Managing those Millennials

"They have no work ethic" "They want everything right now." "They need a lot of hand-holding." "They can't write." "They aren't loyal."

… And these are just a few of the complaints I hear about Millennials (those born between 1980 and 2000 or so) from their Baby Boomer (born after 1943 to about 1962) and Gen X (early 60’s to 1980) bosses. On the surface, I can’t say the observations are actually wrong, especially from the perspective of someone over 50. But from the perspective of the Millennial, or the Millennial subset of iGens (those born between 1992 and 2000), the complaints reflect the fact that Millennials simply have a different relationship to work than we of the previous generations.

That difference in relationship, or attitude, towards work between Millennials and Boomers/GenXs creates much consternation among management company executives, who fight to get those Millennials onboard with “how we do things!” Well, listen up, Sisyphus: The first thing to do is to stop pushing that rock uphill, because you will get nowhere; you must meet your Millennials where they are – not where you think they should be.

Let’s unpack our collective Boomer angst about Millennials and examine how we can better understand, and be more effective in our management and training of, them; because, let’s face it, they are and will be growing members of our work force. We need them, and so do our clients.

Unpacking the angst: Maybe the bad is actually for the good

“They have no work ethic.” Actually, they just don’t have your work ethic. The Boomer mindset – born of Greatest Generation parents, is work-work-work. Do whatever it takes. Come in early. Go home late. Go the extra mile. Achieve the American Dream (and note than many have done so in the industry). These are foreign concepts to (comparatively) prosperous Millennials, who view work as something they have to do to afford time off, precisely because they saw us work-work-work (and we already achieved the basics of the American Dream for them?). The Millennial wants a real work-life balance; they don’t want to work the 54 hours per week that portfolio managers usually have to put in to get the job done. They’ll do 40 hours, but beyond that they feel robbed of their time. Maybe this is a good thing: Millennials, over time, may force the industry to change in ways those of us close to retirement always wished for: Better and faster technology to create efficiencies, fewer night meetings, fewer accounts per manager, and, to support that salary – higher paying contracts.

If not, our industry will be populated mainly by those now over age 45.

“They get bored fast and they want everything right now.” Millennials have been raised in an instant gratification and information society, and it shouldn’t come as a shock to us that they want things to happen quickly, including feedback, recognition and promotions. We’ll talk about the feedback and recognition next, but let’s address the promotion issue. The truth is that our companies often don’t have a lot of room for promotions, but what they do have a lot of room for is opportunity for learning and development; i.e., new information and experiences. Millennials aren’t happy on the treadmill; they crave new experiences and are the perfect candidates for company cross-training. Need someone to learn the new software package and teach others? Your Millennial can do it. Creating a pod of managers? Your Millennials will be the first to hop on board.

“They need a lot of hand-holding.” Millennials were not raised with “come home when the street lights come on,” or by “look it up yourself (in a book)!” or by having to actually be the best to win a trophy. They were raised to play on certain dates and times and with certain kids (all arranged by their parents (us)), never leave the house without sunscreen and a helmet and receive trophies for simply showing up. Juxtapose this against the rough-and-tumble, no-safe-space-anywhere world of community management. Yes, your Millennials need “hand-holding” in the sense they need direct instruction on expectations and job parameters, as well as feedback and recognition for their achievements. They’ve been micromanaged all their lives and it doesn’t end the day they walk in to your office. Feedback is how they gauge what you are thinking of them, and how they feel about themselves. The upside is that Millennials will force executives and HR departments to be far more in touch with individual staff members. More contact means more information for executives; more information means more opportunities to be proactive, to see problems and issues coming up, not after they become crises. The end result could be better overall staff management.

“They can’t write.” This one is true, even if they have a college degree. There are many reasons, but let me state the obvious: 1) School ain’t what it used to be, and 2) they don’t read much, especially not something long (like books). They spend their time on YouTube, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram (Facebook is for old people) where communication is passive (watching video) or short with pictures. You become a good writer by doing two things Millennials generally don’t do: Read and write. A lot.

