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The Millennials are Here Joe Steven Jr., DDS

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Running a dental practice presents various challenges on a daily basis. They can range from equipment problems to clinical care complications to the struggle of getting new patients. Now we are faced with dealing with Millennials! Most people don't know what a Millennial is, but they are here! You know what a Baby Boomer is, don't you? That's what I am. Then you have the Generation X category. Well, the next group, those born between 1980 and 2000 are called Millennials!

I never heard of that term either until 60 Minutes did a story about it last year called "The Millennials are Coming." They were right on target with their description about this new generation that has joined the work force that presents different challenges for employers. There are actually courses around the country that you can take on how to manage this group. Of course, descriptions of these different generations are basic generalizations and there are always exceptions. I have several Millennials in our office now and I'm fortunate to report that they really don't possess some of the negative aspects that many Millennials supposedly have. Over the last 10 years though, I have had some employees who were typical Millennials when it came to work ethic characteristics, which did present some challenging problems. On the other hand they do have some new positive attributes that employers need to be aware of also.

Unlike the Gen-Xers and the Boomers, the Millennials have developed work characteristics and tendencies from doting parents, structured lives and contact with diverse people. Millennials are used to working in teams and want to make friends with people at work, and they work well with diverse coworkers. They have a "can-do" attitude about tasks at work and look for feedback about how they are doing frequently – even daily. Millennials want a variety of tasks and expect that they will accomplish every one of them. They are positive and confident and are ready to take on the world!

Unlike previous generations, they seek leadership and structure from their older and managerial coworkers. But they expect you to draw out and respect their ideas. Millennials seek a challenge and do not want to experience boredom. They are used to balancing many activities such as teams, friends and philanthropic activities. Millennials want flexibility in scheduling and a life away from work. About seven years ago I hired a young man to groom for a management position within KISCO. He was a great guy, but definitely fit the Millennial bill! He didn't like being constricted to an office space and was always on his cell phone doing non-KISCO things. This generation sees nothing wrong with texting during work hours and checking their email and Facebook. Nowadays many employers find the need to block the office computers from certain Web sites like Facebook!

Millennials want to enjoy their work and their workplace. It's not all about money to them. I know several dentists who have lost young associates because the associates thought the senior doctor was too focused on money! Upon leaving the practice they said that there was more to life than work, work, work! This attitude has been developed by their parent's pampering and always wanting their children to be "happy." Unfortunately, their work ethic isn't what previous generations have and expect in their employees. Like I said though, there are exceptions which I'm glad to experience with some of my young employees.

It seems that for the last 20 years at my seminars I have been teaching how to manage Millennials without even knowing it because I have always said that we need to provide a fun, employee-centered workplace. Millennials want to make friends at work, and if they aren't laughing, going out with coworkers for lunch and helping plan the next office function, then they aren't going to be happy. And, if they aren't happy, they move on to another job.

On that 60 Minutes program they interviewed a young man about the importance of stability at his current job. He said that even though his father stressed to him how important it was to not jump from job to job and try to build a good resume, he said that he didn't care if he had five different jobs in one year because if he wasn't happy, he was moving on! That's a Millennial! They are the most connected generation in history and will network right out of their current workplace if their needs are not met. We are connected all over the world by e-mail, instant messages, text messages, and the Internet, and therefore Millennials who aren't happy at their current job are constantly informed of new job opportunities. Unfortunately for Millennials, the 60 Minutes program also explained that many in this group of employees inadvertently delay their career goals by 10 years at which time they realize just what it takes to succeed in the workplace.

As employers we need to provide structure. Reports have monthly due dates. Jobs have fairly regular hours. Certain activities are scheduled every day. Meetings have agendas and minutes. Goals are clearly stated and progress is assessed. Define assignments and success factors. We need to provide leadership and guidance. Millennials want to look up to you, learn from you and receive daily feedback from you. They want "in" on the whole picture and to know the scoop. You should plan to spend a lot of time teaching and coaching and be aware of this commitment to Millennials when you hire them. They deserve and want your very best investment of time in their success. Millennial employees are up for a challenge and change. Boring is bad. They seek ever-changing tasks within their work. What's happening next is their mantra. Don't bore them, ignore them or trivialize their contribution.

Listen to your Millennial employees. They are used to loving parents who have scheduled their lives around the activities and events of their children. These young adults have ideas and opinions, and don't take kindly to having their thoughts ignored. After all, they had the best listening, most child-centric audience in history. Understand though that their feelings get hurt very easily, and you might have to tone down your dialogue when there is the need for a reprimand. Remember that if they aren't happy, they might go elsewhere.

Be aware that Millennial employees are multi-taskers on a scale you've never seen before. Multiple tasks don't phase them. They can talk on the phone while typing out an e-mail and answering multiple instant messages! This is a way of life for them. In fact, without many different tasks and goals to pursue within the week, the Millennials might likely experience boredom. Take advantage of your Millennial employee's computer, cell phone and electronic literacy because they grew up with all of these gadgets. Let them be in control of your Web site design and upgrades like my daughter does for us in our office.

Provide a life/work balanced workplace. Many of them work hard, but they are not into the sixty-hour work weeks defined by the Baby Boomers. Home, family, spending time with their children and families are priorities. Balance and multiple activities are important to these Millennial employees. Be aware of the characteristics of this new generation and your practice will benefit if you manage accordingly. Don't lose sight of this because the Millennials are here!
Author’s Bio
Dr. Joe Steven graduated from Creighton Dental School in 1978 and has been in solo practice in Wichita, Kansas, up until June, 2007 at which time his daughter, Dr. Jasmin Rupp joined him. He is president of KISCO, a dental products marketing company, providing "new ideas for dentistry," and is the editor of the KISCO Perspective Newsletter. Dr. Steven, along with Dr. Mark Troilo, presents the "Team Dynamics" seminar. Dr. Steven also presents three other seminars: "Efficient-dentistry," "Efficient-prosthetics," and "Efficient-endo." Dr. Steven also provides the KISCO Select Consulting Program to dentists in the form of a monthly audio CD recording. He also offers a coaching consulting program called the KISCO's 21 Club. Contact info: jsteven@kiscodental.com; 800-325-8649; www.kiscodental.com.
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