The Millennial Trap – Why You Won’t Become A Manager

One week ago I sat with an accountant at a local restaurant. We were chatting over breakfast when a woman at the table next to us started to become animated. She was irate over a situation where a team had received an email stating that a job had not been done well, and he project was now behind. This woman stated that she was head of that job, and the manager shouldn’t have made the email public. rnShe went on to outline her irate response to the senior manager, who we later found out had decades experience on this woman. She filled the response with statements of what the manager should have said. How she should have addressed the problem. And, how she should handle sensitive situations in the future. rnI have to admit the accountant and I had a hard time keeping a straight face. This woman sounded like she was back in high school, complaining about the girl who sat next to her. When this woman left the accountant smiled and said, ‘In 10 years she is going to wonder why she has never been offered a promotion.’ The sad truth is that many qualified millennials will never receive a promotion due to the backlash from women like this one. No matter how many times they are told that they are not ‘entitled’ they continue to treat the workplace like a sorority. What is Your Job? The one thing that millennials seem to forget is that the job is not there for them. They are there to do a job. Or, to put it more succinctly, they are there to make the company money. That includes making projects work, working overtime, and holding your opinions when your manager is trying to improve a dysfunctional situation. rnToo many millennials cannot do the job. They are more concerned with their emotions than…well, anything. They have been to school but they don’t seem to realize that they are expected to turn their knowledge into skills that will benefit the company. This reflects badly on all millennials. Job Hopping They quit before they learn the job. It costs money to train a new employee. The company expects that a new hire will stay long enough that the company can recoup their investment, and even see a profit from a particular employee. rnToo many millennials have ‘job hopped’ when someone hurt their feelings, or when the job got tough. Or worse, they quit when they had enough money for their next adventure. rnI’ve personally seen millennials who quit their job because they were in an entry level position and were upset because their boss made 3x more than they did. Unfair Workplace Yes, the average workplace is unfair. No one ever promised that it was going to be fair. If you want to move up the ladder then it is your job to fight your way to the top. Remember, you are at work to make money for the company so that it can stay in business. You are not there to enjoy yourself, make friends, or have fun.