If you want to establish a great working relationship with your boss, knowing whatever you can do to make your boss’s job easier is good. Being a young professional, Millennial or Gen Z, guidelines to do this may not be so obvious. Here is the first of three blog posts on how to manage up. This first one focuses on laying the ground work for good communication.
Working with people from different backgrounds, histories, experiences and ages, I promote communication, conversation and connection. When I hear, “those Millennials” or “Okay, Boomer”, I cringe recognizing them as the biases they are: ageism. Whether ageism is used as a bias in rewarding/punishing or communicating, it’s not helpful to anybody and only creates friction, more bad behavior and animosity within your team and your organization. There is no us versus them, there is only us.
There’s a lot of shaming about young professionals. You can think it is coming from their Baby Boomer or Gen X bosses who have a lot more life and work experience. That would be the obvious choice. They are not the only ones, however. People born in the Millennial years undervalue themselves and their colleagues just as much as senior professionals. Why? How do you stop this from continuing?
In a team sport, the adrenaline flows fast and easy because there’s a shared natural purpose to want to win. Faced with a survival type of situation whether real or fabricated like in scouts, outward bound, etc. everyone wants to get out of a tough unfamiliar environment. Grouped together in a “Escape Room” people strive to solve the puzzle and escape. Work or volunteer situations, the natural motivation for a closely knit group is not as obvious. Is it realistic to expect group members at work or with unpaid work to be enthusiastic and want to work together?
How do you handle this? You realize a meeting or conversation is all about the other person. What to do? Do you explain their offer isn’t beneficial for you? Ask for what you want from them and see how attentive they are? Cut the conversation short? Some advice when this happens to you…
It’s worth it to make an effort to learn about and appreciate each person you work with. You want the best for and from them, and they will only show you that best if they know someone cares enough to see it. Furthermore, their dedication and engagement in work comes from being happy and being seen as full individuals. You could be responsible for the individuals on your team being encouraged or discouraged. When people are dissatisfied, they leave their bosses not their jobs.
Does this sound at all familiar? I remember being a young professional in the marketing field being spoken to as if I knew nothing. I had completed a lengthy and high-level education with solid job experience. Didn’t I deserve credit for that? And, was this the best way for me to learn?
The philosophy of renting not buying is indicative of Millennials. Why? And, even if you’re not a Millennial, could it be right for you? Understanding their philosophy
With gratitude to the 16 young leaders who let me into their honest opinions. I asked them, “What is the respectful environment that allows you to perform at their best? Describe it.” These are the responses I received.
I was interested in what emerging professionals had to say about the subject of respect in the workplace. They are more self-aware than previous generations. Value and values are always on their mind. I wanted to simply listen and present their personal perspectives without commentary, in an effort to help employers work beneficially with Millennials, rather than being frustrated or confused.
