Millennial Managers

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There is no avoiding millennials! For those of you not embracing the millennial generation and all they have to offer: you better start! According to The Deloitte Millennial Survey, by 2025, Millennials will comprise 75% of the global workforce.

At launchbox we typically focus on bridging the gap between millennials and managers, but what happens when a millennial becomes your manager? In Good Company comedically highlighted this situation (although 99.9% of millennial bosses will not date your daughters, but we make no promises).

Millennials as managers have the same attributes as when they were employees, although it now becomes increasingly important to learn to work with them. And before you write off your younger manager with phrases like “they are just a kid, how much can they really know,” remember that the current generation of 26-33 year olds is the most educated generation in history.

TIME wrote an article entitled 5 Ways to Deal With a Millennial Boss Driving You Nuts. Instead of complaining that your younger boss is ‘driving you nuts’ because they don’t work the same way you do, check out this article.

Millennial bosses are quickly becoming unavoidable, so figure out how to work with yours fast, before they find someone else that can.

Don’t Be A Lumbergh: Learn How to Effectively Manage Millennial Employees

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At launchbox we aim to bridge the gap between millennials and the workplace.

Lets face it; millennials behave much differently than older generations. Whether it was growing up with technology at our fingertips or coming out of college during a harsh recession, the bottom line is still the same: Millennials have different expectations from the workplace. While Gen X might want a clear direct order of what needs to be done, a millennial might want to work step-by-step with the manager while the task is being completed. Neither method is better than the other; they are just different.

The difficult part is convincing both millennials and older generations that they don’t think the same way as the other generation. Instead of wondering why your employees aren’t fulfilling tasks the way you would, or why your managers are not managing the way you would like, it is important to learn how the other generation thinks and acts in the workplace. Simply tweaking the way that managers interact with millennials can improve morale and efficiency.

The Huffington Post published an insightful article called “What Every Employer Needs to Know About Gen Y”. In the article, millennials listed things they wished managers could know about their ideal workplace.

So listen up!

Millennials are saying things like “I have to like you or respect you as a person”, because ‘hating your boss but loving your job’ won’t cut it for millennials. If employees don’t like the office environment, don’t expect them to stay loyal to the company. Think Office Space, but a little less dramatic. Others include “It’s not about the paycheck, I want to feel like I’m a part of something” and “let me represent my work” because a sense of ownership is very important to millennials. If they can take pride in their work, the work will improve.

These suggestions are simple, and come at little to no costs to companies, but if taken seriously and implemented, will have a profound positive impact on your employees and company.

Other simple suggestions are in the article, here.

As always, let us know your thoughts!

Millennials: The Nation’s Most Dogged Optimists

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Most adults, when asked the difference between millennials and Gen X, would say that millennials are more self-centered. They have been described as a ‘me generation’, always needing constant gratification and attention. Time Magazine even featured a cover article called “The Me Me Me Generation! Millennials are Lazy, Entitled, Narcissists”(Is it narcissistic if I get offended by that because I think millennilas are awesome?).

The Pew Research center wasn’t satisfied either with settling on a word like ‘narcissistic’ to describe this growing generation (and neither should you, quite frankly) so they interviewed about 50 million millennials to gain deeper insight into what makes the generation of 20-35 year olds tick.

Their findings offer a new perspective on what it means to ‘be millennial”.

They found that millennials are not attached to wealth. Many would rather make less in a job they love than make more in a job they don’t have a passion for. They value making a difference over making money, with many college grads applying for Peace Corps and Teach for America rather than heading for Wall Street. They are much more health conscious, choosing naturally raised organic meat and produce. As this NYT Article points out, “these habits and tastes look less like narcissism than communalism”. Highlighting popular millennilas like Lebron James, Brandon Stanton (writer of Humans of New York blog), and many more, the NYT exemplifies how millennials are not narcissistic, but empathetic.

Read the insightful article here and let us know what you think!

