As I’ve mentioned before in my blog posts, my age qualifies me as a member of the millennial generation. Good or bad, millennials are the generation of the future for most businesses as they reach farther into the 21st century. In fact, Pew Research Center reports that millennials have outnumbered the Baby Boomer generation...leaving them as the primary employee pool for the coming years.

But, many business owners and leaders contend that their employees from the millennial generation are far from ready to take the helm at their organizations. Laziness, entitlement and the constant need to “do it a new way” are complaints voiced by many management reps in leading firms.

However, I believe that the millennial generation is not as bad as they are cracked up to be. There is, definitely, a miscommunication and lack of understanding between the new generation and many who represent the “golden era” or, even, leaders from Generation X. This gap, though, can be bridged by utilizing the five sneaky secrets I’ve discovered for unlocking millennials’ hidden magic and potential.

Crack the Code

Reduce the Nonsense!

Lack of challenge, micro-managing, and monotony are like a noose around a millennial’s neck. A millennial employee thrives on variety of tasks and a work day that is not identical to the day before. Being involved in projects that consistently require brainstorming, problem solving and critical thinking is what a millennial is seeking. Members of this generation want to be engaged at work. They don’t want to be a paper pusher or be chained to a desk doing the same thing day in and day out.

While they understand that many mundane tasks are simply a part of their jobs, they don’t want to be exclusively responsible for such chores. Develop systems to reduce the time it takes to complete these monotonous jobs so that millennials can be part of teams completing what seem to be more meaningful duties.

Deliver flexibility!

Today, more households have two working parents compared to previous generations. Sick children, days off from school, doctor’s appointments, activities and other dilemmas deliver the need to have one parent accessible at all times. Most companies offer 40 hours of sick time and 80 hours of personal leave time (at the MAX!).