Bootstrap Leadership Blog

There was a great article in the Harvard Business Review last month on millennials (people born between 1977 and 1997) and what they want from an employer and a manager.  In 2014, millennials will account for almost 50% of all employees in the world.  Think about that for a minute… pretty amazing, huh?   As the HBR article pointed out, in some companies they already constitute a majority.  As a people manager, are you ready for this wave?

Millennials are famous for wanting a constant stream of feedback, and for being in a hurry to have success.  They also view work as just a part of life, something to be balanced with the rest of their passions.  As a result, they place a lot of value on finding work that is fulfilling.  HBR polled 2,200 professionals across a wide range of industries to ask them about their values, their behavior at work, and what they want from their employers.  Here are some of the results:

What millennials want from their boss:

•  Help me navigate my career path
•  Give me straight feedback
•  Mentor and coach me
•  Sponsor me for formal development programs
•  Be comfortable with flexible schedules

What millennials want from their company:

•  Develop my skills for the future
•  Demonstrate strong corporate values
•  Offer customizable options in my benefits/reward package
•  Allow me to blend work w/ the rest of my life
•  Offer a clear career path

What millennials most want to learn:

•  Technical skills in their area of expertise
•  Self-management and personal productivity
•  Leadership skills
•  Industry or functional knowledge
•  Creativity and innovation strategies

What do you make of these lists?  I think the first two look a bit different than they probably did 30 years ago… but that last one seems pretty timeless.  Maybe managing millennials isn’t that hard after all… I’m guessing the classic management tips still apply:     1) Get to know your people – find out what really motivates them; 2) provide lots of candid feedback about their performance; 3) challenge and stretch them; 4) engage them in the process – ask for their input, and 5) help them get exposure across the organization.

If you’re managing millennials, I’d love to hear from you – what’s it like?  Are you finding these survey results to be true?  Are they easier or more challenging to manage than other employees?  Pretty soon, millennials will be the workforce.  I wonder what that will mean for employers, and for the millennials themselves, when they become management?

There was a great article in the Harvard Business Review recently on millennials (people born between 1977 and 1997) and what they want from an employer and a manager.  In 2014, millennials will account for almost 50% of all employees in the world.  Think about that for a minute… pretty amazing, huh?   As the HBR article pointed out, in some companies they already constitute a majority.  As a people manager, are you ready for this wave?

Millennials are famous for wanting a constant stream of feedback, and for being in a hurry to have success.  They also view work as just a part of life, something to be balanced with the rest of their passions.  As a result, they place a lot of value on finding work that is fulfilling.  HBR polled 2,200 professionals across a wide range of industries to ask them about their values, their behavior at work, and what they want from their employers.  Here are some of the results:

What millennials want from their boss:   

•  Help me navigate my career path
•  Give me straight feedback
•  Mentor and coach me
•  Sponsor me for formal development programs
•  Be comfortable with flexible schedules

 What millennials want from their company: 

•  Develop my skills for the future
•  Demonstrate strong corporate values
•  Offer customizable options in my benefits/reward package
•  Allow me to blend work w/ the rest of my life
•  Offer a clear career path

 What millennials most want to learn: 

•  Technical skills in their area of expertise
•  Self-management and personal productivity
•  Leadership skills
•  Industry or functional knowledge
•  Creativity and innovation strategies

What do you make of these lists?  I think the first two look a bit different than they probably did 30 years ago… but that last one seems pretty timeless.  Maybe managing millennials isn’t that hard after all… I’m guessing the classic management tips still apply:     1) Get to know your people – find out what really motivates them; 2) provide lots of candid feedback about their performance; 3) challenge and stretch them; 4) engage them in the process – ask for their input, and 5) help them get exposure across the organization.

If you’re managing millennials, I’d love to hear from you – what’s it like?  Are you finding these survey results to be true?  Are they easier or more challenging to manage than other employees?  Pretty soon, millennials will be the workforce.  I wonder what that will mean for employers, and for the millennials themselves, when they become management?