Millennials as Bosses: 7 Ways They're Changing Management

Guest blogger, Laura Gayle is the owner and creator of the Business Woman Guide, a blog created to help women start or grow their own businesses. She is an expert on e-commerce and technology and how it ties in with keeping the American Dream alive for everyone. We invite you to check out her library of articles, especially if you're thinking about setting up your own business venture. 

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Millennials are no longer the new kids in the office. As of 2016, they became the most populous generation in the workplace. Many are now in their late 30s, married with children, and assuming leadership roles. If you’re not already working for a millennial, chances are you will be soon.

Just as this generation shook things up when they joined the workforce as entry-level employees, millennials are now applying their values and preferences to management roles. This can be good or bad, depending on your perspective. Here are seven ways millennials are changing management.

1. Culture and Passion

Many millennials put fulfillment before compensation when they were looking for jobs. This core value has carried them through their careers. As managers, they are passionate, creative, and innovative. They tend to expect this same level of enthusiasm in their employees, preferring to work in a comfortable, team-oriented environment that promotes collaboration and communication. They favor open office floorplans and lots of perks.

Millennial managers aren't so much into titles and hierarchical roles — to them cultivating a team environment is far more important. As team players themselves, millennial managers want everyone under them to feel and act the same way. On one hand, this philosophy creates a cohesive workplace culture, but on the other, it can stifle debate and limit constructive criticism. It also risks leading to group-think, which can cause problems down the road. Passion is a great attribute to have in an organizational setting, but diversity in opinion and thought is important too.

2. Feedback

Many millennials feel feedback is a vital part of leadership. They wish they had gotten more feedback when they were starting out, so when they reach management positions, they tend to give out a lot it. But there’s a fine line between mentoring and micromanaging, and millennials don't do well with confrontation. It's sometimes hard for them to realize not everyone thinks like they do and, therefore, have to consider the way they give feedback if they want to keep harmony in the workplace. If they don't, they risk frustrating employees who don't necessarily appreciate or feel the same way they do about feedback.

For instance, Gen Z'ers are generally eager to learn and receptive to feedback. But this might not sit as well with Gen X'ers who prefer to work more independently, be spoken to directly, and prefer to receive their feedback in a printed form that they can take home. One of the challenges millennial managers face is needing to find a way to strike the right balance when communicating with the people they manage, especially with teams consisting of multiple generations.

3. Bold Change

Many millennials “job-hopped” early in their careers and place less value on the security and benefits that corporate jobs offer. Many spent time working as freelancers or participating in the gig economy, buying health insurance through exchanges and using mobile apps to keep track of things like mileage, receipts, and self-employment taxes. One effect is that as managers, they aren't afraid to lay off employees because they expect that other people can bounce back as easily as they do.

Being they grew up with rapid social and technological progress, they also aren’t hesitant to shake things up from an organizational standpoint. They are much quicker than previous generations to experiment with and embrace new technologies. Millennials don't shy away from revising outdated policies, processes, and operational methods when they visualize ways innovative tech can improve it.

They also tend to be bold and value creativity. Fueled by revolutionary concepts, millennial managers aren’t daunted by dramatic changes or transformations. The result can be either an agile and forward-thinking workplace, or a tumultuous one with a lot of employee turnover.

4. Impatience

A short attention span can be both a blessing and a curse for millennial managers. Millennials are used to fast results. They have grown up in a life fully equipped with inventions that made life easier (i.e. they don't remember a time pre-microwaves or remote controls) where their Gen X counterparts do. Because tech rapidly progressed during their formative years, they've become accustomed to instant gratification.

Consequently, they have very little patience for boring meetings or long-winded explanations. However, budgets, logistics, and fine print are important parts of doing business and, as leaders, they'll need to be able to handle these tasks. Not taking time to focus on the details can lead to mistakes.

5. Work/Life Balance

Millennial bosses tend to be very empathetic and respect the importance of work-life balance. This works well for both Gen X and Gen Z employees as they too value a healthy balance between home and work. The millennial philosophy on life, in general, helps create friendly workplaces. But juggling friendship and work can be tricky. It’s common for employees and millennial bosses to socialize outside of the office, making it potentially awkward when professional problems arise. Remember, millennials do not do well with confrontation.  However, due to their philosophies, they've also created pleasant workplaces.

6. Promotions

Millennials are steadily changing the rule book when it comes to traditional management philosophies. They are moving away from the proverbial upward ladder, instead incorporating a flatter organizational structure. Traditionally, people have worked their way up this ladder to receive a promotion, and Gen X and Baby Boomer managers tended to follow this philosophy. Millennials, not so much. When it comes to promotion time, they'll look across the organization to find the right candidate for the job.

7. Generalization vs. Specialization

Millennials have mastered the concept of generalization rather than focusing on specialization. This is a strength in the sense they can handle anything thrown at them. However, it also means they might heavily rely on other people to deal with issues where they lack experience. To help counter this, millennial managers tend to highly rely upon tech, getting anxious if they don't receive information from others in the time frame they want it. On the other hand, millennials can easily handle the barrage of information that flows through modern organizations; they are internally wired to aptly respond to any given situation.

Millennials tend to march to their own tune, they don't typically align themselves with traditional management philosophies and theories. As they take on leadership positions, expect things to change. This can create discord with older generations as millennials assimilate themselves into their leadership positions. While it's true their management style is inherently different, their altruistic nature means they truly care about their organizations and employees and want to see everyone succeed.