I’m sure, like me, you have heard and read a lot about Millennials and how different they are. How they will job hop, they show no loyalty and have unrealistic views and opinion (particularly around their career progression and ability).
It is certainly true that, compared to the Boomer generations, they think and act differently, their values are different.
A Boomer likes control through Organisational Hierarchy where as a Millennial craves inclusion and collaboration.
Different yes, but is that bad? I would argue that if you can tap into their passion, their talent, and their knowledge, you have a powerful force that can drive your business forward.
So how do you harness this Tour de force?
It is fair to say that the old school, command-and-control Management approach is outdated and ineffective with a workforce who have such different values.
I had a recent situation that enlightened me as to the level of power that can be unlocked.
We had dysfunctional process within the agency. I won’t go into the details of what and why as it is both sensitive and not relevant to my topic. Suffice to say, we were not delivering to the standard what were used to. I felt we had looked everywhere to solutions. We discussed it at the Leadership Board. We had a series of meetings with the management team in which we identified issues, created actions plans and review progress. ‘Solving the problem’ was even write it into our annual objectives. Nothing seemed to work until one day, a suggestion (actually 5 suggestions all saying the same thing) appeared in our suggestion box. It was cry for help from the team who did the work. It led to a series of ‘skip level’ meetings and the team themselves taking ownership for the challenges and developing a resolution plan. So what did I take out from this experience? Three key points. I’m sure there were others but these were the biggies for me.
Create an environment for voices to be heard.
Managers must change from simply managing a resource to developing that resource. As Developers they must coach, monitor, listen, inspire, and positively challenge their young talent. They must realise that they have a responsibility to get the best out of them. Not simply in terms of productivity but also in terms of thoughts and ideas. With this approach you create a collaborative culture in which the Millennials will flourish.
Get them to own the situation Old school thinking says that junior employees should pay their dues and show respect, just as their predecessors had to do. But Millennials expect autonomy, flexibility, and opportunity to express their opinion. Leaders must clearly communicate what is needed and then allow the young employees to take ownership of their work. If you allow them to take responsibility, to own the situation, they will respond positively. An owner is vested, they are committed whereas a Renter is transient and has little loyalty or investment.
Reverse mentoring Here is a side story
A friend of mine recently bought a new car with connected car technology. Over a coffee she explained that she was struggling to link it to her phone, I offered to send my 10 year old daughter over to help…….yes my 10 year old ended up setting up her car tech! Bear with me, you will see the point.
Millennials bring a specific set of game-changing technological skills to the workplace, yet Boomers often have no idea what these tools are, what they do or how they’re changing the business landscape. How do the people who set strategy, who sign off investment and who are ultimately responsible for company direction get to this knowledge?
Instead of the usual older-to-younger employee mentoring, the junior employee mentors the senior employee.
Reverse mentoring helps close the technological knowledge gap, empowers high-potential employees and drives understanding and empathy between generations.
Imaging how good that 23-year-old on a graduate scheme feels when a senior manager asks for help? Not only do you get a more knowledgeable senior manager, you also get a highly motivated Millennial. If you want to know more about Reverse Mentoring I suggest a book by Kelly and Robby Riggs called Counter Mentor Leadership.
Companies who can effectively bridge the generation gap through leadership strategies that harness the potential of Millennials will create a competitive advantage. After all, the young employees are yearning for personal value in their work and the opportunity to contribute to something that matters. The alternative is that the manager—and the organization—become irrelevant.
by Richard Wright
Comentários