I’m 47, and the majority of my 100-plus staff was born between 1981 and 1999. Millennials are also my core customer at Haven’s Kitchen (the Chelsea cooking school, café, event venue I opened in 2012) as well as the main buyer of our latest venture, a line of fresh cooking sauces.
I consider it my job to learn how to communicate with them. And frankly, I’ve loved every minute of it: Millennials have not only made my business stronger, but they’ve made me a better leader and a healthier person — seriously.
These days, it feels like everywhere I go I hear the complaints: Millennials are professional job hoppers, they’re overly sensitive, self-involved and chronically overshare. I don’t see it that way: In my view, they simply need their work to have meaning, they need to see how they can make a valuable impact and they expect a workplace that is safe and supportive.
Really, what’s so threatening about that?
In 1996, I was 24 working for a 40-something. When she asked me to do something, I just did it no questions asked. Some of the work was demeaning, which I was taught to interpret as “paying my dues.” Mostly though, it was just busy work: I wasn’t encouraged to think about my impact on the business or how a task might prepare me (or not) for my career. There’s a reason bosses glorify that system. It’s easier on them.
But here’s the problem: First off, I can’t begin to estimate the hours wasted on projects that my boss had to fix simply because I didn’t have a connection between what I was doing and the larger goals of the company. Second, that’s just not going to fly today. Not with this generation. Not in this social climate. And not with an unemployment rate under 4 percent.
If you want a millennial to dig into their work, and maximize their output, you need to give them context, clear objectives and a work environment that promotes their best self. That doesn’t mean beanbags and ping-pong tables. It means a clear business vision — a mission, not just a statement, that they believe in.
As we prepare to launch our sauces in 200 new grocery stores across the Midwest and Southeast, I certainly could have told my 24-year-old marketing coordinator to just buy some ads on Facebook and Instagram — had there been social media in 1996, that’s what my boss would have done.
Instead, I got my ducks in a row before I met my team: Why do I need ads? (We’re making our first national impressions, let’s make it count.) What am I trying to accomplish with them? (First, we need to get our name out, then we need people to try the sauce.) How will I measure success? (Sales and clicks to our Instagram account are a few metrics.) Most importantly, what are we really trying to say? Then, and only then, did I loop in the employee, explaining my thought process clearly and listening for her feedback.
The result was less an assignment and more of a conversation; together, we came up with a plan, killer messaging and a way to measure our impact. She’s excited about it because she can take ownership of the project — it’s no longer mine, it’s ours.
Self-involved? Snowflakes? No boundaries? Nope. Millennials are on a quest to find their best selves. This isn’t an exercise in narcissism; it’s their way of making the world better. And as their employer, I’m all for it because I want them to find their happiest, strongest selves.
My staff feels comfortable leaving midday for a yoga class, therapy appointment or acupuncture session. No questions asked, no sideward glances. Someone’s dog needs surgery? They work from home for a week. They make a plan and communicate regularly, and then they come back refreshed, creative and dedicated to the company.
Yes, taking the day off because their Man Repeller horoscope said they deserve a break may be a bit much, but what’s so terrible about the quest to be our best? I’m a mother of five and own my own business. But it took listening to my 20-something staff to understand that it isn’t selfish to take care of myself and running myself ragged isn’t sexy or productive.
And think about it: What amazing work could we all accomplish if we could be open and vulnerable with each other? If we built diverse, empathic workplaces? If we were well-rested, emotionally supported and (#goals) lived our best lives?
The possibilities are endless.
