Millennial Managers
by Miki Saxon
From the Winter 2018/2019 issue of Inc. Magazine (Use the link to see the actual survey results.)
The oldest Millennials are now well into their 30s, and they’re increasingly running companies. Inc. and our sister publication, Fast Company, partnered with career-development site the Muse to survey 155 Millennial bosses to see how they manage, what they value, and how they plan to shape the future of business. The top priorities they cited are humanist: creating positive work cultures, forging strong relationships (in person, not through apps), and caring for the whole person, not just the worker. And, unlike some Boomers and Gen-Xers, they’re optimistic about those who will replace them. As Elena Valentine, co-founder and CEO of video company Skill Scout, predicts, “I have a hunch Gen Z is going to make an even bigger impact.”
Of course, the survey focused on CEOs in tech; no one seems to bother doing similar surveys on lower level millennial managers working outside of tech.
So I thought I’d share my own experience over the last 15 years with millennial managers and their workers at my small, local bank branch.
Over those years there have been roughly seven managers, all but one were promoted and are still with the bank.
Unlike large, urban branches, small branches like mine function differently. Tellers remember your name and chat; managers often handle transactions normally done by bankers.
Because I handle the banking, wires, etc., for my Russian business partner I had a lot of interactions with the managers, as well as the staff, and got to know them on a more personal level than you might expect.
The managers all ranged from their late twenties to early thirties.
They managed much the same as the CEOs in the survey. Same concerns and efforts with their peoples’ growth and well-being.
Our conversations often focused on the culture they strove to create and, for a few years, what it took to protect their people from the toxic culture and destructive behavior of a district manager (she created enough stress to put one pregnant manager on doctor-ordered bed rest) who was finally fired.
None of the managers were perfect, although the current one is as close as any manager gets, but they created great micro-cultures, in which their teams thrived.
Impressive, especially when you consider that the bank is Wells Fargo.
Image credit: Hiking Artist
