Professional Development Blog

I’m a baby boomer. There are many admirable characteristics associated with my generation – hard work, self-assurance, discipline. As the mother of three millennials, I am puzzled when boomers fail to recognize the good qualities of the millennial generation. According to Sally Kane writing at The Balance Careers:

Millennials, or members of Generation Y (also known as Gen Y) were born between 1982 and 2000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The Census Bureau estimates that there are 83.1 million millennials in the U.S., and the Pew Research Center found that millennials surpassed baby boomers (boomers) to become the largest living generation in the United States in 2016.

We all must adjust to millennials taking responsibility in projects. It’s not that scary – they are very good at a lot of things. They may lack experience, but then we all lacked experience when we were starting out.

So, I’d like to point out three things that I think millennial project managers bring to the profession.

1. Millennials are open to new opportunities and technology

Most millennials are more comfortable with technology than any generation before – after all, they grew up using the internet and smartphones. Their openness to doing things differently is not only refreshing, but may lead to more innovative ways to work.

The flipside—they sometimes depend too much on technology. On a trip with family to Australia, my project manager daughter tried to find the right train for us to take on her phone. It never occurred to her to simply ask someone, which is exactly what her boomer mother did. Problem solved—no technology. Sometimes tech is not the best solution. But when it is, millennials have an edge.

2. Millennials have an aversion to hidden agendas, rigid corporate structure and information silos

It should not be surprising that a generation that grew up with the Internet would think that information should be widely available. They believe in enough structure to be organized but object to rules for the sake of having rules. Project management thrives in environments that are open and communicative. If millennials can break down some silos, I say more power to them.

3. Millennials want work-life balance

While many boomers work 60 hour weeks without complaint, millennials like their free time. That’s not a bad thing; maybe their children will know their parents better than previous generations. We can adjust to those we’re coaching who want to work a reasonable 40 hours.

Millennials are here to stay. Since Gen X’s numbers are small, when boomers retire we will be handing over the reins to millennials. Sure, they’re young and inexperienced. But they’re also smart. Let’s trust them.