There is a lot going on within the HR world by categorizing different generations of workforce as Baby Boomers, Gen X, Gen Z, and Millennials. I wasn’t paying close attention to them for a while. Two things did happen in the meantime. First, we started growing our team by hiring many millennials. Second, our daughter is approaching her adolescence. Her teachers requested me to an orientation session for parents. In contrast to the regular orientation program, the presenter was a senior counsellor. She has experience working with millennials and Generation Z. As part of the parent orientation, she began explaining how millennials differ. She demonstrated why the ‘I tell you so…’ method will not work with them by citing many examples. She emphasized the significance of reasoning, which helps them understand why they were doing things in terms of studies and behavioural grooming at home.
She reiterated that giving them orders and expecting them to simply obey them may be counterproductive, and she concluded the session by emphasizing the importance of participation when it comes to millennials. Because of internet and technology, millennials have more information, which means they have more options. This causes them to be perplexed or to question their elders, which did not exist in previous generations, including mine. During our time, it was assumed that elders had more knowledge gained through experience. This naturally led to the above-mentioned aspect of obedience. Bottom line: Millennials and Generation Z cannot be compelled.
My mind naturally began to connect the school counselling session with what was going on at work. It was abundantly clear that a different leadership approach was required to lead the millennial workforce. As I continued to read along these lines, I came across this incredible video by Simon Sinek.
He discusses four points that explain millennials and the behaviour we see from them at work.
1. Failed parenting: Parents of millennials go to great lengths to make their children feel special and capable of obtaining whatever they desire. Giving medals solely for participation or increasing the number of ‘A’ grades in schools to make the children and teachers look good in front of parents are two examples given by Simon in the video.
2. Social Media: Even the adults have become addicted to technology and social media. Using social media produces dopamine, which is equivalent to taking a drug.
3. Impatience: As a result of social media addiction, it has resulted in the desire for instant gratification. They can board a taxi, order food, or binge-watch serials in OTTs in less than a minute. As a result, they expect the same in the workplace – immediate rewards, instant gratification, faster promotions, and so on. Patience, Relationships, Love, and Relationships take time to build, which is completely absent.
4. Environment: When such people are introduced into a workplace that is completely driven by a different set of parameters than what they have been exposed to. This creates a shock for the millennials at workplace. On the other hand leaders are finding it hard to motivate and produce results through them. Simon beautifully concludes the video by highlighting the significance of leadership in caring for millennials and developing this incredible generation of people.
At work, I’ve noticed similar patterns with millennials. They appear to be self-assured individuals with lofty goals. They also cannot accept orders or rules that are imposed on them. They want to make a big difference in the world. So, how do we lead them and get things done? It’s very easy to blame the generation, but that doesn’t change the fact that they are extremely talented and intelligent. Expanding on my previous thoughts and observations from the workplace, I believe that all they require is participative leadership. It consists, in my opinion, of five key elements.
1. Begin with Why
While this is true for all age groups, it makes even more sense for leaders to begin by addressing why part of the work. Obtaining buy-in and inspiring millennials to support a larger vision or purpose makes a significant difference. Reiterating how a small task connects to a larger goal helps them gain clarity. Increasing responsibilities through continuous participation creates a positive spiral in terms of motivation and results.
2. Providing Them with Space
Yes, I’ve seen this several times. Millennials prefer to be given a lot of space at work, rather than being suffocated by micromanagement. Once the purpose is clear and the necessary responsibilities are assigned, they must be given the freedom to do things their way. Work level responsibilities can be increased depending on how well the individual responds. Giving them too much space can also be a problem because they require some hand holding. To give them space where they feel safe and trusted, careful calibration is required. As previously stated, the ‘I tell you so’ approach simply does not work.
3. Making Mistakes as a Means of Learning
When given enough space and responsibility, millennials are prone to making mistakes at work. In such cases, it’s critical to step in and remind people that it’s okay to make mistakes. The more important aspect, however, is to learn from the mistakes and avoid them in the future. There have even been cases where the same person makes the same mistakes. Again, the leader’s ability to assess and take appropriate action is critical here. Allowing them to make mistakes should not be interpreted as avoiding responsibilities in the belief that a substandard quality of work is acceptable. The key here is careful calibration and consistent participation. On the contrary, their immediate reaction to mistakes undermines their confidence, which is very common among millennials. Outside, they appear to be very confident, but it breaks quickly. Hence, they require reassurance and mentoring.
4. Minor Conversations
Millennials prefer bite-sized small talks to long 1:1 meetings. On the job, agile practises such as daily stand-ups, weekly planning, retrospection, and so on can be beneficial. They are always ahead of the curve when it comes to information because they are constantly exposed to the digital world. They have a lot to say about many things outside of work, such as discounted restaurants, new OTT serials, weekend hobbies, and so on. I’ve found that fusing professional communication with their personal preferences works best, as it allows them to begin building the relationship quotient with their leader.
5. Getting Your Hands Dirty
Leading by example is a management term that has been around for a long time and makes more sense in these times. Leaders must be hands-on problem solvers, according to millennials. The leader should be regarded as someone who removes constraints and acts as an enabler. Rather than simply telling them to figure it out, demonstrating hands-on problem-solving makes a big difference. Again, a delicate balance must be maintained between how much should be delegated and how much the leader can do on his own. It makes a lot of sense to create a minimum viable solution for their work level issues and then leave it up to them to build further.
Conclusion
Leadership, like everything else in this world, is constantly evolving. Millennials are digital natives with a unique set of understanding and value system. Rather than viewing it negatively, it should be leveraged through participative leadership practises.
