Managing Millennials isn’t easy and there’s no magic trick. It takes commitment of us as leaders and requires us to be the best we can be. If we want to continue to be relevant as leaders we don’t really have a choice, the world around us is changing and we have to as well.
When I started working in hotels over a decade ago, things were very different than they are today. I started in food and beverage and the restaurant manager would tell you what to do and that was it. No need to explain why or the deeper meaning behind, if the boss said you should do it, you better did. Very simple really!
I remember that when we set the restaurant tables before the end of our shift for the next meal period, and one of my colleagues rushed to finish early not placing the cutlery properly so that it wasn’t perfectly aligned. The restaurant manager later checked the setup and when he noticed the sloppy work, he asked us to remove all the setup and place everything again (another two hours of work, I am not kidding). Only when done properly we were allowed to go home, and this was on our own time. While only one of us rushed, we all had to stay. The manager told us because we saw it and didn’t say anything about it to our colleague, we are equally responsible.
I remember those days and feel that we learned from it, that it was effective, and we wouldn’t dare to do things not properly the first time. But do I think that this type of management style would be effective, or even possible, today, no, of course not… times are changing and we have to change as well.
Later I moved to New York working in a heavily unionized environment teaching me how to become the best leader I could be. The union pushes you to be at your best if you want to be successful. It teaches you that coaching and giving feedback is very powerful, that you have to be a role model leading with integrity and that it’s all about helping people reach their potential.
Now working in Bangkok, things are different, the settings in the hotel industry are different to New York, and while departments are not unionized, there are other challenges. Working with Millennials is one of them.
It’s not easy either, and there are similarities to New York! Just like back in New York where managers were constantly complaining about the union and putting themselves in the victim role rather than taking responsibility understanding that only 10% in life is what happens and 90% what you make out of it, I am seeing the same thing happening here, only now with Millennials. Yes, it isn’t easy at all and I found a solid wrap-up on the challenges well explained by Simon Sinek – it’s a must see!
Now we can all agree that managing Millennials is tough and I guess we understand as well that we only have three options as managers. We either quit our job, continue complaining while putting ourselves in the victim role and being miserable, or taking responsibility and action learning how to be the best leaders we can be for this generation and help them reach their potential.
Studying this topic over the past months, I have found that below are the top ten tips that you should consider doing as a manager:
- Listen to your employees
- Provide immediate and frequent feedback
- Develop a strong structure of learning and development
- Explain how their work adds meaning and makes an impact
- Offer creative work
- Be a great communicator
- Build strong relationships
- Show that you care about your employees
- Redefine work-life balance (it’s not about only working 8 hours, but about understanding when to recharge your batteries to stay happy and healthy)
- Have fun at work
Of course there are things as well that you should avoid managing Millennials. One of them is trying to stop them using social media… you’ll never win this this battle. And while it shouldn’t impact their work and you’ll have to draw a clear line of what’s ok and what’s not, it’s more effective having your employees being good ambassadors of your company on social media.
If you’re a Millennial reading this, know that managing people isn’t easy and that your managers are probably trying very hard to make things work. Make it easier for them and communicate what matters to you and what you expect from your work.
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