It's easy to see how Millennials are an asset at technology companies, in IT departments and when marketing to Millennials. On the other hand, companies still need to get work done—and it all can't happen in teams. How do managers and supervisors convey to Millennials that individual contributions and efforts are still expected?
"You have to be very clear that individual contributions are still expected and will be evaluated and rewarded," says Deb Wood, senior consultant for VITAL WorkLife. "You need to help them see that if they want to be part of the next generation of managers, they need to develop those skills."
Here are four areas where managers and supervisors of Millennials can make a significant changes for the better:
Setting Expectations Around Job Performance and Promotion
"Just do It," may work for Nike but it's less useful with Millennials. Expect to invest more time in assigning tasks and specifying job expectations to Millennials. They want to know why the task needs to be done and why it's important to the company's mission. Having provided that input, though, managers need not compromise their expectations in terms of performance, speed or quality of tasks performed.
"There's a difference between putting in the extra effort needed to engage a Millennial and coddling poor performers," says Wood. "The reward for the extra time spent is that Millennials may exceed expectations once they're fully engaged."
Managers of Millennials also need to become more adept at providing more frequent and more positive feedback in order to keep Millennials engaged.
If you find yourself at the point where Millennial employees are exhausting you with their almost insatiable desire for feedback, find ways to start weaning more senior Millennial staffers by encouraging them to balance the number of questions they bring to you with solutions and suggestions.
Training and Grooming Millennials for Management
When Millennials become managers, they too have to manage Millennials and they may struggle adapting to their new place in a hierarchy they know their peers don't totally respect. "At some point, decisions have to be made," says Wood. "Millennial managers may need some coaching on when it's time to acknowledge that consensus can't be built."
Creating healthy boundaries is also more difficult for Millennial managers because of the importance of their social networks. "This is a generation that's going to want their reports to like them," notes Wood. "It might help to bring up various scenarios young managers might encounter and brainstorm how they'll be able to hold people accountable despite social connections."
Define Appropriate and Inappropriate Behaviors
The need to recruit and retain Millennials isn't the same as saying, "It's OK to text while the CEO is asking you a question." Research indicates that Millennials won't (or will, but only as a last resort) work for organizations that ban social media—but providing clarity about media etiquette is often in order. "Millennials should be coached to pick their moments and be sensitive to co-worker reactions," says Wood. "Give them the benefit of the doubt. Many don't know how irritating this behavior can be and once they do, are often able to curtail texting when appropriate."
Promote Generational Harmony
Don't assume Millennials know social cues and etiquette that Boomer and Gen Xers learned in childhood—and don't be afraid to talk about the elephant in the room. Encourage team and group discussions about generational differences but keep it light and, on balance, positive.
"Suggest that for every negative attribute they'd like to discuss, they find an equally powerful positive attribute to mention," suggests Wood. "All generations share one attribute in that nobody's perfect—and everyone's got something to contribute."
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