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

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.

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