Millennials: The Heart or Headache of Your Organization

Millennials are a hot topic in management, HR and leadership right now in almost every organization.

But why?

Because they are absolutely revolutionizing your organization.... or they are giving you a giant headache.

As a millennial that started managing a busy and successful Dental Practice at age 24, I truly have the benefit of seeing it from both sides. I was (what I thought to be) a high performer that wanted to grow and climb at rapid rates, admittedly narrow minded in my approach. I wanted what any 20 something wanted starting their first career. I wanted recognition in my contributions, I wanted flexibility in my schedule and I wanted to feel like I was making an impact or difference in some way.

"Another day, another dollar is the opposite of the Millennial mantra. For us, this sounds like a death sentence, 'make money and die'-- not like the fulfilling future we dare to envision.

When I was presented the opportunity to become a manager with no formal training or experience, my vision immediately and rapidly expanded. By being given an opportunity for major responsibility, I was also given the opportunity to succeed and grow. Trust and responsibility were placed in my hands, and even though I was young and inexperienced I was capable of succeeding in this position; this kind of belief and opportunity is exactly what millennials are looking for, so naturally my growth skyrocketed.

Disconnect, seemingly lack of care and attention to their job, laziness, addiction to social media and cellphones and all of the other things people complain about this generation; all of these things will not be fixed by promoting your problem millennial way above their pay-grade, education and experience. What I am saying is that when you give millennials a chance and show them that you believe in them and that they are capable of making an impact, they will more often than not, grow to fill those shoes.

Absolutely, there are people- not just millennials that simply won't fit into your organization because of their work ethic, poor people skills , and endless other reasons. Yet there are many people that have the opportunity to make a huge impact in your organization but are not given the opportunity or belief in their ability. It is easy to stereotype millennials because we do have some habits that are less than ideal and compared to our generationally different coworkers, we seem to demand more.

Yet as a manager, business owner or team leader, ask yourself if you have given all of your employees the opportunity to grow, and the trust that they can succeed and perform more than they currently believe themselves to be capable of. What kind of shoes have you given them to wear?

When you give a young person an opportunity, trust and believe in them, you will empower them to fill the shoes, even if the size you gave them was a little bit too big. Remember- growth comes from stretching outside of a comfort zone so as a manager or business owner, it is your responsibility to provide that environment.

When you can understand what motivates this generation, it becomes a lot easier and actually a lot more fun for everyone. Millennials want to put their hearts into their job, they want to make a difference, grow, feel like they are able to make an impact and feel fulfilled. Millennials make a manager work harder to create a fulfilling environment and in today's society with all of its disconnection, lack of work-life balance and huge health problems- is that so much of a bad thing?

Millennials can be the heart or the headache in your organization and before you write them up again for being on their phone, ask yourself what size shoe you gave them to wear in your organization.