In Why Millennials Will Love EOS® – Part 1 we said that millennials, who were raised in a different time than we Boomers and Gen-Xers, think differently. They have very specific expectations for information and for their work environments. TheVision/Traction Organizer™ and the Accountability Chart provide the vision, big picture, and culture that millennials need to understand and to be engaged.
In Part 2 I want to share specific EOS Tools that will help you lead, manage, and hold millennials accountable, as well as the rest of your team.
Quarterly Rocks
Millennials need to see progress, completion, and evidence that they are building new skills. Setting priorities for the few most important things that must get done each quarter at the company level, by department, and for individuals creates clear alignment that everyone is rowing in the same direction. This quarterly rhythm shows completion of tasks more often, develops job skills, and can provide variety of work. It also provides opportunity to demonstrate their ability to lead without changing positions.
Weekly Level 10 Meetings™
Maintaining human connectivity is critical for digitally native millennials. The weekly pulse of reporting, holding each other accountable, and problem solving is frankly the lifeblood of any healthy team regardless of the ages of its members. For millennials, using the IDS and the Issues Solving Track™ during this weekly problem solving session gives the team opportunities to be creative, share, and be exposed to new ideas
Scorecards
A powerful currency for millennials is flexibility — when, where, and how to get the work done, as long as it gets done. Working remotely and flextime don’t work for everything, but they can work for certain roles. The key is how to hold people accountable. A weekly scorecard of activity-based metrics that track specific job responsibilities will provide the tool for many to self-manage their results and keep their boss and teammates plugged in.
Process
Documenting your handful of Core Processes brings consistency and scalability to how the work gets done. When followed by everyone on the team a consistent process also gives additional autonomy.
In addition to these tools, you need to master the Five Management Practices™ that speak directly to the kind of feedback and direction millennials need to get.
- Practice 1. Keeping expectations clear – yours and theirs
- Practice 2. Communicating well – more listening than talking
- Practice 3. Maintaining the right Meeting Pulse™
- Practice 4. Having Quarterly Conversations – 1:1 meetings to talk about what’s working and what’s not
- Practice 5. Rewarding and Recognizing – within 24 hours, open and honest, be their boss not their buddy
Next Steps
- Download a free chapter of What the Heck is EOS?
- Order What The Heck Is EOS? for every employee in your company. Save 50% off the retail price when you order 20+ hardcover copies of the book from our publisher.
- Download our free eBook: 20+ EOS Terms Your Employees Should Know
This post originally appeared on the Traction Process Blog on June 21, 2017.