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LEADERSHIP
Why? Their formative years were heavily influenced
by terrorism and school violence, “inexplicable things
that can happen to anyone anytime,” Erickson says.
“That’s why, in the workplace, they’re constantly asking,
‘Is what you’re asking me to do today meaningful and
important and challenging?’” The best leaders of
Millennials “think of their role as similar to a teacher
preparing lesson plans,” she adds. “What are we
going to accomplish this week, and what will the team
learn? They integrate a learning component with an
executional component.”
Millennials, in fact, have grown up in a more
inclusive, participatory environment than previous
generations. Successful leaders will be those who
evolve toward evaluating task completion rather than
the individual.
“A lot of their schooling was designed around
teamwork,” Erickson says. “They do a lot of their social
activities in groups; they’re very comfortable with that.”
That can lead to conflicts in the workplace, where
traditional corporate cultures have been set up for individual
evaluation. Explains Erickson: “We’re hung up on
assessing individual raw performance. We lose focus on
the fact that collaboration may get the task done better
and smarter than if done by individuals.”
Then there’s the issue of feedback on those tasks.
Continued on page 48
ILLUSTRATION © OLIVER MUNDAY
5 TIPS FOR
LEADING
THE NEW
GENERATION
Emphasize training and
personal development.
Surveys show that Millennial
workers rate training and development
as an employee benefit
three times higher than they
rate cash bonuses. “Put your
training program on steroids if
you want to retain this group.
It’s money that is worthwhile
to invest,” says Amy Lynch of
Nashville-based consulting firm
Generational Edge.
However, this should not
necessarily mean laying
out every facet of a Millennial
employee’s role. Tammy
Erickson, author of Plugged
In: The Generation Y Guide
to Thriving at Work, advises
against “over-specifying.”
“These are people who have
gone through school not necessarily
reading a textbook from
start to finish, but getting a
snippet of information from here
and there on the internet,” she
says. “Give them a challenge
and let them figure it out.”
Encourage collaboration
and transparency.
“The new-era employee
assumes they can and should
contribute to conversation and
decisions that affect where
they work,” says Lisa Orrell
of San Francisco Bay Areabased
consultancy The Orrell
Group and author of Millennials
Incorporated. Meetings should
be open, collaborative sessions
in which everyone is encouraged
to share ideas.
A good leader will know
how to incorporate that input
and channel it. “Switch from
top-down to side-to-side
management,” Lynch says.
“Focus on: ‘Here’s what we
have to get done, let’s figure
out how to get there.’”
Reconsider the schedule.
Many leaders are restructuring
the workweek to accommodate
young people’s stamina
and give them more time to
recharge. “Be more flexible
and try four 10-hour days to
give employees a three-day
weekend. You’ll make your
business a workplace of choice
for Millennials,” Lynch says.
Focus on mentorship.
“Millennials have grown up with
a lot of guidance from their
parents, society and teachers.
They truly value and seek
hand-holding at work,” Orrell
says. “I’ve spoken with many
Millennials who have quit jobs
quickly because they were
promised mentorship but never
received it.”
You may also try reciprocal
mentoring, such as pairing a
smart, tech-savvy Millennial
with a senior exec. “Have the
exec learn social media while the
Millennial learns leadership and
management skills,” suggests
Jeanne Meister, founding partner
of New York-based consultancy
Future Workplace and co-author
of The 2020 Workplace: How
Innovative Companies Attract,
Develop, and Keep Tomorrow’s
Employees Today.
Commit to social causes.
Leaders who prioritize volunteering
and a connection to
social causes are finding success
in attracting and retaining
Gen Yers, many of whom stress
their desire to work for a business
that has a positive impact
on society. Successful leaders
of young people are incorporating
such activities and values
into their business models and
communicating them in compelling
ways. Suggests Lynch:
“Talk about the ways you are
connected to the community,
the ways you make the world a
better place.”
46 ENTREPRENEUR MARCH 2015