Maybe more than any other topic that keeps coming up for older founders and business owners is how to “deal” with a Millennial workforce. Here is the definition of a Millennial according to Urban Dictionary:
“Special little snowflake. Born between 1982 and 1994 this generation is something special, ’cause Mom and Dad and their 5th grade teacher Mrs. Winotsky told them so. Plus they have a whole shelf of participation trophies sitting at home so it has to be true.”
Terms like entitled, self-important, lazy and narcissistic have been used when referring to millennials. Even the preceding definition nods to the pervasive belief that Millennials are some kind of malfunctioning adult.
Participate in the bashing long enough and you start to sound a little like your mom or dad who just couldn’t fathom hip-hop music, those dirty plaid shirts (that seem to be back in style) or why everyone is fascinated with that “interweb” thing.
I barely fall outside this birth range but started my professional career early enough to have been indoctrinated into the “old” business model. In my first job, the salespeople had to print everything for our boss to read because he refused to learn how email worked and Office Managers were still referred to as “Secretaries.”
Millennials frustrate and anger people who are used to the old way of doing business. Andy White, Founder of City as a Startup, brilliantly speaks about the shift in business culture from our previous generation’s manufacturing model. This manufacturing model relied on organizational charts, finely written manuals, individual contributors and deference to corporate dogma where the new workplace replaces those with shared goals, shared accomplishments and shared experiences.
Here is a great article from Fast Company that explains what Millennials want and don’t want. It also speaks to some strategies to draw the best out of them.
Before you disregard all of this, consider a couple of things.
- Millennials will be 75% of the workforce in the next 10 years.
- There are far more millennials in the workforce than owners of companies.
- Organizations need these young professionals and they better help them be successful.
Millennials represent a significant change in how businesses are managed and that scares the hell out of some people. In a true reflection of poor human behavior, this fear translates into the dismissal of Millennial’s motivations as frivolous or selfish.
Being the proverbial grumpy old man or woman starting every discussion about your young employees with “Back in my day…” has grown tiresome and is as worthless now as it was the first time you muttered it.
There is little reason to believe businesses can’t thrive by embracing this shift and engaging their employees in more meaningful ways.
If you are struggling with all of this- get over it. You need to realize you have an opportunity to hire people who will care more deeply about their work than ever before. If you can’t make that transition, maybe it’s time to stop blaming “lazy” Millennials and start considering your “lazy” leadership.