Generalizing is not convenient, because you always hurt people who do not fall within your definition. With that in mind, we have to get rid of it: those Millennials ? You do not have anything to do with that! Yet? Think that they already know everything and have talent for everything, all the course dealing with disappointments missed and oh woe if they have to do something at work that they do not like. How dare you do that! Luiwammes are it, all!
Nothing of course. It is not possible either, because almost half of the working population already exists from that generation and yet not everything has collapsed. Or yes, uh, they are not to blame. In fact, they are quite heavy. Get blamed everywhere, but never get a permanent contract. Fatty student debt and priceless housing. And at work? There they have to prove themselves twice. It is no different, but that does not mean that you can not deal with it as Millennial. Here are some tips for not ending up as an example at work why your entire generation is not right.
1. Youthful overconfidence is just as fun
When you just start working, you are full of fresh courage and you see exactly where things are going wrong in an organization. You have no idea why everyone is doing the wrong things and who should be beaten to make it better, preferably with you as a leader.
That? So that is bullshit, because you only know half.
What turns out? Older people are right about more things than you might think, even in this age of technological developments that you barely keep up with in the twenties. People remain people and the longer you are in between, the better you get to know them. If you as a fresh employee (even though you are hired as a manager, Jan-Pieter) immediately thinks that half of the business has to be turned upside down people will find your enthusiasm just as charming, but that does not take long. Then they just annoy you. Ultimately, a workplace is a collection of people who may or may not have built something together and who want to keep it. As a newcomer, you first have to become part of it before you can change it.
If you have really good ideas, find someone who is receptive to it and do not bother Harold who will retire in two years. Usually the bigger the organization is, the slower it can change. You have to take that into account and that means you have to be patient. That, and the will to know why something is as it is. Just concluding that something does not work or is stupid is too close to the surface. Takes a long time, we know, but that is also part of it. What also helps is coaching, as you will get when you are making a career through an organization like Brunel .
2. It is really up to you sometimes
Getting criticism is the worst thing there is, no matter what generation you come from. If you are the type that is directly in the defense and internally angry when you are criticized, then we may congratulate you: you are a human being. Getting criticism, especially in the beginning of your career, is impossible to avoid. Nobody can do everything right away right away, so it’s something you have to get used to bit by bit. The advantage of criticism is that your (unhealthy working atmosphere) can determine very well how many things you get criticized. The harder you do your best, the less there is to you. And with your best efforts we do not mean that we are present every day for ten hours, but just reflect on what you do, why you do it and for whom you do it.
And then: it goes wrong once, or you do something stupid, or you do not mind, and then you get turned upside down. A bit of biting through, thinking about it at a later moment or criticizing something and, if so, tackling it. There is nothing more annoying than someone at work who everyone knows they have dabbled, and then continues to dream up excuses why it really was not their fault. Admitting that you made a mistake is intensely liberating and is also extremely appreciated. As long as you do not make the same mistake ten times in a row of course. Then “sorry!” no more. Otherwise, read a book about a fellow Millennial, perhaps you believe it.
3. Do not always go between the lines
It seems to be quite a thing that Millennials do not like hierarchy and rules. That is a nonsense story, because in every generation you have people who love it. That is a personality type and they have been around for millennia. Just like there will always be people who like socializing, networking, or buffering until they ‘win’. If you are the type that thinks fixed hours are for the simples and you have to be judged on what you contribute to the company, be prepared that not everyone thinks OK. You do not contribute as much as a starting employee. No, Jan-Pieter, neither do you. Freedom should be earned just as respect.
A common mistake by many young people who start working for the first time is that they think they can take ‘free’ if they do not feel like it or do not feel comfortable. If there is something where people want to stop you upside down in an anthill for honey, it’s that attitude. You are counted on and because you are not there you saddle someone else with problems. That is not appreciated, so if you want to be seen as a Young Professional instead of lazy * #)! $ – Millenial you better stop immediately. Really sick is sick, but otherwise you just show up, the generation ‘up and back’ just goes right in.
Good: indicate how you are put together. Nobody can immediately read another and certainly if there is something of a generational gap it can be very enlightening for yourself and your manager or colleagues to know what your ambitions are, what you feel good about and what you find particularly terrible about how you works. If you do not like what you do, you either need the money (keep it quiet and then go on buffing) or you have to be honest and say goodbye.
4. Use your power
If you’re hired somewhere, that’s not for nothing. You can do something, and the chances are good that you can do it well. It goes well in the economy and that means there are also many opportunities. If you show what your strengths are, it is usually not so difficult to come up higher and eventually still have all your plans from point one. That requires investment and often also sacrifice. Contrary to what you (hopefully not) heard when you were young, you get very little for nothing. Latvian ‘face it: you are [Mark19269014] Mark Zuckerberg not. That does not mean, however, that you can not play an important role in your work, but (yes, there is a theme) then your employees and managers must also be convinced that you deserve that role.
This means that sometimes you can not do what you really want because the company needs something. That you take on tasks that you are not strictly speaking about. That you try to learn as much as possible from the people who have been there for longer and have more experience. That your primary motivation is not that they can not do without you, but that everyone works as well as possible with you. There is a nice saying for when you think you are irreplaceable: “we can not do without you, but we’re going to try it anyway.” Then it is better to just fit in the group, because if everyone learns from each other, everyone becomes better, you lead the way.