Satisfy Your Millennials Needs & Transform Your Organization

We all know that even as managers and leaders, trying to figure out how to negotiate life with our Millennial staff may drive us crazy sometimes. Yet every one of us also knows that the benefits they bring to our workplace far outweigh any challenges we face along the way. As leaders, it’s up to us to properly navigate this.

Not sure how to deal with some of the most common challenges? The answer may be even more attractive than most might imagine. We also have an opportunity to transform our organization into one that is even more successful. As a matter of fact, navigating this properly – we could discover that life is easier on us, too.

But we need the appropriate tools to capitalize on the unique situation we all face.

So, what’s the answer?

What feels overwhelming is not knowing how to do it. Or what to do. When it feels like things could head south in a heartbeat is a sign that we (as leaders) aren’t equipped with the tools we need. But we should be focused on capitalizing on the wealth of opportunity we have standing in front of us.

I know. Easier said than done. But truth be told, the reason it can feel so overwhelming is because this is new. It’s foreign. We haven’t dealt with this before.

Shift Your Mindset and Discover an Organizational Transformation

If we look at this through a different lens, we may realize that what we may otherwise consider a challenge can actually be an amazing opportunity. We’ve been given the answer to catapulting a paradigm shift. An organizational shift that not only meets the needs of our Millennials, but also positions our organization into a very positive transformation.

It’s our responsibility as leaders to learn how to properly lead our Millennials so they realize the unparalleled value they bring to our workplace, while we nip common challenges in the bud. In turn, we’ll be inoculating our organization for catapulted effectiveness and efficiency.

1. Satisfy Your Millennials Need for Immediate Gratification

They want immediate feedback. Satisfy that need and discover how much easier life is for you, too.

By integrating continuous feedback peppered with positive reinforcement, we are nurturing our Millennials need for instant gratification. We’re also nipping situations in the bud. Another benefit? We’re establishing relationships with them.

…and that is another area our Millennial’s really value.

How do we do it?

Be active in the day-to-day processes and operations. Get in there and exude servant leadership qualities. If you are short-staffed and run a fast food franchise, there is no reason why you can’t work the grill or one of the registers. Plus, it shows your staff that you are part of the team. It negates that stigma that getting in there and working alongside them isn’t beneath you.

Let them shine. Let them show you what they can do by empowering them to take action. Ensure they have the tools and resources they need and take some of the load off your shoulders. This can most easily be attained by incorporating a coaching environment.

2. Long-term Goals Don’t Always Seem to be in Their Field of Vision

You hired them for a reason. You chose them over another candidate for some of their redeeming qualities. Still, it’s not always pleasing to discover that long-term goal planning isn’t necessarily one of their favorite things to do.

How do we deal with it?

Take the time to know each one of them as human beings and then take it one step further. Discover their passion. Search for ways to incorporate their passion into their work and you might just be amazed at the quality of productivity and innovation.

Loosen the reigns. Give them opportunities you may not have considered before. Let them prove to you what makes them stand out from the crowd. Guide and support them by ensuring that your workplace includes a culture of coaching. When they know just how much your support their goals, they will shine.

… and the pride that emerges can be contiguous. They will want to repeat behaviors that have earned them kudos.

3. They Want and Expect ‘the Best’

As we guide our staff to become viable and valuable members of our organization, integrating coaching as performance management should be done on a continuous basis. In turn, we are giving our Millennials the best of the best by making sure they are heard.

They are the voice of our future and possess skills other generations don’t. While we aren’t denying the fact that additional grooming is still needed, embracing the gifts they offer shows them that we also want the ‘best of the best’. After all, they grew up in a generation that positions them privy to some amazing skills and traits.

How do we do it?

This is where we can tie it all together to truly transform our organization. With most manager lacking inherent management and/or leadership skills, we should be incorporating a culture of coaching. While our managers’ performance begins to noticeably improve, we’re also creating a pattern of continuous interaction and feedback.

By ensuring our managers and leaders are also coaching our staff, we’ll have more productive and satisfied managers and we’ll certainly have more successful employees.

The End Result: Reap the Rewards

By meeting our Millennial’s needs, we begin the transformation needed in our contemporary organizations. Though it may take some supplemental training or help with new skills, creating momentous conversations matched with clear guidance and direction – we can tend to the needs of our staff and create a solid foundational culture of coaching in our workplace.

Our Millennials (all our employees) deserve the tools they need to thrive. Better yet, since coaching is becoming so mainstream, now is the ideal time to jump onboard and capitalize on optimal performance management. We all possess unique strengths and weaknesses. Take advantage of a strengths-based approach, along with a culture of coaching and watch your organization transform for the better.