As an industry we’ve already moved to standardized form letters for violations and others notices. What’s left isn’t chopped liver, it’s the daily emails between managers and clients or business partners, and spell-check doesn’t begin to cover an inability to write a coherent paragraph. More to the point, communications having to do with items of a sensitive nature (such as a notice to the membership of special assessment, or pertaining to complex litigation) will have to be carefully supervised by an executive to ensure the right tone (reassuring, empathetic, informational and not-too-long). Having them write first- and second-drafts of such correspondence can be a useful as a training tool. The good news is – the industry will ensure your Millennials are forced to read and digest a lot more material than they are used to: governing documents, contracts, RFPs and legal opinions, to name just a few. With some time, they will get better, especially if emphasis is placed on how crucial good writing skills are to being a top-notch manager.

“They aren’t loyal.” It is true that Millennials don’t think a lot about leaving one job for another, but as I talk to them, the thoughtful ones (i.e., the ones you want to keep) leave for very specific reasons, most having to do with their view of some of the items listed above, such as a work-life balance, what they perceive as lack of ability to move up or learn new things, or a lack of feedback from supervisors leaving them feeling lost and/or unappreciated. Couple that with the fact that most Millennials don’t yet have children or a mortgage, the result is they can leave quickly and moveon to new employment. Our bad if we have not done what we can to make their professional life satisfying enough to stay.

The flip side: Millennials possess traits that fit right in to community management

Millennials are entrepreneurial. A majority of Millennials say they would one day like to run their own business and this is great for our industry as managers must spend a lot of time working independently, making decisions and solving problems. That’s entrepreneurial. Your Millennials may need a lot of ongoing input, but that entrepreneurial streak indicates that (hopefully) once they become confident in their role, they can be encouraged (cheered on?) to take on tougher problems, find creative solutions and share their successes with co-workers. From there, your Millennial can begin mentoring others. This is a natural pattern of and for professional and personal growth, learning and development, something all Millennials look for.

Millennials are tech-savvy and always connected. Is your Millennial out of the office? No big deal. They are on a walk-through, shooting out violations letters via an app while texting with a vendor about wasp nests. Your Boomer managers, on the other hand, may still be writing down (by hand) violations and transporting them back to the office for input in to the system. Both methods have value, but one is much, much faster. And the Millennial can teach the more seasoned workforce how to use that app – achieving two goals at once for you: Getting the old folks to learn new stuff, and providing your Millennial with the new challenge she needed.

They want work to have meaning. Our work? Meaning? Really? Just do the job! For those of us who have been around a long time, we can be somewhat… cynical… After a while, it’s all poop, people and parking, right? Take a step back, realize and consistently convey to your Millennials this job has a lot of meaning, because what we do and how we do it can have a profound effect on not just hard assets, but individuals – actual people. Always, always stress this unabashed truth to your Millennials: Their work, their contribution has VALUE not only today, but well beyond what they can see at any one moment. It’s not a bad reminder for your more seasoned workers, as well. Sometimes we all get lost in the weeds.

Millennials like being mentored and trained. Maybe this is the best news of all, because our industry calls for certain skill-sets that many Millennials don’t possess: The ability to communicate face-to-face, the ability to write relatively well and to have the patience and perseverance the job takes. Mentoring, training and guiding Millennials in developing these skills will make all the difference in their success and ours in the industry. What does this mean? It means we actually HAVE to develop a form of standardized on-boarding and training for everyone as it will give them confidence so eventually, they will feel the abject satisfaction that comes from being a really good community manager.

The wrap

We helicoptered these kids into adults who, unfortunately, lack certain adult-attributes that are sorely needed by community managers. They need and want explicit instruction, training, and a lot of feedback and recognition for achievements. We may find this ludicrous, but it’s really not. All staff members will benefit from what the Millennials are forcing us to do.

Now the question becomes, “Are Millennials pointing out our shortfalls in management?” I think, to a point, they are.

Millennials can and will become competent, independent managers who find satisfaction in an industry that can give them just about everything they want. After all, we did. The funny thing is that by changing our ways to meet those Millennials, we will be changing our companies for the better. Maybe we should thank them. And that, my friends, is the upside you can’t deny.

c. 2017 Julie Adamen, Adamen Inc. all rights reserved.

www.adamen-inc.com

Community Association Management 101 by Julie Adamen