2. managing personalities comes with the territory.
Research shows that this generation tends to be
liberal, upbeat, open-minded, self-expressive, and
confident. Perhaps overconfident. According to
Jerome Klein, a manager at a mid-sized brokerage
firm, “Millennial workers tend to seem less
respectful of their more seasoned colleagues, and
they often feel uninterested in following in the
footsteps of their superiors.”
“They can be aggressive in getting what they
want, and their idea of mentorship differs from
traditional models,” says Klein.
Indeed, a Millennial’s idea of a mentor
relationship may resemble Twitter conversations
as opposed to anything long-term or structured.
Their preference is short-term, informal
3. guidance.
This method of seeking guidance can feel insolent
to those accustomed to traditional corporate
hierarchies. “This tactic may have succeeded on
supercharged university campuses or on the
basketball court,” Klein explains. “But it could
prove ill-devised when Millennial employees
must work on age-diverse teams where their
aggressive career goals may be intimidating or
annoying to colleagues.”
Klein suggests that managers take advantage of
this enthusiasm while taking care to avoid
conflict that might be caused by the perception of
this enthusiasm.
There are many positive aspects of the influx of
Millennials in the workforce, including their
5. Managing a multi-
generational workforce.
By Samantha Lee
A new study shows a momentous shift in
both Generation X and Millennials moving
into various levels of management positions
over the past half-decade. Add to this the
strong presence of Baby Boomers, and it
becomes apparent that the American
workforce today is a veritable melting pot of
age demographics.
In a survey of more than 1,000 US
companies, results show that each
generation has its own strengths and
weaknesses. The data is potentially of great
importance to those who find themselves in
the position of managing this cross-
generational mix.
The majority (75%) of respondents who
identified as managers said that supervising
multi-generational teams poses some
significant challenges. The study broke down
the perceived strengths and weaknesses of
each generational group, and this data could
prove useful for those who find themselves in
this kind of management position.
Below are the study's findings on the
6. strengths and weaknesses of Millennials,
Gen X-ers, and Baby Boomers, respectively:
Strengths: Millennials are viewed as the
most tech-savvy who know how to use
social media to their advantage. These
younger workers are also viewed as
being the most "enthusiastic" about their
jobs.
Weaknesses: Millennials scored the lowest
on being a "team player," "hardworking,”
and "a productive part” of the company.
Strengths: Gen X-ers were perceived as
the best managers. They also fared best
when it comes to generating revenue, being
a problem-solver, and having good team-
working skills.
Weaknesses: Gen X-ers scored the lowest
in terms of being cost-effective. Simply put,
they get paid the most on average.
Strengths: Baby Boomers ranked the
highest when it comes to being a
productive part of their companies. They
also ranked high in terms of being
"hardworking,” a "team player," and
mentoring others.
Weaknesses: Boomers ranked lowest with
regards to being “adaptable.”
It is of course important to avoid
stereotyping or overgeneralizing. Still, any
7. good manager knows the importance of
managing personalities, and consideration
of this kind of data is a great place to start.
Samantha Lee is a staff writer for The
Examiner. [email protected]
http://goo.gl/8pK4wo
