Kyle Luetters looks for ways to bring non-millenials and millenials together in the workplace. It’s easier than it sounds.
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Millennials……….
Is there an any more vexing generation?
Widely regarded as the generation born between 1982 and 1997, the follow up to Generation X which seemed to struggle to gain an identity for many years.
Heck, it’s still a struggle to figure out just exactly who we are and what we want.
You see, as more of us enter into the workforce, the more issues with us creep up. A fair amount of the people reading this piece may end up being business owners, hiring managers, HR reps and the like. Why might we be attracting such an audience? Well, we Millennials are just that much different.
In part, this back and forth battle inspired me to write this piece.
Every so often, a great, generational change sweeps over the landscape of the world. In the 20th century alone, we saw the Silent Generation, the Greatest Generation, the Baby Boomers, Gen X and so forth.
We Millennials came along right near the end. Flash forward 20-30 years and we now make up an ever growing chunk of the work force. This presents a problem when many of the people we work for come from a different generation than we do. Study upon study shows us that each generation has different morals, values and attitudes toward a multitude. With all of those factors (plus a few more) I’ve come up with seven ways Millennials are motivated.
(Note: I polled ten Millennials exclusively for this piece. I cast a wide net as far as age, job title, career field and education level in doing this. I also took some points from casual conversations and my own experiences in crafting this piece.)
7. RESPECT/MENTORSHIP
Simple respect is a great motivator for any generation, but especially this one. Why? When you have workers coming in that are 5, 10 , 20, 30, even 40 years younger than your management team or even other employees, there is a tendency to discredit or “look down” on younger team members. Granted, we do not have the experience nor the wisdom that our older comrades do; however, we do bring fresh education, perspectives and vigor to a company. A simple way to show us respect is to not make the assumption that we’re just unintelligent, warm bodies. Respect is a two way street and we must do our part as well. Instead of trying to belittle or rule over young workers, take the time to nurture and mentor them. Seven out of the ten Millennials I polled actively seek some form of mentorship in their lives. This is a HUGE opportunity for you to build trust and loyalty in your workforce. It can all be as simple as a quick, one-on-one lunch or special recognition during a staff meeting.
6. TRUST
Piggybacking off of respect brings me to the next item on my list; trust. It may take awhile for you to trust a Millennial with a task, a project or even a divison of your company. We will have to earn it, there is no doubt; however, if we prove capable and (I stress this very hard) you give us a CLEAR goal or set of objectives, then there is no reason to believe that we can handle what you’ve tasked us with. When our leaders give us this great gift of trust and allow us to run with it, I can’t begin to tell how fired up that makes a Millennial. The contrary is true as well; if we’re micromanaged into oblivion and the goal or objectives change faster than undergarments are, be prepared for one disgruntled youngster.
5. GENEROSITY
Isn’t it sad that stories of people’s generosity gets so much play because of how RARE they are? Take, for example, the story of a Chick-Fil-A General Manager who gave a homeless man food and shelter. He didn’t have to ask nor worry about repercussions; he was empowered to do so by management above him. We Millennials care a great deal for our fellow humans. Person after person that I talked to mentioned that being able to help those in need (within reason, mind you) was a key indication of happiness and motivation. They mentioned that when their leader had given them the authority to take care of a customer, they felt empowered and motivated by the goodness of the company’s mission. What could be a bigger motivator than seeing a smile across someone’s face who needs it or the satisfaction of a customer that had their rep go the extra mile for them? Very few things, that I will tell you.
4. CO-WORKERS
Often times we’ve heard the old saying “a chain is only as strong as its’ weakest link,” right? This is more true than you possibly realize when it comes to building a team with Millennials. This age group wants to be surrounded by a motivated team and be a proud member of it. We, well the ones that are motivated that is, want to be a part of a well coached, very focused team. We expect our teammates to be good at what they bring to the table and expect the same of ourselves. One key ingredient to motivate this generation is to have an excellent team of motivated rockstars in place. They can collaborate with each other, sharing ideas across generational lines. They will feed off one another, and they will push one another to do better; however, if you have a bad apple or two in the bunch, they will bring down productivity and work ethic very quickly.
3. TECHNOLOGY
Do you hate texting, e-mailing, IM’s, social media and so forth? Welp, it might be time to change those attitudes. Over 80% of millennials text every SINGLE day. Less than 50% make a phone call daily. Millennials spend almost two hours a day on social media, IM’s and e-mail. What about meetings you ask? Less than 20 minutes. For better or worse, we are a generation that uses technology to communicate over face-to-face or voice-to-voice communications. A lone exception might be Skype, but we’ll just let that be an outlier. Point being, the most effective way to communicate with this generation is going to be through a computer, tablet or the texting function on a phone. It’s what we’ve grown up with so we know the etiquette and that’s what we’re comfortable with. Should we change? Absolutely, but please meet us half-way. We will all get along better.
2. FLEXIBILITY
Something that is an ever increasing trend in all generations, especially Millennials, is a re-definition of the work week. Many American companies have clung, archaically, to the eight hour, five day work week (much like we’ve clung to the agrarian school schedule.) In my research, eight out of the ten Millennials I polled would seek a flexible work week as a top priority in their job search. Before you start throwing tomatoes …… Hear me out. A survey conducted by the Spectrem Group discovered that nearly 70 percent of self-made millionaires advocate shorter/flexible work weeks. (See the article here.) Even Google’s co-founder, Larry Page, champions the merits of this idea. Referenced in the article is a study conducted by AmericaOnline and Salary.com that reveals a majority of employees waste up to two hours a day on tasks such as personal calls, social media and surfing the web. Let’s take the two hours, times them by four days and you’ve made up an eight hour day on Friday that is wasted. Why not get rid of it? Study after study shows that, if given the chance, a majority of workers (us younger ones) will opt for a condensed, more focused work week in lieu of having to stretch out our week. For example, who would want to be at the office for 50 hours when the work could be accomplished in 35? This might be an initiative that is popular across the board, not just with millennials.
1. VISION
So ……. we’ve finally reached the number one thing on our list. The MOST important thing to Millennials. It’s actually quite simple. One word, which is…….. VISION. Vision is something only a leader can provide. If you are the owner or leader of a business, please read this carefully: Millennials will flock to your company if you can sell them on the vision of where it is going and how they fit in. They will flee from the organization if it is a rudderless ship. We want to see that you have a grand idea for what the company will be and a PLAN to get there. That’s what separates dreamers from achievers. A PLAN! If you want to attract top flight talent out of this generation in ANY role, develop the grand vision for your company, develop the plan to achieve said vision and learn how to sell potential employees on it. Nine out of the ten millennials I polled said that they would be drawn to and remain loyal to a leader with vision and a plan. Six of the ten said they would be willing to accept less money up front if both of these elements were in place. Conversely, seven out of the ten mentioned that would actively seek other employment if they felt like the company wasn’t going anywhere. Vision and a plan are the absolute most important tools you can possess ……. and they are entirely up to you.
Based on my humble (and albeit small) research, this is what I discovered based on the ten Millennials I polled, countless others I asked only a question or two to and my own personal experiences. Is it 100% spot on? Probably not, but I’d say it is fairly accurate. I’m also not saying that these seven things will ensure you’ll have 100% success. More than anything, this is a simple guide to help elder generations understand us youngsters. Contrary to popular belief, we’re not all lazy bums who want everything handed to us. There are a vast majority of us that are ready to roll up our sleeves and help build the future of your company. Just be willing to bring us along for the ride.
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Photo: Baltic Development Forum/Flickr
Kyle Luetters – thanks for this.