1. Ownership—X and Y’ers want their lives to count for something. They don’t just want a job, they want to be part of a movement, to have real impact. To that end, they want to be highly involved in the process. They want to contribute, to be asked what they think, to be given some responsibility, to be consulted. This flies directly in the face of the old model of get in line and do what you’re told. These generations don’t automatically trust those in leadership, so they want to see for themselves.
They want ownership. They don’t want to be told what to do, rather they want to help decide what needs to be done. And if they don’t get those opportunities, they feel unnecessary and taken for granted, which leads to frustration and discontentment. The obvious takeaway for leaders is to facilitate situations where your team is valued and allowed to contribute. Don’t make decisions in a vaccuum. This doesn’t always mean formal meetings either. Pop in to their offices and throw things around. And don’t just ask their opinion and move on. Ask follow up questions. Why do they see things a certain way? How do certain directions make them feel? And don’t do this simply as an exercise to appease your staff.
Go in open, and really listen to and consider what they are saying. They will feel valued and you are likely to gain some significant new insights. Staffers, know that this is a HUGE paradigm shift away from the models of previous generations. Be patient. Let your leaders know your willingness to help tackle and solve problems. Volunteer to deal with things that may even be outside of your area. Your persistence and your success in these things will help demonstrate the value to those above you.
2. Relationships—These generations are highly relational. They like to talk, hang out, share experiences, etc. … They value time together. They often like to work in teams and they like to bounce ideas off of others. You’ll often see them going to lunch together, hanging out in each other’s offices or in common areas. Don’t dismiss this as wasted time. It is a very valuable process for them to work through situations to find optimal solutions. Join in these talks and watch how they work together; do less talking and more listening in these informal situations. Also, be intentional about spending quality time with your staff individually, in small groups and as a whole. And try not to talk about work, really get to know them and their families. This is such a basic thing, but a lot of senior leaders miss this one. Staffers, don’t wait for your leaders to do this. Take initiative and invite them over or out to dinner. You can very easily drive this process as well as they can.
3. Transparency—Openness is often tied more to personality than anything else, but X/Y’ers as a whole embrace this much more than previous generations. They hate formality and posturing. They want you to ‘be real,’ to share what you are really thinking, to trust them to support you when you need help. While many previous generations would see this as a weakness, these guys see it as a huge strength to be able to put yourself out there. Obviously there is a time and place for this, and we have to be wise and discerning about what needs to be shared and what doesn’t. But when you exercise true transparency, more often than not it will act as a bonding moment with your team, a chance to really know each other and have each other’s backs.
And by the way, it’s incredibly freeing. One of the coolest ways this can play out is when a leader is willing to admit he was wrong about something. Of course that’s one of the hardest things any of us ever has to do. But when we find the courage to do this, oftentimes we’ll discover that our team will love and respect us all the more going forward because they know our heart is in the right place and that we’ll own our stuff when necessary. Staffers, be aware that while this may be easy to do with your friends, doing it in the workplace is significantly tougher. Many more possible consequences are at stake. So encourage your leadership to be transparent and commit to accepting them as they are. But be aware of how much is at stake for them and make it as safe an environment as possible.
4. At-a-boys—Every person on the planet likes to be encouraged and recognized for good work. But the Millenials in particular are practically addicted to it. To be fair, it’s not their fault. It’s their parents fault. Giving trophies and ribbons and certificates for every tiny accomplishment. Being rewarded just for showing up regardless of performance. Having elaborate ceremonies when they graduate kindergarten that put college commencements to shame. So when they enter the workforce at church or anywhere else, they are often shocked at the change in culture. It makes it hard for them to accept entry-level pay, to be on the bottom of the totem pole, to not be valued to the nth degree.
And it’s our job as leaders to help them navigate this tough transition. To that end, I think we need to be very conscious of where they are coming from and try to make sure we do acknowledge and thank them when they do make significant contributions. We also need to walk beside them and help train them as to how the real world works and be patient through the process. To those who came up as Millenials and reading this just became your aha moment of the day, again, not your fault. But take this information to heart and lower your expectations, just a little. Be motivated to earn your way into more and greater responsibility, and don’t expect it to be handed out like a little league participation trophy. If both ends of this spectrum can recognize why there is a gulf in between, we can much more easily find a way to bridge it.
This list could go on for quite a while, but I think these points give us enough to chew on for now. Think about all the conflicts you’ve had amongst your staff in recent years and how these simple things could have alleviated or eliminated those conflicts altogether. No time like the present to make a change.
