Why do so many people worry about working with Millennials?

To me, everything about Millennial behaviors in the workplace is very exciting. But I used to be a worrier, too.

For the last several years, my perception of this younger generation was that they were too high maintenance. I thought they would require constant attention, motivation, and direction—and, as an owner of two companies, I don’t have time for that.

I was wrong (I know…hard to believe 🙂 ).

In the last year, I’ve not only hired Millennials but I’ve become energized and impressed about what I’m learning from them. From my experience, they are not afraid of learning new things and sharing ideas. They like receiving feedback on their work. They are looking for a coach, not a boss—and aren’t we all? They are willing to work long hours if there is a purpose for it—they don’t want to sit around not doing anything. They don’t want to waste time—thank goodness!

In a lot of ways, these “digital natives,” are not too different than me when I started my career more than 20 years ago. During my first two jobs, I was given opportunities to work on things I knew nothing about. I was asked to help develop a website, oversee IT, start a web company and more. None of which I was trained to do. Yet technology and the unknown didn’t intimidate me (so I told myself). Instead, it changed my career path. And I’m grateful for that.

It is said that Millennials embrace an entrepreneurial mindset and are constantly looking for new opportunities to move them up the ladder. I was personally the same way at that age, and created a lot of revenue opportunities for the associations I worked with.

There are big opportunities if you are willing to take risks and let the Millennials take the lead.

Want to hear from other association leaders about their experiences with Millennials as well as attracting and retaining this new generation of talent? Join .orgCommunity and participate in our discussion groups on all things association management! Or if you need help with training, recruiting or coaching, contact me at sherry@orgsource.com.