Leading Millennials: Understanding and Motivating the Gen Y Workforce

Oh, the joys of leadership! We’re charging forward with our teams, striving to reach our goals, improving our organizations, and focusing on how to attract and retain great employees. Yet even the most experienced leaders occasionally find themselves asking—how do I best connect with and motivate the people I lead?

For many years, that question centered around Millennials (Generation Y). The difference now is that Millennials are no longer the “new generation” in the workforce—they’re seasoned professionals and, in many cases, leaders themselves. They’ve grown up in fast-paced, tech-savvy environments and value collaboration, purpose, and flexibility in their work. Still, bridging generational perspectives between Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and now Gen Z remains one of the ongoing challenges—and opportunities—of effective leadership.

Maybe a team member misses a deadline or struggles to connect with a customer. Whatever the situation, the question for every leader remains the same: How can I help this person grow while maintaining consistency, accountability, and motivation across the team? Understanding what drives different generations—and how to communicate expectations effectively—can make all the difference.

Below are three strategies that can help you better lead and engage your Millennial employees while strengthening performance across every generation in your workplace.

1. Take some time to understand your Millennial (Gen Y). Sometimes the answer to our employee issue is understanding our employee from their perspective. Many of the leaders today are from a different generation. Odds are you are a Gen X , Baby Boomer or Mature/Silent trying to lead this sometimes misunderstood Millennial team members. Each generation carries different perspectives, values, and character traits. Do some research for a better understanding of this generation. The majority were raised with almost smothering parents who took care of every little detail of their lives and told them incessantly how special they were, so they expect to be treated that way. They have never known a world without computers, prefer this technological world and get all of their information and most of their social interaction through the internet. This generation does not live to work and while at work enjoy a more relaxed atmosphere. The leaders who have come to us have all stated this Millennial (Gen Y) needs hand holding and praise to get the job done. Understanding this generation will help in leading this generation.

2. Hold this employee (and every employee) accountable to organizational standards. After you have done your research on Gen Y/Millennium’s do some research on your own generation. Notice the differences in the two generations. This is most likely the root cause of your struggles. You operate completely differently! Be cautious of holding this Millennial (Gen Y) to your standards. Hold them to organizational standards. When you do not educate your employees to the standards they should be meeting and then hold them to that standard they will continue doing what they have always done, and can we really blame them? Not holding your employees accountable to set standards is a failure of your leadership. The only way to change the behavior of any employee is to hold them accountable. Make them aware of the expectation and what they need to do to meet the expectation, set goals, build in a disciplinary process should expectations not be met and follow through!

3. Learn the strengths of your Millennial (Gen Y). This generation is known to bring so much to the team that is often overlooked. They are very ambitious, they are team oriented and they can teach you everything you need to know about the newest technology. Go beyond their generational characteristics and get to know what energizes them. Allowing them to work in areas they enjoy equals self-motivation. You no longer have to find ways to give them that push. Offer them opportunities for training or mentorship. By giving them the boost they may need (or hand holding) with training or a mentor you are insuring that this Millennial (Gen Y) knows how to accomplish the task successfully.

Millennials are now shaping organizations as both contributors and leaders. The most effective workplaces are those that bridge generations—learning from one another and combining experience with innovation.

If you found this helpful, continue the conversation with our related post, Leading Generation Z, and explore how today’s leaders can connect across generations.