Millennial managers are starting to take over their organizations. They have invested time at becoming very good at working on teams. Millennial managers are starting to take over their organizations. They have invested time at becoming very good at working on teams.

Millennial managers are in a unique situation because their generation may have to manage four generations of people on their teams. How can you supercharge your managers leadership capabilities?

In my role, I have faced similar challenges in working with my clients. Because my teams can include several generations of workers and I have limited management authority. I have had to learn how to leverage my work with millennial managers to get results. I believe I’m good at this because my clients always ask how I engage my younger team members so effectively.

It could also be read as “hey smarty pants, why do you work better with my team members than I do?” It could be their leaders set the bar too low. Today, I share my secrets of empowering and engaging your millennial managers.

The first rule of leveraging millennial managers is to learn to treat them as individuals. It sounds easy, but I’ve had executives brag how they treat all team members the same, badly. I think the foundation of getting great results from millennial managers is to treat and respect them as individuals.

The second rule of leveraging millennial managers is to learn about what they are interested in. It doesn’t take long if you become curious about the people around you. I’m always asking questions of the people I work with. I’m an active listener looking for clues around their desk or car that helps me better understand what’s going on in their lives.

The third rule of leveraging millennial managers is to understand their personal and professional agendas. If you know where people want to go, you can easily help them to get there. Millennial managers get less training than most of the more senior leaders. As senior leaders, many of us got significant management and leadership training. These managers are expected to perform at higher levels while getting less support to achieve their organization’s goals, as well as their own.

If you want to get more results from a millennial manager, invest in more training for them. In my case, I have many books I buy for people on my teams to help them get better training.

The fourth rule of leveraging millennial managers is to ask, don’t tell. I know that’s how it’s always been done here, but if you ask your managers how they would do something, you might be pleasantly surprised by what they come up with.  I always tell my millennial managers there are no sacred cows in how we do business today. Bring me better ideas and we will help you implement them.

The fifth rule is of leveraging millennial managers is to take time to coach them as individuals. With so many ways to train and develop people to their next level, why do so few executives spend time coaching their managers? Coaching provides an incredible learning experience for both the coach and coached. It also builds stronger relationships with your millennial managers. If they feel connected to you, they will stay longer and work harder to help you reach the organization’s goals.

The final rule of leveraging millennial managers is to do something extraordinary with their lives and careers. Too many managers are soft when it comes to setting stretch goals for their team members.  If you want to grow a great organization, you need to help make your people grow and change.

If you do all the other things on this list, you may be surprised how well millennial managers perform as leaders. My clients frequently tell me they can’t expect senior managers to do these things for managers. No one did it for them so why should they do it for millennials.  I remind them that’s not true and they didn’t walk five miles a day to get to school either.

Maybe their memories are failing, but I bet someone like the person I just described to you took the time to help you succeed. Great leaders understand how to invest in their teams to grow.  Begin using these rules and I believe you will be surprised how quickly your millennial managers begin taking your organization to the next level.

It sounds like we’re manipulating millennial managers, however, we’re not.  We’re looking out for everyone’s best interest.  It’s critical that you invest time in your millennial managers. It’s also critical to understand the future of your business is in their hands. If you choose not to invest in this way, someone else will.  It’s just that simple.

See you next week.