Millennial managers: leaders of future-ready organisations
NEW Millennial managers are forthright and have very little appetite for micro-management
The average millennial attention span today ranges from ten to twelve seconds. Yes, not even enough time to complete reading these two opening sentences! Moreover, this fleeting time is spent not on one but with attention spread across three screens at a time! While this may give us an insight into the millennial mindset, we must not forget that it is millennials who will soon run not just corporates but the world! Millennials refer to those born between 1981 and 1996, who are between 23 to 38 years today with many in middle management roles, getting ready to step into their bosses’ shoes!
However, to nurture millennials for future leadership roles, it is necessary to understand their outlook.
Millennials are unconventional and love to take the road less travelled. They view success with a different prism and look at life with a lens that goes beyond profit and loss. They may be part of an organisation that makes millions, but what excites them are workplaces that are futureready!
Millennial managers are forthright and accessible and have very little appetite for micro-management as long as deadlines are met. At the workplace, millennials have brought in concepts such as diversity, flexi-working, and remote working into the larger coraporate framework.
While millennial managers mean business and abide by fair play, t hey may be short on patience, wanting quick results. Open-door policies and direct access to the top management along with prompt grievance redressal mechanisms are the kinds of things that they look for. Millennials look for appreciation and gratification as a driving force that motivates them to funnel their energy and enthusiasm productively.
At Indian Hotels Company (IHCL), we have come a long way from a lineage driven 116-yearold company to keep up with the times and create an environment that millennials are on the seeking for.
As a progressive organisation, we believe in staying ahead of the curve, be it in terms of our people policies or our Learning and Development (L&D) programmes.
In a world of accelerated transformation, learning is constantly on the agenda for our millennial employees and our recent partnerships with Les Roches, Switzerland and the Essec Business School in Paris reflect our commitment to empower and create global future leaders.
Similarly, our General Managers’ programme at the Indian Institute of Management(iim) and Nanyang,singapore testifies to our future readiness as we enable our leaders to take a leap and foster a strong culture of ‘intrepreneurship’ with the added advantage of academic exposure to some of the world’s finest educational institutions. The Ginger Leadership Program in partnership with the Institute of Hotel Management, Aurangabad empowers potential candidates to achieve Hotel Manager positions, akin to General Manager positions, in a short span of five years.
Our people policies keep pace with the evolving priorities and aspirations of millennials to include reimbursement for IVF treatment, empowering women employees through support at the workplace with a crèche at all our hotels and offices and more! These initiatives resonate well with the millennials for whom the lines between professional and personal life often blur and striking that balance ensures sanity.
As a future-ready workplace, we strongly believe in integrating technology in our daily functioning to scale up employee engagement. Vconnect, our in-house engagement platform enables all employees with immediate access to the organisation’s top management to address conflicts and grievances in the swiftest possible manner.
The millennial workforce appreciates socially responsible and environmentally conscious companies.
Giving back to society is a matter of pride for them. Our mission to eliminate plastic and promote green tourism reflects our commitment to a sustainable future. We have successfully eliminated 2 million plastic straws from the ecosystem and are committed to reducing water intensity by five percent over the next two years. ‘Waste to Innovation Challenge’, an internal compe t i t i o n, e ncourages o ur employees to think of innovative solutions to reduce, reuse or recycle waste generated within the hotels.
The key is to encourage diversity and inclusion, ensuring they do not remain as mere buzzwords but are ingrained in the company’s culture, keeping the millennial manager engaged, listening to and acknowledging concerns, appreciating contributions and enabling them to realise their ambitions, as they get ready to lead the world!