I totally agree. My old boss was referred to by others as a micromanger. They didn't like it but I loved it. My new boss is more distant and it has made me more dependant but sometimes I wish he managed me more.

Why do you think Gen X's relationships with parents/coaches/teachers were so different that it caused them to respond differently in the workplace? I would think those relationships were the same as ours.

Clealry, I do not agree with you on the issue of micromanagement! This is because the profile of a Gen Y is such that they are dynamic, IT saVvy and more flexible hence they are able to deliver faster and effortlessly once given the opportunity. The work place is changing and it is imperative the we start to gear up on the two sides I.e. The emploer and employee on one part and then the company and the customer on another part. A proper understanding or these parts will allow for efficiency and effectiveness

The deeper question is how are Gen Y's ever going to learn to become managers when they themselves need to be managed so closely? "Self-directed" still remains an incredibly valuable employee asset - nor does it conflict with the ability to collaborate with others when necessary.

GenY are needy alright. Need to be praised, need to be led, need constant reassurance, need to know only what they want is important, need to believe selfishness is a virtue. Please. I know plenty of GenY not like this find them and hire them.

This recession will change attitudes or they won't survive. Hire experience and give GenY back to mommy and daddy to tell them how great they are and the rest of us can get back to productive lives.

"the better you can explain what you need done, and the more time you spend making sure the person understands, the better the work will be."

This sounds like an communication issue, not a management issue. Maybe if ALL managers (regardless of age) were given guidance on how to communicate their ideas effectively, we'd no longer have wasted time and energy?

Dare to dream...

Also, am I the only person who finds "telling people exactly what you want increases the chance you will actually get what you want" really obvious advice?

Ryan, people get upset about it because you started out making some ridiculous generational issue out of a straight forward point in order to bait naive readers, again. Sorry, but based on where things are in the workforce for most, the approach is getting really tired.

I agree with your post Ryan.

In the book, "Strengths Finder 2.0", research was cited about management:

-If your manager is active in your development, your chance of disengagement is 9%.

-If your manager is active in your development but focuses on your weaknesses (and how to improve them, your chance of disengagement is 22%.

-If your manager simply ignores you, your chance of disengagement is 40%.

It sounds like many of the comments are aimed towards this last statistic. Attempting to create an independent worker by not managing them fails because it actually disengages the worker.

I think management should exist to draw on people's strengths and people to collectively achieve more than they could ever have imagined on their own. If this means you have to spend extra time with GenY and "baby" them, then that is what should happen.

Peter Drucker has always said to view people as individuals and to use their uniqueness and diversity to your advantage. Diversity goes beyond class and social types to including personality differences. By saying you will only hire people that do not require micromanagement, you are shutting the door on people that do. How do you even know people that do not require micromanaging will contribute more to your company than those that do?

I'm sorry, I should get my facts straight!

-If you manager is active in your development and focuses on your strengths, your chance of disengagement is 1%. (not 9%)

As a manager of some Generation Ys here is what I agree with from some previous posters.

Negatives of GenY
"Need to be praised, need to be led, need constant reassurance, need to know only what they want is important"

"GenY craves feedback rather than management, but those aren't the same thing."

""Self-directed" still remains an incredibly valuable employee asset" MY COMMENT: GenY is going to need to learn this if they are going to lead into the future.

Positives of GenY
"they are dynamic, IT saVvy and more flexible hence they are able to deliver faster and effortlessly once given the opportunity" MY COMMENT: This stems from the fact that GenY grew up in the most prosperous time of this countries history. This allowed enourmous opportunities for GenY to learn about technology and from technology.

MY OVERALL COMMENT: GenYs negatives outweigh their positives at least in the United States. I think the comments on this post are directed mostly at them. We may emerge from this recession with the leading being done by the GenYs from other countries because they did not grow up where the good life led to everything being planned out for them. This could lead to harder times in the US which may be just what is needed to stoke the competitive fires again and produce future leaders of the free world from my daughter who will most likely be defined as a GenZ. I hope.

I am GenX raising 2 Gen-to-be-named-laters. NOW, trend is to remove feedback and let kids learn by playing. Why? Great players learn by doing, not by being told. Most pros didn’t get constant feedback. They learned from experiences. Result? They play great ball and think for themselves. -- GenY want the "Master PlayBook", but there is none, no Syllabus, no "right" way up the ladder. Everyone should have a good manager, but sometimes the most successful people had little direction, fell, got up again, and with great vigor, stepped out and applied what he learned from his failure. -- A. J. Cronin said, Life is no straight and easy corridor along which we travel free and unhampered, but a maze of passages, through which we must seek our way, lost and confused, now and again checked in a blind alley. But always, if we have faith, a door will open for us, not perhaps one that we ourselves would ever have thought of, but one that will ultimately prove good for us.

