People often perceive that millennials are demanding and entitled. But little do we realize that they can be great leaders too. They are brazened enough to take up leadership roles. These young people need to be motivated to take up leadership roles and managerial positions because they aspire to do so. Millennials are opinionated when it comes to their notions of what leaders should do. But they are also very open in terms of understanding their own competencies and the areas that they think they need to improve.

One of the reasons why millennials love to take up leadership roles because they want to empower others and create some positive change. They are not the type of people who would take up leadership roles just for monetary benefits and authority.  

Therefore, the question becomes, how do we prepare this generation for future managerial positions and develop existing millennial managers? Here are five effective strategies and hacks that you could follow: 

Challenge them 

Millennials are usually confident people. Therefore, it is imperative to challenge their skills occasionally by asking them to learn some hard skills and technical expertise over their soft skills. Good leaders must know how to deal with challenges. Therefore, you must create challenging situations for millennials so that they hone their skills and perceptions. You can do this by assigning them leadership roles in smaller projects, send them to attend conferences and symposiums, that are usually meant for higher-ups, and motivate them to take decisions on their own. So that they don’t keep pestering the higher ups to seek approvals all the time. 

Encourage transparency 

Millennials lead well if communication is made transparent in your organization. You must clarify millennials regarding your policies and procedures and explain those policies to them. Through this process, it becomes easier for millennials to comprehend why and how certain leadership decisions are made. 

Offer Continuous feedback

It is true that millennials crave honest and continuous feedback from their leaders. But you must remember that you do not simply give them feedback for the heck of giving it. Feedback must be constructive because millennials need to improve their performance regularly. The more companies indulge in giving frequent feedback, the more your millennials can develop and grow. If not frequently, you ought to give them feedback on a monthly basis because they want to be recognized for their work. This is also the perfect time for them to develop leadership skills and habits. This feedback not only helps them develop leadership skills professionally, but also personally.

Work-life balance 

This point is not just pertinent to millennials. Who does not want a great work-life balance? A good work life balance helps them to work in more ways. Company policies must be designed in such a way that it offers great work life balance. Otherwise they are not the kind of people who accept policies as they are. The trick is to give them a good work-life balance, so that they can come up with innovative ideas. Give them some autonomy, at the same time increase their performance standards. Let them make their decisions and substantiate those decisions. 

Formal mentoring programs 

As you are encouraging your employees to take up leadership roles. You should introduce some formal mentoring programs to help them build the necessary leadership skills they need. This will improve their decision-making skills as well. 

Conclusion 

While we are trying to prepare millennials for leadership positions, it is important to remember that times are changing, and companies are adopting more agile leadership practices. It is better to model your leadership policies according to millennial expectations and comfort; however, the leadership standards and their performance standards must be the same and not be trivialized.