Managing Millennials For Dummies. Arbit Debra

to keep looking.

      ❯❯ When someone says, “We can’t,” say, “We can.”

      

By preparing for the future now, you’re learning how to focus on the present, and that means understanding how to motivate and engage every Millennial you manage. In so doing, you’ll groom the next generation of leaders on a foundation of their strengths instead of their stereotypes. In turn, they’ll take a similar approach when they manage… and for many, that management time is now! Millennials are managing and leading Baby Boomers, Gen Xers, Millennials, or even Generation Edge, the generation after Millennials. You know that generations don’t stop at Millennials, and it’s becoming more important for all managers to learn how generations are shifting. To get a sneak peak at the generation after Millennials, see Part 4.

Chapter 2

      Harnessing Generational Theory to Guide Your Management Practice

IN THIS CHAPTER

      ❯❯ Understanding the basic building blocks of generational theory

      ❯❯ Getting over common objections and mental roadblocks

      ❯❯ Appreciating the financial implications of gen theory in the workplace

      ❯❯ Turning awareness into an actionable management strategy

      If you’re reading this book, there’s obviously some reason you gravitated toward the topic of generations. Maybe you’re a manager or recruiter looking to better understand the next generation, maybe you’re a natural Gen Junkie (someone who’s innately interested in the generations topic), or maybe your leader pressed this book into your hands and asked you to take a gander. Whatever the impetus was, we’re happy you’re here and even happier that you’re taking a peek at this chapter. You can think of it as a crash course in the basics of generational theory. It’s Generations and Management 101. Whether you’ve had previous exposure to the generations topic or not, this chapter gives you a guide to improve your management strategy. You’ll ground yourself in some of the fundamental concepts of the theory and find out what exactly defines a generation and why.

      There’s a chance that some readers may skim or avoid this section entirely, and if that’s you, that’s fair. But in our work, we’ve found that perceptions around the parameters of the generations can vary widely, and that can impact how well someone can bridge a generational divide. Do you know what defines a Millennial? Is it the year she was born? Or is it a more nuanced definition? You’re probably catching this … it’s the latter. Before diving into the strategies of working with a different generation (we get to that in Part 2), it’s useful to have a solid grasp of the central building blocks of this topic first. So if you want to solidify your understanding of generational theory, read on. If you want to have ready responses for the skeptics (or quiet your inner naysayer), read on. If you want to see how generational theory can help not only improve your relationships with Millennial employees, but also positively impact the bottom line, read on. If you want to find out how to spin awareness into strategy, then read on, dear reader, read on.

      Wrapping Your Brain around the Generations Topic

      Generational theory is an effective way to better understand people from all areas of your life. This book focuses on applying that theory to the workplace and improving Millennial management techniques, but it’s a topic that’s applicable to all generations, and it’s relevant whether you’re at the dinner table or the conference table. It isn’t, however, the be-all and end-all solution to all things at work, so we want to be clear about what this topic encompasses.

Divvying up what the gen topic is and isn’t

      What the generations topic is:

      ❯❯ A promotion of diversity: Generations are one form of diversity, and it’s a form that leaders and managers gravitate toward for two very special reasons: It’s a unique lens of diversity in that it steers clear of any “politically incorrect” blunders, and it’s also a topic that everyone can relate to. Every person in your office belongs to a generation, so it can feel like an easy, inclusive conversation. By now, we all understand the importance of building a diverse workplace. Promoting generational diversity is just as important as any other form, and you can only expect to build a (functional) multi-generational workforce if you understand the generations within your walls.

      ❯❯ An embrace of change: In many ways, the generations topic is a sneaky way to talk about change. The concept of change alone, in and of itself, is a difficult enough thing to grasp. It’s intangible. What does change mean? What’s that change going to be applied to? When you’re talking about people, though, it’s a little bit easier to have this conversation. It’s like telling your toddler that his broccoli is actually like eating tiny trees in an attempt to get him to eat his vegetables (or better yet, tiny trees that are covered in yummy cheese)! The generations topic can make change an easier pill to swallow and, sometimes, even a treat. When else do you get to talk about your favorite childhood toy at a diversity event? By using a generational framework, particularly when it’s focused on the next generation, you can introduce the concept of change in a tangible, approachable way.

      ❯❯ A shift in perspectives: As you consider how you may apply generational theory to your own management techniques, think about it as a useful lens – a Gen Lens, if you will – that can help you see your employees more clearly. It’s not a complete tool for finite categorization of human beings, but a way to overcome generational blind spots and understand the people you’re working with. Putting on your Gen Lens(es) gives you the 20/20 vision you need to gain insight into what makes the people around you tick.

      What the generations topic isn’t:

      ❯❯ A definitive, be-all and end-all, comprehensive solution to manage any and all Millennials: Humans are complex and multilayered, and the last thing you want to do is put people into boxes. Instead of boxes, you can think of generational categories as unfixed containers that can bend and shift depending on the person. Every person is singular, and if you put people into a neat generational box, it can strip away the complexities that differ from Millennial to Millennial.

      ❯❯ A source of managerial prowess: Understanding your employees through a generational lens is not the sole indicator of an effective manager. Generational insights have to be used wisely and paired with other sets of knowledge and instincts.

      ARE YOU A GEN JUNKIE?

      Some people who discover the generations topic instantly become fascinated. Just by way of reading this book, you are more likely to be one of these people. To test whether you truly are a Gen Junkie, take this quick quiz. If you answer “yes” (Y) to three or more of these questions, chances are you can include yourself in the pack.

      ● Y/N Have you told anyone else about something you have read in this book yet (or marked something to share later)?

      ● Y/N Are you familiar with these terms: cusper, the Greatest Generation, and Homelanders?

      ● Y/N Have you ever disagreed with someone of a different age and said, “It must be a generational thing”?

      ● Y/N Do you ever fall into an Internet wormhole, clicking article after article about generational differences?

      ● Y/N Read the following: “Eighty percent of Millennials sleep with their …” Are you tempted to Google how that statistic ends?*

      We’ll save you the trouble: Eighty percent of Millennials sleep with their phones.

Grasping the essential tenants

      If you really want to nerd out on the generations, you should pick up any of the classic works written by William Strauss and Neil Howe, who have written foundational academic texts on the ins and outs of generational theory. To give you the CliffsNotes version, we dilute one of the key concepts of their academic tomes here – namely, the essential