by Faheem Chaudhry (@FaheemChaudhry) Much is often said about the differences between the various generations in the workplace today, from the baby boomers to generation X and, now, the millennial generation (generation Y). As these millennials currently work themselves up through our organisations, they bring new dynamics and challenges for our leaders and managers to deal with.
So what are these differences and challenges, and how can managers today deal with the mentality that millennials bring to the workplace?
Ambition and impatience
Having spoken to various industry leaders about what they find most challenging about this generation, the same two characteristics come up time and time again.
The first is ambition. Agency managers are toggling with how to best to navigate what is felt to be an unrealistic expectation of success from their newest recruits.
It’s felt that millennials expect to see results, and quickly. Many enter the workplace looking to not only be constantly praised but, also, to be constantly tangibly rewarded — both in terms of job titles and remuneration. Many millennials are quick to jump ship from their current employers, at a stage that many managers feel is premature.
This leads on to the second trait– impatience.
Not only do many millennials have high expectations of how fast they should be climbing in organisations but are looking to see such results in shorter and shorter periods of time, too.
The result for managers may often mean instability, and a difficulty in building momentum within teams, as the next generation looks to make moves almost as quickly as the journey starts.
Insight for managers
As someone who at times shares these characteristics with my peers, I want to give managers some insight on where this comes from. To generations before us, we are often misunderstood. So let’s try and set the record straight.
1. Always connected
As a generation, we are plugged in 24/7. The first thing we do when we wake up is check up on our networks. It’s also the last thing we do before we go to sleep. And we’ve been doing this long before we started working; many of us began our increased connectivity with the world in our teenage years.
Being constantly connected means that we’re always on the pulse.
The key to understanding our mentality lies in the fact that we hear of, and are exposed to, the success of our peers on a daily basis. We often see those around us making strides towards their daily goals — and not only our peers but those above us in organisations, too.
What this does is heighten our awareness of what we’re doing on a daily basis. It’s a constant reminder that each moment counts, and naturally, this breeds a question of “Am I on the right path?”
For those who don’t get constant signals that they are on their journey up, fear of complacency often sets in.
While this is seen as an unrealistic expectation from those who manage us, it’s important to understand that this doesn’t come from a place of entitlement but, rather, from a deep rooted ambition to stay ahead of the pack.
2. Follow the herd or create your own path
Society is developing at a pace that is making it easier for young people to start their own organisations, follow their own ideas and projects, and make successes of them at an early age.
Granted, many start-ups don’t make it as they wish to, but those that do quickly become standout role models for millennials feeling as if they’re chasing a 20-year corporate race to the top.
Simply put, millennials often find themselves in a professional dichotomy, trying to balance the long-term journey in the corporate world versus the urge to take a bold step to follow an entrepreneurial path.
Consequently, personal expectations within organisations are heightened, and new recruits find themselves under a self-created pressure to succeed in all they do.
Once again, this can be misunderstood as unnecessary impatience, but it is rooted in the juggling act of taking a long-term climb in a company or taking a leap of faith — just like more and more young people are doing these days.
3. Ever-increasing competition
There’s no doubt that the advertising industry is approaching a crossroads of sorts in terms of its revenue model.
Without going into too much detail, the way agencies made their money in the past is under more and more pressure. Many clients are taking competencies in-house, coupled with organisations looking to various specialised partners to serve their multifaceted needs.
The result is an industry that is highly competitive, with many ad-grads today fiercely competing for positions at a time where employment isn’t abundant.
Top talent is therefore expecting to be increasingly rewarded for standout achievement. This, by nature, breeds a culture of heightened ambition, as millennials are under increased pressure to deliver in an industry facing growing challenges.
In summary
While the millennial mindset is one that is proving to be a constant challenge for industry leaders, it’s important to see where this comes from. Each generation starts its careers in a different dynamic, which shapes its orientation and how it goes about trying to achieve its personal goals and dreams.
For the millennial generation, building ourselves up in the industry today brings with it unique challenges to the time, seemingly breeding characteristics of ambition and impatience like never before.
Faheem Chaudry (@FaheemChaudhry) is an account director at M&C Saatchi Abel. His monthly “Millennial Ad-grad” column on MarkLives aims to give a voice to the industry’s next generation, giving insight and guidance into how to navigate the increasingly complex and changing tides of today’s communication industry.
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