VIDEO: Millennials in State Service: How Are They Managing?

Millennials aren’t slackers, they don’t shirk work, and they’re no harder to manage than workers in any other generation. Just ask them.

A panel discussion at last week’s California Technology Forum focused on the challenges of recruiting, retaining and managing millennials. The conversation was led by a millennial — Joseph Morris, vice president of research for e.Republic, Techwire’s parent company. The experts with whom he spoke were also millennials: Adam Dondro, 35, newly appointed agency information officer for California Health and Human Services; and Crystal Taylor, 36, acting deputy director of the Project Management Office in the Department of Technology.

The panelists spoke in a breakout session attended by a couple of dozen people of all ages and stripes — boomers, millennials, staffers and managers from the public and private sectors. Taylor and Dondro cited some of the stereotypes and then rebutted them, one by one:

— Millennials, whether as staffers or managers, aren’t slackers; they just require the proper motivation. “We don’t just want to have fun,” Taylor said. “We want to accomplish meaningful things. I want to let my work be part of my joy.” Said Dondro: “What’s important is having an impact — not just feeling like a cog.”

— Millennials’ career choices aren’t just motivated by money or advancement. “Be up-front about jobs,” Taylor said, noting that millennials want to know, “What’s the culture of that organization? What’s the culture of the team?” She said inconsistency and opaqueness in the recruiting and on-boarding process can leave some new hires feeling disillusioned once they’re on the job and realize, for instance, that they can’t telecommute.

— There is no single millennial mindset. Dondro noted that like many of his peers in the technology field, he was an early adopter of computers and tech. “I was talking at all hours to my friends on AOL — AOL!” he said, as many in the room chuckled at the dated reference. “We have to break out of this age-group mindset.”

Taylor noted that her cohorts are in the vanguard of a new generation of leadership, and that change is going to take time. “It’s a long road, and we’re not there yet.”

Dondro asserted that the state government employment system — from recruitment to retention to management — is undergoing a revolution, albeit a slow one. “We are siloed as government. That has to change,” he said. “I want to push control down.” He said he prefers to run a flatter organization, where everyone feels comfortable collaborating irrespective of hierarchy or tenure.

Taylor said her style is to bring people together from all age groups and experience levels to form “collaborative, strategic teams.”

Dondro believes that as millennials move into leadership roles in state government, the culture will have to undergo a shift that may be painful for some.

“Maybe we have to change some things,” he said. “The way staff comes up with projects and moves them through the system is starting to change. We need to push down responsibility to the level where it needs to be.”

Dondro also said the state’s hiring process needs to become much more efficient and responsive.

“People are looking for passion and purpose, and this (hiring process) just sucks that out of them. They don't want to apply and then wait six months."  

Finally, Taylor noted that millennials aren’t motivated by the promise of a cushy 30-year career, a gold watch and a pension.

“We have loyalty not so much to an institution,” she said, “but to the people we manage.”

 

This is Part 1 of Crystal Taylor's conversation with Techwire after the panel discussion on managing millennials. Part 2 will appear Thursday.