Its interesting seeing the generational gap as this discussion continues. :)

Where some people see dependence, others see a desire for collaboration. Some people see neediness with regards to constant feedback while others view feedback as a positive traits because it indicates a desire to suceed.

@SnackerCracker: "Need to be praised, need to be led, need constant reassurance, need to know only what they want is important"

I don't see GenY NEEDING any of these things, what we are saying is we want them and think that we all can be more effective and happy with them. Someone must lead the team, and we're willing to follow. When someone does something good, we will build our relationship with them by telling them good job. Its the relational aspect that GenY pushes that I think people are uncomfortable with.

You help me, I help you, if you do a good job I'll let you know, if I do a good job you'll let me know. Whats so negetive about that system?

@Anonymous - I know its not the system, but why can't it be? And with the rapid progression of our world into "Globalization 3.0", and all the technological advances that it has brought us, and how business has changed to reflect and exploit these advances, why can we not adopt a new way of managing too?

Are you saying you will not pick GenY to be on your team simply because you will have to manage them differently than others and it might take you more time than you wish to spend in doing so? Doesn't this seem kind of...lazy? How do you know that this extra time spent with GenY will not come back and give you better ideas, higher productivity rates, higher employee satisfaction and actually help launch you into a better position in the company.

@Travis, as I said the leader picks the team. Stated differently, I am the employer and do not exclude Gen Y just becuase they are Geny. I exclude those that have the expectation (demands) expressed in posts like these. What you refer to as a management style is not a "management style." It is the mistaken belief fostered by posts such as this that management must focus on the employee and abandon expectations that should be the other way around. Or as you put it, "lazy."

What will truly be interesting is when the Gen Y bloggers from this site review their posts several years from now when they actually have management experience and maturity rather than the aspirations and false expectations offered as a substitute.

@Travis, I shouldn't be surprised, but you completely misinterpretaed my comment to support your view that your generation operates differently than all prior ones.

"It is the mistaken belief. . . that management must focus on the employee and abandon expectations that should be the other way around."

We all know how you would "like" to be managed because it is, generally speaking, the same for everyone -- Gen Y is not unique despite what this post attempts to argue.

As for the rest of what you say about my "ideal framework," I haven't a clue what your point is. Employees are resources, as are managers. "Effectiveness and efficiency" are shared goals. What change are you referring to? Or are you simply arguing against the stereotypes you have created ("bitter" etc.) to feel unique?

Travis, if you really think Gen Y is the first that wants to be treated as a person, then the reason for your hang-up with Anonymous is obvious. The desire to viewed as a person is hardly new and is hardly unique, as awa stated. I can fully understand why your apparent belief that "mangement" is not comprised of people is maddening to a "person" who "manages" others. Geeze. To lecture people after admitting that you don't have any experience IS THE POINT.

"we are the first to demand it from management."

That's a pretty big statement. How can you support it?

"Lack of experience is a common problem amongst GenY and other generations because we do not believe that experience=knowledge while others apparently do."

There are many kinds of knowledge. Experience certainly is one of them. If you think it isn't, experience will teach you otherwise.

@KateNonymous - I know its a big statement and I cannot find a study that has been done yet.

I'm drawing a correlation between the increasing levels of disengagement in the workplace leading to higher attrition rates. http://bit.ly/Hh63T In the financial industry this attrition rate is 30%. I don't think anyone can argue against that the average GenY will have more jobs before they're 30 than previous generations. A lot of this I think has to do with a dissatisfaction in the workplace.

Our requests become demands because we'll leave if they aren't addressed. I think previous generations have sucked it up more and stayed.

@Sharon - Wanting to be encouraged and praised, wanting guidance, wanting to be part of a team, wanting to understand how what they are doing is contributing to the goals of the business is a lot different than wanting ice cream at every meal.

@Sharon - you missed mine. I fear we are experiencing a generational gap. What should we do?

I see it differently: Gen Y is gun shy. They are constantly looking at Mommy and asking, "is it ok?"

This has become such that standard that Gen X managers have become helicopter managers.

Sounds contradictory to your post, right? Not really: Once a helicopter manager eases off, you feel the shake of the absence of training wheels. That's what your post is about - you're own fear.

My advice is to man/woman-up and become quietly confident in your actions. Stop relying on external feedback. Remain mindful of potential misteps and yeild to criticism when it's given; but don't seek it out.

Kate - you've provided nothing to the discussion other than to point out that if it cannot be found on the internet, then it must not be true.

I will concede and rephrase as, "It is my opinion that the high levels of attrition experienced by companies employing Generation Y stems from the recorded higher levels of disengagement caused by management".

If attrition cannot be directly linked to management, what is it linked to?

@Travis, that's absolutely not true--it's neither my opinion, nor what I said. You're the one who stated your opinion as a broad, sweeping truth.

