In an enlightening article from the Society for Human Resource Management Judy Panagakos, senior career coach and director of professional development at New York City-based Early Stage Careers, offered some advice on how to manage younger workers in a manner that would them become successful.
Let Them know Failure is OK
“The key to nurturing 20-something talent is to communicate a clear goal and let each employee determine the best way to accomplish it,” says Panagakos.
In an article in Harvard Business Review, they go even further identifying a leader as a “failure tolerant leader. Authors Richard Farson and Raphy Keyes, cite the example of Robert Shapiro, a well-known attorney who worked at Monsanto.
During his years leading Monsanto, Robert Shapiro was struck by how terrified his employees were of failing. They had been trained to see an unsuccessful product or project as a personal rebuke. Shapiro tried hard to change that perception, knowing that it hindered the kind of creative thinking that fueled his business. He explained to his employees that every product and project was an experiment and that its backers failed only if their experiment was a halfhearted, careless effort with poor results. But a deliberate, well-thought-out effort that didn’t succeed was not only excusable but also desirable.
Understand What Work Means to This Generation
In an article by Danial Goleman, author of the bestseller “Emotional Intelligence,” he cites a survey that found 63% of millennials—essentially workers under 35—said the primary purpose of businesses should be “improving society” instead of “generating profit." Given the fact that the millennial generation, which is comprised of 75 million in the U.S. and makes up the largest generation in the American workforce, their values have to be considered he says. “If millennials want a purpose-driven workplace, then organizations would be remiss not to deliver. If the largest generation in the workforce wants more volunteer time, then any organization concerned with talent retention would do well to make it happen.”
Ask for Their Ideas
In an article on the Center for a Creative Leadership, the authors of What Millennials Want From Work, capture a wide view vied. “ Millennials want to have a say and contribute their ideas. They resist doing repetitive or boring work. They want to have a life outside of work and expect enough flexibility to allow them to fulfill both their personal and professional commitments. But entitled doesn’t mean lazy. Millennials work long hours, don’t expect work to stop when they leave the office and are quite motivated. They want to contribute beyond their job descriptions and move up in the organization.”