Effective Leadership: How to Lead and Empower Millennials in the Workplace
Time after time, people are asking for my advice on how to “deal with” their Millennials in the workplace. Typically, I know a big part of their issue simply by the way the question is worded. “Deal with” immediately gives off a negative connotation. How quickly does that question’s emotional volume change when you replace it with “Lead” or even “Manage”? It reframes the responsibility and removes the idea of just checking a box or getting on with it. This isn’t a broken furnace we’re talking about.
Millennials are humans and the sooner we stop treating the generation like an alien race. The sooner we’ll realize how much more we have much more in common than not.
If you want some heavy-hitting mental shift tips on how to lead Millennials in the workplace, check these out:
- Stop referring to Millennials as “kids”. I know we may be your children’s age, but we’re NOT your kids. Just like you’re not our parents. The next time you catch yourself referring to a colleague or volunteer as a “kid,” stop yourself and replace it with “young professional.” This slight change will make a big impact on your own association with those in their 20s and 30s in your office. We’re not your kid, and (even if you’re the most amazing person) we don’t want to be.
- Don’t assume you know someone’s intentions. As the old adage goes, “to assume is to make an ass of u and me”. Intentions are hugely important, and misunderstandings occur often. This is not to say those good intentions can’t go wrong, but it is to say that most people don’t wake up in the morning with the intention of causing another person frustration. So, before assuming where someone’s coming from, simply say something like: “Help me understand your intention behind this?” Then pay attention to their response. It’ll clarify a lot for you and them!
- Ask more questions and listen to the answers. This has a strong tie to #2 but applies to nearly all aspects of frustration. For example, if you have a person who is consistently not turning their timesheet in on time. Instead of getting fed up and annoyed and writing that person off as lazy and entitled Millennial, have a conversation. Ask them, in person, “Is there something going on that’s creating a barrier for you to turn in your time sheet each week?” then LISTEN for their response. After you hear them, respond with advice, support, and problem-solving that directly relates to their response. Empower your team members to own the solution and hold them accountable to it. Since they’re not your kid, you shouldn’t do it for them!
- Take time to educate each other on how behaviors are being interpreted. Oftentimes, we interpret a behavior a certain way based on our own biases. Regardless, our emotions are valid no matter what the intention or explanation is for the experienced bad behavior. So next time that timesheet isn’t turned in, and you’ve had the conversation and listened to responses, it’s time to be more direct about your experience. “Ashley, I know you’re not a disrespectful person. But this is the fifth time I’ve had to talk to you about your timesheet, and it’s gotten to the point where it now feels like you don’t respect me. I want us to have mutual respect for each other and would want you to tell me if I was doing something that made you feel this way, too. Can you help me understand your thought process on this and why it’s still an issue?” This technique is one of my favorites, and I’ve used it personally and coached others to use it with their team members. Usually, the receiver of the feedback had no idea that this was creating that level of frustration and emotional stress. When you’re coming from a place of honesty, it creates empathy for both of your situations.
Oh, and by the way, in case you didn’t pick up on it, all of these except for #1 are things you can do to improve your leadership with EVERYONE – humans from all generations!
Do you have any tips for executives who struggle with managing millennials in the workplace?
And if you are looking for support, check out what my alignment coaching can do for you.