10 Traits Of Bosses Who Win With GenY

While both managers and their GenY staff aim for workplace success, collaborating effectively is something that is not seen too often at the workplace. Managers who win with GenY are seen to display these 10 traits which make them more successful than others.

1. They believe GenY is unique in what they have to offer – as unique and valuable as other generations are: These managers do not wish that GenY should be as loyal as or as sincere as other generations but instead, value them for who they are. They know that GenY is different in their own way and celebrate these differences. I have worked with a senior leader who is very popular with peers and juniors alike because, most of all, he adapts himself to the group and individual he is involved with.

2. Millennials often believe they are better than what they actually are (in terms of knowledge and experience). Successful managers encourage that belief and in fact, help them tap the hidden potential. These managers are rarely offended with this brashness as they know confidence can propel youngsters to success, when supported with the right tools. In fact, India has the rich tradition of great gurus like Chanakya and Guru Vashisht who complimented the talent and courage of their wards with wisdom and experiential knowledge.

3. They know that GenY has the guts and the potential to change everything, and reinforce that potential intelligently. I have observed successful managers leverage this quality of their much younger team members to the advantage of the organisation. My experience with GenY team members is that while organisations cherish age-old practices and traditions, GenY prefers change. When I have encouraged these boys and girls, I have been surprised at their ingenuity and ability to bring fresh perspectives. Some of these prove to be high impact for the business.

4. They do not construe the restlessness of millennials as meaningless impatience but the passion to create something meaningful. These managers realise that rather than branding it as ‘attention disorder’, restive minds can often be a trigger for creativity, and creativity is a source for new ideas, new meaning for teams, organisations and society. For instance, an increasing number of social organisations today are innovations of these youngsters who were impatient with the pace of social change in India.

5. They have the courage to offer frequent feedback, no matter how unpleasant the feedback, but also the empathy to provide the opportunities that can build the person. They also actively ask for feedback. My conversations with my GenY friends show that the frequency and the nature of feedback provided can often make or break their relationships with managers and organisations. Superior managers integrate frequent feedback into work-related conversations. Even more importantly, they help the GenY introspect and identify opportunities to raise their own capabilities. The single most critical trait of the successful managers is that they are themselves hungry for feedback – and whet the appetite of millennials, to provide it.

6. They understand that loyalty to organisations is non-existent, but loyalty to great work and great mentors is timeless. In my working with organisations with multi-generation workforce, there are distinctly two types of managers – those who expect GenY to have loyalty to organisations and those who engage GenY in the most challenging work and also provide constant feedback. Clearly, the latter build more ‘loyal’ team members, those who not only love their work but also their managers. In fact, these are the managers who never have to worry about the work-life balance issues of their team members because these boys and girls take charge of their own work.

7. They understand GenY’s need to challenge the status quo but also coach them to challenge themselves. These managers gradually become partners to the growth of their GenY wards – they use this relationship to coach them to use challenge as the means of reflection and growth. For instance, the question – what is the consequence for us if we do this or do not do this – is one that the GenY team members of such managers learn to ask themselves.

8. They guide millennials to carve out their own niche and career. They amplify their strengths and help them shine. While this principle is very common to sport, that of letting the individual discover one’s own strength and then masterfully helping amplify this strength to guide the protégé’s career, only a few managers use this lesson at work. When I ask successful GenY professionals what helped them along the way, I often hear about the manager who ‘let go’ of them to grow their own wings. But during the tenure together, the employee was able to hone her strengths under that manager.
9. They recognise that while GenY are real people, they also have online identities and love their ‘digital autonomy.’ One of the great needs of this wired generation is to tell their stories and learn through the stories of others. They achieve this through social media and on a real time basis. Successful managers realise that allowing this is not an option – rather how to participate and even learn from their team members is the appropriate question to ask themselves.

10. They know that the BOSS is dead, only influence matters, and influence comes from being a mentor, a guide and a friend. Those who win with millennials are the ones who do not believe in exercising authority, but they do believe in power – the kind that comes from not being a boss. Their influence comes from being a guide and grows by being a mentor. Pullela Gopichand comes to my mind, who bloomed under the mentorship of S.M. Arif and Prakash Padukone, and today nourishes the talent of the Indian badminton players including Saina Nehwal and Parupalli Kashyap, both top 10-ranked international players. He is not just a coach, but a mentor, teacher and even a lifeline. Truly someone who wins with GenY and whom GenY wins with.

Rajesh Kamath is the co-founder of More Than HR Global or MTHRG, a well-known non-profit dedicated to advance HR development and management. He is also the Associate Director with Cerebrus Consultants.