INNOVATIONS AND INSIGHTS
NEXT GENERATION MANAGEMENT? SEVEN WAYS YOU CAN PREPARE YOUR MILLENNIAL PROJECT MANAGERS FOR THE FUTURE
Source: AIPM
Project managers at the peak of their careers have a wealth of experience to draw on. This makes them valuable to organisations but also presents a risk in the form of a key point of failure if they do not pass their knowledge on to younger project managers. The millennial generation, those born between 1984 and 2004, are expected to make up most of the workforce by 2025. Immersed since birth in a culture of constant communication through social media, this new, younger cohort brings a fresh approach to project management and life in general. Smart organisations will recognise in this the transition from long-established project management culture to a new, more connected way of working. As a seasoned professional who has been called upon to mentor up and coming new project managers, you may find this change in culture daunting. Here are seven ways of engaging younger project managers:
1. TRY TO SPEAK THEIR LANGUAGE Where previous generations used a fixed telephone line to call a physical location, millennials use their mobile phone to call a specific person. As a generation they are more 16
connected and connect more often than those before them. You can engage with this mindset by leveraging your corporate instant messaging chat services. Build on the informal discussions within the office network. Regardless of whether they are about pet dogs, or why the coffee was late, these discussions can be used to develop a mentoring relationship. This may feel awkward if you are not a regular user but is a sure way to form connections. Millennials are also the ‘woke’ generation, more attuned to social issues and are more likely to be involved in activism. When you help young project managers to understand the greater purpose in projects they are delivering, you can improve their engagement with stakeholders.
2. AVOID BLIND SPOTS “The kids of today…” is the dismissive catchcry heard all too often from older mentors. As a mentor you may be aware of common cognitive biases like groupthink and ingroup favouritism. However, by reducing the next generation to a cliché, you are exhibiting another cognitive
