What Can a Manager Do to Lead a Team of Millennials?
Millennials, also known as Generation Y, are individuals born between 1984 and 2000. In Spain, millennials constitute 28% of the working-age population (18 to 65 years old), amounting to approximately 8.1 million people.
There are many differences between generations, which you’ll find in our study, “What Are Millennials and How to Work with Them.”
So,
How Can I Efficiently Lead Millennials?
1. Shift from Boss to Mentor
Millennials perceive leadership differently than previous generations. The dominant hierarchical leadership style does not work with them. They desire a leadership style based on trust and admiration.
They expect approachable leaders who can share their knowledge and experience, value their skills and strengths, and encourage them to reach their full potential.
To achieve this, it’s beneficial to practice active listening and provide regular feedback. Engage in frequent conversations with millennial team members, offering support and giving them some freedom to experiment, innovate, and most importantly, learn without fear of making mistakes. Mistakes are the precursor to learning.
2. Constant Feedback and Recognition
Replace a single annual evaluation with constant feedback. Whether due to their education, periodic praise, or the immediacy of social media they’ve used their entire lives, millennials do not want to wait for an annual review to know if they’re performing well.
Using feedback as a tool will improve the performance and motivation of the millennial team. Additionally, if done continuously and naturally, it will become part of the company’s culture, significantly enhancing overall communication within the company.
3. Clear Objectives and Planning
According to Deloitte, 44% of millennials report feeling stressed all or most of the time. Additionally, 33% have taken time off work due to stress, with only 44% (and 38% of Gen Z) informing their employer of the real reason.
This necessitates clear and concise communication regarding objectives. Moreover, periodic follow-ups, incorporating the aforementioned feedback, are essential to track progress and avoid micromanagement.
4. Less Micromanagement, More Freedom
The challenge is to intelligently blend planning with the improvisation inherent in millennials’ daily habits.
Millennials excel at improvising, a quality highly valued by recruitment and talent departments. Their biggest challenge is to coherently combine planning with improvisation in their daily routines.
It’s crucial for millennials, like any other employee, not to feel that objectives are imposed but rather to adopt them as their own to achieve higher levels of engagement and commitment.
5. Work-Life Balance
Millennials highly value work-life balance, making remote work an attractive option, whether they choose the days themselves or have some designated by the company each week. According to Deloitte’s latest study on millennials, 69% believe working from home reduces their stress, and 67% feel it improves their work-life balance.
Furthermore, up to 50% say they feel more “themselves” when working from home. This figure is higher among millennials with children (59%) compared to those without (43%). It is also higher among those in leadership positions (62% versus 46% in more junior roles).
Millennials, with their significant potential, need trust from their leaders, the ability to work autonomously, and a sense of belonging.
By following the above guidelines and what is outlined in our report, it is entirely possible to effectively lead a team of millennials and enjoy the process with them.
