What does Managing and Motivating Millennials look like in your workplace?
Millenials truly want to make a difference in the workplace and they want to challenge the old ways of thinking.
According to a recent survey, the Millenial generation is the largest generation in the workforce. They believe that innovations are being stifled by managements attitude.
What does that mean to you?
Managing and Motivating Millennials in the Workplace
What it means is that we need to allow this younger generation to have their moment in the sun. We need to step aside and let their ideas flourish. So, how do we do that? Especially if you are in the conservative industry? When we have younger employees that want to try something different, try something new, rather than saying no right off the bat, ask yourself these 4 questions.
Whatever they want to try or do, does it negatively impact:
- Cost
- Quality
- Safety
- Service
If the answer is NO, that is your little red flag to yourself to allow yourself to try this new idea, a new way of doing things.
Bringing New Ideas to the Workforce
Recently, a client of mine in a financial institution had 2 millennial salespeople that were great. They approached the management to change the commission structure. One manager was all for it, but the upper management was committed to the old ways of doing things. They said no. They lost those two great salespeople as they went off and started their own business.
So clearly, we do have an issue with Millennial Employee Retention!
Can you image, if Steve Jobs was approached by his team about this new idea called an iPhone, and he would have said no? He would have liked the flip phone the way it was. He would not have seen the need for a new phone. A revolutionary phone. Where would the iPhone be?
Challenge the Old Way of Doing Things
If we just allow the millennial generation to challenge the old way of doing things, 2 things will happen.
- At worst, you will have no change.
- At best, you’ll have the equivalent of an iPhone in your industry!
So go ahead and ask yourself the 4 questions. Use that as a guideline for managing and motivating millennials that want to bring these new ideas into the workforce.
In the next videos sessions, we will further investigate the Millennial generation and what they are bringing to the workforce today!