Millennials Are Tired Of Being Mentored
Among many companies and organizations, there is a push to offer Millennials mentoring programs and initiatives. Sometimes these mentoring opportunities are formal in nature and are required if Millennials want to be placed on leadership committees or boards. At other times, these mentoring relationships are more informal, yet still transactional: it is an unspoken rule that the younger employee or organizational member needs to be mentored or trained by an older member in order to receive promotions or other positions of privilege and esteem.
What is the reason behind these Millennial mentoring efforts? Past research has shown that Millennials desire mentoring. Yet many companies have often substituted half-hearted Millennial mentoring programs for actually enabling and empowering Millennials to lead in their organizations.
As they near their mid-thirties and beyond, Millennials are tired of being mentored. They are ready to lead. So how can your company or organization move Millennials beyond mentoring and into leadership roles?
1. Don’t make positions of leadership an incentive for completing a mentorship program.
Nearly any capable person can complete the steps necessary for fulfilling a mentorship initiative or leadership development program: fill out an application, attend an orientation, meet with an older employee several times. That doesn’t mean they are the right person to be in positions of leadership at your company or organization. Place the best people in leadership positions first, based on merit, skill set, talent, and diversity. Then, offer guidance and feedback as they begin in their new role.
2. Ask Millennials what they need, and don’t assume it’s a mentor.
Rather than assuming that a mentor or mentorship program is what your Millennial employees need most, instead ask them what would help them in their development. Maybe they would benefit from being able to attend trainings or conferences paid for by their company. Perhaps they would like to have tuition reimbursement as an option as they complete further education. Maybe they would like to explore other career opportunities outside of their department. Many Millennials may already have a professional mentor outside of their workplace, and even prefer getting advice from someone not in their organization.
3. Invite Millennials to be the mentor instead.
Extending a mentoring offer to Millennials in your organization can happen through several ways. First, reverse mentoring has become more popular as younger generations provide feedback upward to their supervisors. This allows them to be the experts in the room when it comes to culture, technology, or merely offering their own unique perspective. Of course, reverse mentoring requires the supervisor to be open to receiving this feedback and advice. Secondly, group mentoring is another way that Millennials can learn from one another in small groups of their peers. This mentoring relationship is more level, as Millennials learn cross-departmentally or network across organizations. Finally, invite Millennials to on-board or mentor your newest employees, regardless of their age. Millennials may be able to provide the best hospitality as they understand what to do (and what not to do!) from their many years of being mentored themselves.