Vianova Interviews CLO Dan Negroni

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Earlier this week, the founder and president of ViaNova sat down to talk to our Chief Launch Officer, Dan Negroni, about launchbox and the millennial generation. The result is an awesome article on Vianova’s blog!

In the interview, Dan discusses how managers can harness the power of the millennial generation and the inevitable changes in the workforce. Check out the article and let us know what you think!

Are Company Dress Codes Getting Too Casual?

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Business casual or “flip flop Fridays”, THAT is the question.

Recently, there has been a trend in many companies to ‘loosen the ties’ on corporate dress codes, so to speak. Many innovative companies, like Google, Apple, and Facebook, are ditching the suits in exchange for a more laid-back dress code. The thought behind the change is that the more relaxed dress code will inspire innovation and creativity. If you have seen The Intership, then you know how relaxed and innovative the Google headquarters are, so it should come as no surprise that employees dress casually with very few restrictions. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, was recently spotted at a conference wearing open toed Nike sandals and slouchy jeans. These successful CEOs would rather have employees focus on the work the are doing than if their clothes are work appropriate.

We, at launchbox, believe in being comfortable and have no formal dress code, although all employees consistently show up looking put together. Outfits are never sloppy, but the laid-back dress code allows employees to fell comfortable in the office. We would rather focus on getting work done than spend time enforcing dress code rules.

However, while innovation is desirable, is it wise to ditch the formal dreads in more corporate offices? Should the partners of a law firm be sporting baseball caps and clever graphic tees? There is definitely a line between causal and sloppy, but where is that line drawn, and who draws it? How do we decide between looking professional and being comfortable? Do we have to choose?

This Fast Company article addresses many of those questions, and poses a few more. We would love to know what you think!

Top 7 Great Questions to Ask Your Interviewer

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launchbox is all about asking questions! We firmly believe in the 80/20 rule: talking for only about 20% of the interview and asking insightful questions. Interviewers already have your resume, so you should stop talking about yourself and ask the important questions.

One of the most frequently asked questions we get asked is ‘if I am supposed to be asking questions, what kind should I be asking?” Are some questions better than others? YES!

Careerbliss.com asked hiring managers what was the most impressive question they have received. Here are the best 7 answers that could totally get you hired.

Check these out and try them at your next interview!

 

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Can the Millennial Generation Revolutionize the Legal World?

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At launchbox, we totally believe in the power of millennials! Millennials are innovative, collaborative, and always looking to improve. Some might categorize millennials as lazy, but as Bill Gates once said, “I will always choose a lazy person to do a difficult job because they will find an easy way to do it”. Millennials are not satisfied with the status quo and have a drive to be the best they can be while improving their communities. Millennials are great assets to many companies that are open to innovation and change.

 

Many law firms are having difficulties embracing these innovations. The Dean of the Michigan State law school says, “Legal education has been stronger on tradition than innovation” and many follow the unspoken rule ‘if it ‘aint broke, don’t fix it’. People often have a certain image of a lawyer, and ‘a bright eyed 22 year old who would rather look something up online than in a giant bound leather book’ is probably not that picture.

 

That being said, times are changing, Companies, including law firms, need to be hiring millennials because they make up a large part of the workforce. How can law firms embrace the new generation without giving up their traditions and values? The New York Times writes a very interesting article about how they could do just that.

5 New Surprising Findings About Millennials – OPEN Forum

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These findings confirm our research and experience working with millennials!

Many people associate Gen Y with lazy, un-loyal, technology-focused kids that are a challenge to manage. While some millennials may associate with one or more of these behaviors, we believe (and have the research to back it) that millennials are great assets in the workplace.

This article outlines 5 really interesting facts that break the common misconceptions associated with Gen Y. Learn how your misconceptions of this younger generation could actually help businesses, especially in relating to the increasing number of millennials in in the workplace.  Read for more info!

https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/articles/5-new-findings-that-will-surprise-you-about-millennials/

Is this your idea of training Millennials?

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Click here to see a funny video. Is this really what we have to look forward from millennials?  I say absolutely not.  Ask us why and how you can avoid this exaggerated perception of the new workforce.