Some years ago when I was managing an industrial subsidiary company I got wedged when I asked for technical support to the parent company in France at 6 PM. The engineer I reached on the other side of the phone told me to call back tomorrow since he was about to quit the office and leaving late “could affect my personal life”! I couldn’t believe my ears with this remark coming from a young collar just joined the group where we were used to work long hours and remitting projects ASAP to satisfy our customers in a very competitive environment. Cost and immediacy was the mantra in the building sector, at least in Spain.
Shortly after I realised that I was dealing with a millennial and it was not him but me to change my managing style to become a modern and successful leader. How many of you have experienced attitudes alike with one single employee or even a whole team? Are you able to keep a high motivational standard within your organisation in the long run?
As Gen Y enters the workforce and gradually takes over managerial positions, there are many things to expect from this new group of employees who think about work like no other generation before. Research centres are very interested in millennial professional culture and regularly conduct studies and surveys to understand the reasons for and motivation behind millennials’ actions and goals.
One interesting survey has recently been released by PwC. It suggests that the millennial generation will completely ‘reshape’ the workplace. But what does that mean for management as we know it? According to them there are 7 essential ways in which Millennials are predicted to change leadership culture and bring in a wave of new employee engagement techniques:
- Strongly result-oriented
- Radical shift in communication
- Productivity measurement takes on a new form
- No more talk about work-life balance
- Bringing power to employees
- Focus on professional relationships
- Regular feedback delivery
I strongly agree on these aspects, which needs to be deliberated one by one in order to understand them and being able to implement them effectively. However I prefer to show a more visual excerpt with this excellent drawing:
Another major shift in managerial style comprises the recognition that some vital changes like the above stated needs external assistance to guarantee that they will be successfully implemented and in a timely manner. The accompaniment of the leader by an experienced coach in executing this shift will assure a neutral approach and a wider perspective for this necessary transformation.