4 Tips for Managing Millennials (Plus a White Paper!)

1. Don’t be afraid to be honest.

I often hear about the frustrations managers have dealing with “Millennials who expect to be vice presidents by the time they’re 28.” I’ve seen this in action. Nearly every time, the problem is a combination of of factors that includes, among other things, a manager who is afraid to be more than a friend to his subordinates.

My dad used to say: “You get more from this world with a smile and a gun then with a smile alone.” He meant that it helps to be nice and have power. Managers: have you forgotten that by virtue of your position, tenure, and network, you have significant power in this situation? Don’t get all jerky about it, but… use it. Start by delivering direct feedback in plain English that let’s your Millennials know exactly what’s expected of them and where they stand… even if it’s not good.

2. Manage by career phase, not age.

I did a little study in 2008 about our attitudes toward “the Next Generation.” One thing I found was that the stereotype for a “Next Gen” employee was an arrogant ne’er-do-well in his mid 20’s, but reality was much more subtle. (Surprise, surprise.) 60% of respondents said Next Gen employees were defined by a combination of age + attitude, and over 50% of respondents weren’t even sure if they’d be considered Next Gen by coworkers.

The bottom line for managers: generational differences are complicated by a number of factors, of which one—career phase—is in your control. (The others are demographics, economics, politics, and technology.) Generally speaking, in the first career phase, an individual becomes a functional expert who’s great at doing something. In the next phase, that person stops doing so much and focuses more on organizing/managing people. The shift from the functional phase to the social phase will look different for Millennials than it did for you; be prepared by understanding what they’re up against and how to help.

I understand it’s alluring to want a one-size-fits-all solution for managing Millennials, but managing by maturity level/career phase should prove more effective. After all, making decisions based the date of people’s birth isn’t strategy. It’s astrology.

A note for Millennials: be aware, all that job-hopping may stunt your career development, and that would be bad for everyone.

3. Listen.

I had one client where the younger workers were asking about what career paths would get them to the VP role fastest. Management was up in arms at having to deal with such insolence. But a simple follow up conversation with the Millennials revealed that they were quite open to being told a VP-ship was still years away… they knew there were things they didn’t know, and asking about the career path was their way of asking, “What don’t I know about what’s ahead of me that I need to know?” They were more than willing to hear a direct answer.

Managers, beware: listening starts with understanding where people are emotionally. When you’re workforce shows up in the morning, you need to anticipate and accept their emotional realities, which aren’t always pretty.

4. Don’t label the issue.

Assume, for a moment, you have brown eyes. How would you respond if you overheard me talking about “the problem with those brown eyed people?” Probably, as this experiment showed, not well. The lesson here is that to some degree, “the problem with Millennials” exists because we talk about “the problem with Millennials.” Regardless of how vehemently you believe it, hush up. Talk about listening, career phases, and appropriate expectations, and watch the problem melt away.

Plus…

Curious about that study I mentioned earlier? Sign up for my newsletter today and you’ll receive my white paper, “Managing & Developing Next Generation Leaders: Answers to the Most Common Questions!”

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