of which are run by members of the family.  Each has a box on the organizational chart, but rarely do any of them stay in their functional box.  This action is certainly understandable as they each have a vested interest int he success of the company.  Unfortunately, when you are caught in the middle of their disagreements then you may find yourself on the short-end of the stick. 

Their are several factors leading to the challenge of working in this type of environment.  How do you best survive the differing management and leadership styles and how to you secure your reporting relationship with each member of the family so you don't end up playing arbitrator for their indecision or for their mixed messages. 

The following are tips I would encourage you to practice if you find yourself in a similar situation. 

1. Clarify reporting protocols.  You need to know where the buck stops in terms of direction and action.  This is especially true if you are working in a company with 50/50 percent ownership.  You may report to one person on the organizational chart, but could very well be getting direction from the other.  You can't win this battle so it is best to sit down and ask for clarification on how you are supposed to respond to mixed messages or differering strategies. 
2. Hold the family members responsible for developing communication paths that are clear.  One of the greatest failures in small companies is that they underestimate the need for consistent and clear communication.  They make the assumption that since the company is small that everyone understands the message.  Regardless of size, employees need to know that the company has its compass set on a particular path.  They need to feel comfortable that everyone agrees with the path and are supporting the direction.  If you are not getting the kind of clarification you need, it is your responsibility to ask for clarification.
3. Ask for accountability metrics.  Small companies oftentimes miss the need to establish identifiable goals and metrics.  Employees are sometimes left to figure out what they are being held accountable for as a function of their job, but accountability standards are far more complex.  Small companies must develop a mechanism to talk about performance and performance expectations.  If you are not sure HOW you are being measured then it is up to you to ask for clarification. 

If you are an employee in a small company, you must have the attitude that you are "part" of the family and that your success depends upon the success of the company.  You need to ask yourself if you can be dedicated enough to the companies success to work "outside" of your box.  In doing so, you may find that you have a very satisfying experience.