让“千禧一代”有归属感，企业该这么做

领导力内幕网络是美国的一个在线社区，美国商界中最睿智和最有影响力的一些大咖会在这里及时回答与职业和领导力有关的问题。今天为大家分享的是Udemy公司副总裁丽莎·霍夫对“企业应该采取哪些措施帮助千禧一代建立归属感？”这一问题的答案。

很多企业的领导和经理人似乎都觉得公司里的“千禧一代”是一帮难伺候的主儿，并且都在为如何让这些年轻人融入集体而挠头。

或许这些企业存在的一个问题，就是将“千禧一代”当成了铁板一块，觉得他们是一个统一的、有着一致需求的群体。

恰恰相反，从我的公司的“千禧一代”员工来看，这一代的职场人现在都处于职业和人生的不同阶段，不能以一概之。比如有些员工刚刚为人父母，非常希望公司的工作日程能够灵活一些。还有些“千禧一代”的员工刚刚干上人生的第一份工作，很想开拓新的职业机会。

如果企业认为“千禧一代”有一个千人一面的“典型形象”，那他们就想错了。

在一段很火的视频中，作家西蒙·西内克谈到了“千禧一代”职场人的群像——为什么他们需要这么多的反馈；为什么他们这么自恋和以自我为中心；为什么他们无法集中注意力；为什么他们很难培养长期关系；为什么他们如此迫不及待地想要“干大事”。

毫不意外，这段视频一石激起千层浪，同意西内克观点的人和被他激怒的人激烈交锋，好不火爆。

因此，问题就在于，我们应该对这样一个广阔的群体进行分门别类，并且具体分析我们应该为他们做些什么。

作为企业，首先应该着重培养一个让所有人都觉得自己受到了尊重的环境，让所有人都觉得自己有同等的机会去发挥和显露自己的才能。企业高管应该鼓励培育一个公开透明的氛围，这样才能使人人敢于畅所欲言，并且知道如何获得反馈。

在我的公司，同理心也是一个重要的价值。我们希望员工对同事和客户都产生同理心。在健康的企业文化中，员工向别人寻求帮助，或是质疑企业的某项决定，都是正常的行为。我的公司没有搞传统形式的绩效考核，但是经理人们会不间断地与他们的下属进行交流，以获得及时的双向反馈。公司各个层级的员工都能定期与CEO或其他高管进行交流，提出他们的意见，更重要的是提出对一些问题的忧虑。

我们对人事等级制度并不过分看重，而是意识到一个人在其职业生涯的各个阶段，都有可能成为杰出的人才或导师。好的领导乐于见到其他人的成长进步。一个人不管年龄多大，如果他已经做好了职业上升的准备，那么把他“按下去”是没有任何好处的。

诚然，千禧一代在软技能的培养上面的确需要一些帮助，比如倾听艺术、解决复杂问题的技巧和沟通艺术等等，但是谁不希望通过这一领域的学习继续提高自身水平呢？企业与其纠结于“千禧一代”的技能短板，还不如为他们提供学习的资源。这才是有助于企业增长的基本心态。

顺便说一句，西蒙·西内克后来又录制了一段视频，指出各个年代的人都有必要培养更多的同理心，我同意他的看法。他还表示我们应该从“自助”向“助人”转变，我也很喜欢这个观点。

如果你不将对方当成一个独立的个体对待，你就对他们造成了伤害。有句老话说得好：“水涨众船高”。当“Y世代”的年轻人开始加入他们的团队时，这才是企业应有的心态。（财富中文网）

译者：朴成奎

The Leadership Insiders network is an online community where the most thoughtful and influential people in business contribute answers to timely questions about careers and leadership. Today’s answer to the question,“What steps should companies take to help millennials feel like they belong?” is written by Lisa Haugh, vice president of people at Udemy.

It seems a lot of managers and business leaders believe they have a ‘millennial problem’ and are scratching their heads over how to incorporate this generation into the workplace.

Perhaps the bigger problem is approaching millennials as if they were a monolithic group with uniform needs and desires.

On the contrary, the millennials at my company find themselves at varying stages of their careers and lives, with different fears, wants, and motivations. For example, some are new parents who crave flexible schedules, while others are trying to maneuver through their first job out of college and want to explore new career opportunities.

The idea that there is an “average millennial” that employers should cater to is a myth.

In a video that’s been making the rounds, author Simon Sinek speaks about millennials in the workplace — why they need so much feedback; why they seem so entitled and self-absorbed; why they can’t focus; why it’s hard for them to build long-term relationships; and why they’re so impatient to “make an impact.”

Not surprisingly, the video generated a visceral reaction from both those who agreed with Sinek’s premise and those who were outraged by it.

And therein lies the problem with singling out a broad group and analyzing what we should be doing “for them.”

Employers should focus on fostering an environment where everyone feels valued and has equal opportunity to perform and excel. Executives should encourage transparency and openness, so everyone feels comfortable voicing an opinion and learns how to take feedback.

Having empathy is also an important value at my company, and we want employees to develop it toward their coworkers as well as customers.In healthy company cultures, it'sokay to ask for help or question a decision. Instead of traditional performance reviews, managersat my company have ongoing conversations with their direct reports to share real-time, two-way feedback. Employees at all levels regularly approach our CEOand other executive staffers to share ideas but more importantly, their concerns.

We don’t insist on hierarchy and recognize that great coaches and mentors can emerge at any stage of a career. Great leaders are happy to see others rise up, and there’s no benefit to holding back someone who’s ready to progress on their career path, regardless of age.

Sure, millennials often do need help developing soft skills, such as listening, conflict resolution, and communications, but who couldn't benefit from ongoing training in this area? Instead of getting frustrated by what millennials don’t understand, companies should offer resources so they can learn. That’s fundamental to supporting a growth mindset.

For the record, Simon Sinek recorded a very worthwhile follow-up video too. I agree with his conclusion that building more empathy among all generations is key and really liked his idea of moving from “self-help” to “helping others.”

When you treat people as anything less than individuals, you do them a disservice. There’s an old saying that a rising tide lifts all boats. That’s what employers should aspire to do so they’re ready when Generation Y joins their team.