Attrition can be linked to management. It can be linked to many things. It is not necessarily linked to how much--or what kind of--feedback management provides. That may be the issue, or something else may be. There simply are too many variables for the conclusions you're trying to draw.

Travis, your extrapolations from what I've said coupled with circular reasoning that could best be described as truly impressive has left me speechless. Where did I say that management shouldn't motivate its workers? You're talking about what Gen Y (and by Gen Y all that is meant is YOU) want. Good luck with that. Let us all know how that works out for you. I'll stick with employees that provide value to the organization rather than draw from it.

Anonymous, you need more hands-on management with lots of free flowing communication happening than what? Has someone here advocated for zero guidance? Thinking we're perfect, old and bitter? Those are your words. Talk about condescending.

@sharon We need more guidance than other generations in the workforce. The oldest of us is 27. We know there's a lot we don't know. I have no idea where you're getting the idea that someone advocated for zero guidance but the truth remains that my peers compared to other employees need more of this than others.

As for the old & bitter statment (thanks for taking it upon yourself to assume I was saying YOU come across as thinking you're perfect, saved me the effort), I'm just letting you know how you're coming across so you can manage it so people relate to YOU instead of this nasty online persona you're projecting. Yes I was condecending because you get back what you put in. By saying 'I'll stick with employees that provide value to the organization rather than draw from it.' to Travis, the undertone was that he had no value to an organization. Way to be a great example to young people! LOL What a joke! who are you to judge?

@Anonymous: Wow! Perhaps you should re-read the post and comments before going off half cocked as you have. There wasno undertone. I was responding directly to Travis' comments.

"We know there's a lot we don't know. . . I have no idea where you're getting the idea that someone advocated for zero guidance." Is this a joke? It's right there. You said it.

In my last job, I went the exact opposite way - I took too many risks without consulting superiors, didn't see obstacles coming, and tripped over my own feet. The landing was so painful they fired me.

Not every Gen Y person is the same, nor does everyone follow the same stereotypes. (Nor, in some cases, is the stereotype even true)

I think if you want to work with the truly talented people in your field, you're not going to get a lot of hand holding - but you do have lots and lots of opportunitites to learn, if you take ownership of that learning.

My boss is considered by many to be the top pro in my field. He is a brilliant man and I can't tell you how much I've learned from him. However, from day one I've also seen it as my job to learn from him, not his job to teach me.

I think that's a shift every generation needs to make when we leave academia where our teachers are there for the sole purpose of teaching to the workforce, where our managers have other, often more important, tasks to handle.

"My boss is considered by many to be the top pro in my field. He is a brilliant man and I can't tell you how much I've learned from him. However, from day one I've also seen it as my job to learn from him, not his job to teach me."

@GenerationXpert, I so agree with this! It's a really important distinction.

I think this thread is the perfect example of how crucial it is for everyone should constantly work to improve their communication. Whether you're Gen X, Gen Y, Boomer...whatever. With so many generations, and different personalities within each generation, there's countless opportunities for things to boil over or spin out of control because there is a misunderstanding in the sequence.

It's also a perfect time to look at what our expectations are. As a Gen Y, I am also a fan of close feedback and the communication that Ryan has been advocating for above. But, as we all come to find out, there's got to be limits on both ends. Find a work environment that works with the individuals who use a communication style you prefer and go from there. It'll be easier to make headway than just telling everyone in a completely different area how to "we" do things.

What's up Ryan, I completely agree with what you are saying...As someone who has grown up with demanding coaches as well as parents who did everything in their power to make sure my name wasn't in the police blotter on Thursdays, I can say that guidance and approval from managers today is crucial for organizations and businesses today.

I catch myself seeking approval from my managers whenever I go above and beyond because that is what I became used to growing up. If I did a good job on the field, I was complemented on a job well done when reviewing film. With the complements, came the "tough love" from my coaches. As much as I feared my life whenever I made the wrong read on a play, the guidance that followed helped me, but more importantly, the feedback was for the good of the team in the long run.

As much as I want to be told what a good job I've done on a certain project or crucial sale, I also want the truth as to what I need to do to improve in my position.

Now, I also am a firm believer in that you control your own destiny and nothing bothers me more then employees who don't want to roll up their sleves and work. On the same note, managers who are interacting with Gen Y workers on a day to day basis would be astonished with the results and feedback they would get if they did what you said, and take more time to lead and GUIDE the younger workforce.

The problem is that over the last 20 or 30 years, management has become a lost art. People are promoted after a few years on the job. They get more money, more responsibility, more work, and oh yeah, they get to manage three other people too.

Finding time to care about three other peoples career when you’re so intent on advancing your own career is not an easy task. So the trend has been to let people figure it out on their own
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