Recently I had the honor and privilege to be interviewed by Phil Blair from Manpower on UCTV. We had a thoughtful and fun conversation on how companies and individuals can better understand millennials and how to hire them with more clarity and intention. Here are the top 4 things that came from our chat and things you should keep in mind to accelerate along the learning curve to better understand how to maximize your engagement with millennials.
Each Side is Accountable
In order for the workplace to really create results, both sides, the millennials and managers, need to become next-generation leaders and be able to bridge the communication gap. It works best when both sides are held accountable for doing so. Managers must take second to ask the Millennial what kind of feedback or training would help them the most to success in their role. And vice versa, Millennials must also be accountable for sharing their value and the question to their manager; how can I best serve you?
Technology Changed Everything
Technology has changed the way newer generations receive, process, and share information. Information is on-demand and available whenever a Millennial wants it. This has led to a faster pace of life that Millennials are naturally more comfortable with. As such, Millennials have an expectation that everything should be available and accessible when they want it and how they want it. If you’re aware that this need and expectation exists and if you’re able to provide information to them when they want it they’ll more favorably respond to you.
Help Millennials Articulate Their Value
Millennials are amazing, they just have a difficult time articulating their value. Be their guide and help them learn how to tell their story and articulate value to your internal and external customers. It’s actually easy to train millennials to share their story better. We’ve done it 10,000 times, but they need your help to do so. Be available to give them the tools they need to be able to communicate about themselves that shares how their skills provide value to others and show them how to make it about others, not themselves. The solution is to teach them how to build better relationships. These skills are not being taught it in high school, college, and definitely not in the workplace because everyone assumes you should know how to build relationships once you get a job. Let’s stop complaining that they don’t have the skills to build relationships and guide them to do so!
Shift Your Mindset
The stereotypical manager perspective is I have the gold (control your salary) I make the rules. Both sides, the manager and the millennial, need to adopt the platinum rule. Treat others how THEY want to be treated. Both sides need to understand the other’s perspective and treat them in a way that best serves them. Use the platinum rule, regardless if you believe you control the gold and control the rules. To have a good culture everyone must treat one another with respect. This will also increase Millennial retention. If you can shift your mindset about millennials and understand that they’re not bad, they’re just different. Another good idea to build a stronger culture of inclusion for Millennials is to incorporate them into your sphere of influence and treat them as a peer and listen to their ideas. See our blog on how real mentoring is helping connect the generations. You can also apply the kaizen approach to spark engagement and conversations from both sides. Progressive companies understand these approaches. For example, they don’t just offer food and travel options because millennials demand it and it keeps everyone at work longer (that’s part of it), they do so because it increases productivity and builds a stronger culture when people are congregating more often. People are social beings. Providing opportunities for communication and collaboration by bringing people together in casual settings helps build a stronger culture that attracts Millennials.
At the end of the day, the key to successfully managing the increase in multi-generational interactions is strong communication skills. Furthermore, 80% of jobs found are through people you know. It’s becoming more critical than ever to learn how to build strong communication skills to build the relationships that’ll get you and your team of millennials to the next level.
