Unveiling Manager’s Perspective on working with high energy, young talented breed of emerging leaders

Over the years we have seen Leaders have employees from many generations come together in a team with the aim of delivering to the stakeholders the expectations on a platter. With every generation came an instruction manual of how to handle them and what they needed for optimum productivity. Circa 21st Century and things changed as it was not a new chapter added but a whole new book and till date we have people floundering and fuming all in equal measure as in how to handle a Generation who had just entered the workplace.

Rules were being rewritten by them, values being updated, but if you scratch the surface, you will realize that what they bring to the table is not superfluous as it may initially seem but very relevant to today’s times. No one has challenged the Status Quo like this ever before and now is the best time to present to all of you, someone you know, but maybe not so well - Millennials!

Who are the Millennials?

Millennials (anyone born between 1981 and 1996) form 35% of the Global Workforce as of today and hence are the biggest segment today. (Fun Fact: The number of millennials in China outnumber the population of US).

They are some of our brightest young managers and have the advantage of more years to work left in them compared to the rest. So, it’s extremely critical for all of us to know what they seek at the workplace and how to keep the gainfully engaged accordingly.

At the outset we need to keep our stereotypical glasses away hence ignoring the usual labels of “narcissistic”, “entitled”, “lazy” and “job hopper”. Researches have shown that the Millennials want most of the same things in a job like the generations before them. They also want to make an impact, help overcome social/environmental challenges and work with diverse group of people. It’s not that people born after 1980’s are narcissistic but generally young people are, and they overcome it with age. If we consider people of same age across generations, job hopping would show same trends.

They are the generation, who no one understands, or let’s face it, the generation no one wishes to truly understand!

Some call them the ‘Selfie Generation’, keener to share a photograph of their lunch, than a revolutionary idea. But the same people need to wake up and quickly realize that there is no generation clearer about their purpose in life, nor a generation more passionate about their beliefs and goals.

A Millennial isn’t going to roll over and accept leftovers of what he should be doing, but shall clearly dictate that discourse and not rest until they are given the space and freedom to do what they wish to. The passion for their work they bring to the table is far more intense and sustained than any generation before and their infectious energy has to be channelized and be inspired from to benefit everyone around.

The biggest priority of the Baby Boomers whilst they worked was to provide for their families, while the Millennials care more about making an impact on the world with the work that they do. Their purpose is much higher on the Maslow Grid of Motivation and their bosses who aren’t able to relate to that, find it difficult to deal with them. The problem doesn’t lie with them, it lies with the people who are handling them. No one can stop a Millennial to stop working on something that matters to them. They shall work harder than anyone else, longer than anyone else and wont rest until the job is done.

Millennials are most comfortable with diversity. In a cosmopolitan workplace wherein, people of different generations and cultures coalesce, they are the ones who are best adapted, they actually welcome it with open arms.

Their Values

Meaningful work: The work that needs to be given to them has to make sense, make a difference and contribute in the big picture. The ones which are mundane, with no impact are not their cup of tea. Choose very carefully what you give them to do, they won’t stick around for long if it doesn’t meet their high expectations.

Recognition: The Millennials are not the subjugated type who shall slog away and be left high and dry at the end of it. If they work hard and the time comes to recognize the ones who made it possible, don’t leave their names out.

Transparency: Their need for systems to be unbiased is much higher than previous generations and if there is lack of it, expect a Memo on your table demanding for the same. 

Feedback: They need to be told how their work is going, reminded if they need course correction and not to have all to be offloaded on their table at the end of the assignment. The expectation is ‘In-the-moment’ and also, they want the channel to be two-way which is structurally embedded to monitor progress of goals and objectives.

Learning & Development: This generation wishes to stay sharp and clued up to the current day and age and wishes to be given an environment wherein training and development is mandated by the Management and sometimes they would go as far as changing lanes if the corporate climate demands so, through modular engagement burning midnight oil if needed.

Work-Life Balance: This is not the first voice to be raised when it comes to Work-Life balance, but is definitely the loudest one yet. They are seeking mobility, flexible work hours, and the current pandemic has redefined the concept of Work from Home (WFH) which has been on their list of demands much before 2020. Technology needs to be at the forefront to be able to deliver them these expectations and they shall deliver beyond expectations provided the pitch is also curated keeping their aspirations in mind.

Manager’s Lens

Gone are the days wherein the Manager could get away with the insecurity of being surrounded by all who were below in intellect and capability as the insecurity of losing their chair came in the way of hiring ‘Smarter than Thou’ people. Nowadays if you don’t have the smartest team on the block, you shall become redundant sooner than you wake up to this reality. Collaboration is no longer a buzz word, it’s become a necessity and diversity in the workplace is not just for brownie points, but to stay ahead of the pack. We have to see the workplace differently than before, not because we like to, but because the other option is the road to extinction. So, embrace diversity and nourish and flourish with the Millennials, as the ones who have done it have shown to gain tremendously from the approach. 

Manager’s contribution in building a journey along with Millennials

Be accessible and approachable: The model of the unreachable manager has been laid to rest especially by this generation that demands engagement, feedback, guidance and generally an Open-Door policy wherein they feel comfortable to access the Manager and discuss from ideas, aspirations and thoughts to issues and complaints. Make sure you have One-2-One sessions with all team members as high engagement is the road to high productivity. This demand is linked to their motivation to remain sticky to the job.

Give them resources to thrive: The resources range from tools, trainings, upskilling and feedback so that they have enough in their arsenal to be able to not just cope with the work but to ace it every day.

Focus on results: There is no generation who has a better eye on the result ball than the millennials. They get perturbed in a culture where just meandering along with no killer instinct to achieve the targets is given encouragement. Make use of their zeal in fostering the spirit of being target oriented and create impact centres rather than inertia centres.

Make teamwork a part of your culture: Right from their school days they have been taught the value of teamwork through group projects and exercises and that is something that needs to be strengthened rather than promoting solo flights which are too individual dependent and develop non-interacting silos which shall make the members, especially the Millennials very uncomfortable.

Use technology to the fullest: This is the generation that brought to the fore social media platforms entrenched in the work fabric, remote work environments and mediums to communicate and collaborate much better than what their predecessors have been able to achieve. Make the champions of this movement and see everyone not just join the bandwagon but be infuriated that what took them so long! 

Millennials like the generations before have had the burden for being the misfits and rebels for a lack of understanding of their need and aspirations. But we must understand that the culture of transformation happens when a group of people are willing to stick their necks out as they are fed up of the present and wish for a better future. The Millennials have it in them to be the evangelists of change, we just need to allow them to BE THEMSELVES, and trust me the key to the workplace is being handed over to the RIGHT ONES.

So, here’s to the Millennials and what they stand for: Purpose, Passion, Networking, Making an Impact and Being Straight Forward.