Special Promotional Feature

By Tony Kirschner

There has been a new industry born over the last few years.  This new industry can be loosely labelled “Generation Translation and Boomer Anxiety Management.”  Anyone who has attended a conference recently has surely seen a speaker instructing the audience on how to navigate the differences in work styles between generations. These talks invariably focus—since most of the speakers tend to be Baby Boomers—on that unknowable and almost alien creature: the Millennial employee.

So unfathomable and hypersensitive is the Millennial, we are told, that we must alter the workplace to accommodate their special needs – flexible and reduced work weeks, extended leaves, collaborative work spaces, a second display for Facebook monitoring, and…beware if we even try to give a slightly negative performance review because Millennials are so used to having their self-esteem boosted that they will break down and quit.

The Millennial Difference?
That was a caricature, of course, but note the following quote:  “The twenty-somethings were indulged with every toy and electronic device available. We have a generation whose every need has been catered to since birth. Now, when they finally face adulthood, they expect the gift-giving to continue.”  The only misleading thing about this statement is it wasn’t made about Millennials. It was from a 1993 Newsweek article complaining about Generation X.  Sound familiar?  It only takes a few minutes of research to discover that these types of “lazy youth” assertions literally go back to Plato! The next generation is usually viewed as spoiled and deficient by society’s adult leaders.

The problem is not that Millennials are a new breed of human being, but that all new generations need to be appropriately assimilated into the world of work.  Nevertheless, these generational stereotypes continue and can have real effects in the workplace; consider this true statement recently made by lawyer, Scott Greenfield: “Millennials use this term life-balance as an excuse for their incompetence.”  Instead of spending so much time defining the various ways that the generations can’t communicate with one another, we should focus on how we can all thrive in today’s ultracompetitive marketplace—mentoring can play an essential role in ensuring Millennials, and the organizations that employ them, don’t fall into the trap of low expectations.

The New Normal
HR is leading the charge to transform the workplace in a direction that supports engagement, collaboration, flexibility and values-driven cultures—transformations that resonate with Millennials.  While these trends boost the bottom line, they are set against the new normal of global competition, diminishing resources and the demand for continual productivity gains. In short, top performing organizations have little time for intergenerational antics—we all need to do more with less; we need flexibility and productivity.  Mentoring relationships are microcosms of healthy working relationships across generations, with each party elevating the other.

Intergenerational Mentoring
Education provides Millennials with functional knowledge about their profession, but little about the habits required to be successful at work.  Excelling at school does not guarantee professional achievement—Millennials should draw from their older colleagues to ensure their ways of working meet the needs of leading organizations. And established leaders should be eager to learn the suite of technology skills that are second nature to Millennials.

Mentors and mentees can focus on developing the following timeless concepts:

• Own Your Work – a key success factor that defines employees of all ages is the ability to own one’s work, to perform with the same intensity and commitment to excellence as the owner or CEO.  Top performers invariably deliver regardless of obstacles and timelines.  Mentoring relationships can help Millennials balance delivery and burnout.
• Loyalty Matters – Millennials are said to leave unfulfilling jobs.  We see some young professionals changing employers frequently, and this has negative consequences.  Top companies look for longevity, and candidates who seek out greener pastures when things get a little bumpy jeopardize their long-term hireability.  Mentoring can provide Millennials with tactics for making their situations more rewarding within their existing organization.
• Focus Leads to Work/Life Balance – employees want to work shorter hours so they can enjoy more leisure time, but increased productivity demands contradict this dynamic. How much time do we spend doing non-essential work, or working inefficiently?  Mentors can provide tangible approaches to focus and prioritization ensuring their Millennial protégés use their time in a manner that lets them go home as quickly as possible.
• Technology and the Bottom Line – new generations have always been champions of new technologies in the workplace.  Millennials’ fluency with social media tools is a great example, but some older employees view these technologies with suspicion.  Millennials must ensure their social media skills are contributing to the business in measurable ways, and mentoring provides the perfect platform to initiate this dialog.

Millennials are not essentially different; they’re just the latest generation bringing fresh energy to the workplace.  Mentoring provides a critical platform to ensure everyone is positioned for success as we integrate new generations into the professional world.

Tony Kirschner, PhD, is a Senior Consultant at Davies Park Executive Search in Vancouver.  Tony has held HR leadership positions in the healthcare and resource sectors, and has been involved in search and consulting since 1988.