Next year, millennials will make up more than 35% of the federal workforce. That’s a staggering number of feds who will all have been born after 1976. So how can leaders really connect, train, manage and capitalize on their talents?
Logan Harper is community manager for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Government’s Masters of Public Administration program – a top online MPA.
He told Chris Dorobek on the DorobekINSIDER program his five tips for managing millennials.
“We grew up in a very different environment from previous generations, we had constant access to information. Most of us don’t remember a time before the internet. So we approach problems very differently. Managers need to know and understand that difference,” said Harper.
Harper 5 Tips to Millennial Management Success
1. Give Them a Chance to Lead
“35% of millennials started some sort of side business between the ages of 21-24. That’s a huge percentage. They want to take action. You just have to give them the freedom to explore it,” said Harper.
2. Provide Real-Time Feedback
“Millennials have grown up with constant access to information so we’ve been able to constantly calibrate how we are doing. We want that continued into our careers. We have been trained to constantly seek feedback,” said Harper.
3. Encourage Open Communication
“Having a one-on-ones with mangers helps brak down the hierarchy barrier. It is important to actually schedule a time, maybe once or twice a month to meet,” said Harper.
4. Help Them Grow — and They’ll Stay
“Millennials value education. This generation might actually be one of the most educated in our history. So the more on the job training and learning you do the longer the millennial will stay put,” said Harper.
5. Develop Opportunities for Collaboration
“Millennials love to collaborate and brainstorm. So the ability to create an environment of collaboration is really important,” said Harper.