I’ve never understood the disparagement of millennials. From my experience working with many millennials, I think they are the most capable, powerful and fun generation ever.
What’s Different?
I came up in a very hierarchical working world, where roles, contribution and expectations were determined by age, rank, length of employment and sex. My experience working with many millennials is that they have benefited from a far less regimented world and more robust educational system (another controversial topic). Most also grew up in the digital revolution, rendering them the first digital natives.
As I spent most of my career trying to deal with the impending doom of climate change, I am convinced that it is this generation, followed closely by Gen Z, that have the skills to transform our economy through integration of energy/environmental and information technologies. They tend also to be more altruistic and less materialistic- meaning they want to save the world in a way that earlier, more myopic generations couldn’t and wouldn’t.
A huge difference from when I was young is the much higher regard for early career folks, even interns, by their higher-ups. They are in a unique situation – they generally are qualified to produce on day one in areas that their bosses – baby boomers and those born prior to 1980 – often are still stymied by. Millennial Interns and staff that have worked for me were very nimble – able to process a lot of information quickly and in a digestible manner – whether using visual tools or social media. To a person, they were efficient, effective, productive and a joy to be around from day 1.
What’s the Same?
Yet many still face the same age-old concerns and fears that they are not good enough or are stymied in their ability to get ahead. They are still human … their careers (and mostly, their salaries) are moving at the Darwinian pace even if their skills are beyond past generations, essentially post-evolutionary. They may still question themselves and experience imposter syndrome where they question their abilities. Or they still need to navigate organizational structures that are complex and confusing. Of course, as a generation, they are facing financial pressure and debt not seen in many decades.
My experience has led me to some counterintuitive lessons that I’d love to pass on:
- Don’t be too eager to be the boss. I’ve seen countless examples of twenty-somethings thrust into a management role before they have enough experience and training to manage people and resources well. The real problem with this, other than the impact it has on their subordinates, is that it’s very hard to return to a staff/worker level to secure the proper skills. I fear that this early rise could actually stall a career as you are “found out” and your reputation is tarnished irreparably. Be patient – moving up the ladder on a more conventional timeframe can actually help you be more successful down the line.
- Don’t be timid about approaching those at the later stages of their career. I always thought that those in their late 50s and older would be too busy and uninterested to talk to me. However, what I’ve found is the opposite. Those later in their career tend not to be as interested in promotions but rather find satisfaction in giving back to those coming up behind them. When approaching these folks, please be mindful that they are really busy and need you to be patient when scheduling a meeting. Also, they expect you to be focused with questions once in it. Remember also that you, not them, should be the initiator of most mentoring meetings.
- You hold the most power when accepting a new job. It is at this time when you can negotiate for more money or benefits – especially in large organizations. Just be careful about demanding part-time or telework if it’s not already offered. These most often must be earned once an employer views you as invaluable.
- Don’t expect yourself to be perfect. Perfection is not achievable and shouldn’t be the goal (unless you’re a surgeon or air traffic controller!). While I used to aspire to be a perfectionist, what I’ve found is that perfectionists have difficulty completing assignments. It’s actually more efficient and personally more satisfying to realize a project or assignment is good enough (emphasis on “good”) and you can move on to the next one, helping the organization to be more successful. One caveat – please edit your work and make sure there are no grammatical, spelling or math errors!
- No one is great at everything. I always thought I had to do everything exactly right. In looking back at the bosses and colleagues I admire most, none were great at every aspect of their jobs. This realization helped calm me down when I expected too much of myself.
- Be conscious about what works and doesn’t work with your manager, budgeting/finances and other management principles as you go along in your career. Consider writing it down or imprinting it in your consciousness. This will help you down the line as you move up and are in positions to apply what you consider to be best practices.
I welcome your thoughts.
NB: I love the Her Money podcast, especially this one that focused on negotiating for salary/benefits when accepting a new job: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hermoney-with-jean-chatzky/id1098802558?i=1000459938138
