Being a Millennial in the workplace is hard. We are the new kids on the block with a (very misunderstood) reputation for being lazy and entitled. This is not a winning combo, and these bias can create huge obstacles for us as we struggle to navigate the corporate world in our first few years post-grad.
Throughout the first year of my career, I didn’t feel the heat of being a Millennial in the workplace at all. My boss and closest colleagues all appreciate the diversity I bring to my team and are completely supportive of my “Millennial habits” and unique point of view. They understand that I am new to both the role and the working world, and they have been more than happy to mentor me through the ups and downs.
However, about two months ago I encountered my first experience with ageism in the workplace.
I won’t get into the details, but basically the issue stemmed from poor communication at a senior level, and being the only junior person working on the project, I became the scapegoat for all issues that arose.
Now, I am by no means saying that I was completely innocent in this situation. As I mentioned above, I am new to my role and I obviously make lots of mistakes every day. But this was a team effort, and I felt I was forced to take all the blame for issues that occurred stemming from decisions that I had no control over in the first place.
I knew that pulling in my boss or colleagues to help solve these issues would complicate things even more. I had to salvage any credibility I had with the senior leaders and show them I could handle tough situations.
So with my boss’s blessing, I did something that many Millennials would never dream of doing.
I gave feedback up.
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Yes, and I am still alive. And employed.
It was the most challenging thing I’ve ever had to do in my professional life, but I set up individual feedback meetings with each senior manager on the project and shared with them my point of view on the situation and gave them feedback on how I felt I was treated.
I have seen many of my colleagues at various levels of seniority do this, but never a Millennial.
Why?
I think for two reasons.
First, we are scared. Having been in school for the past 2384791239108327189 years of our lives, we are conditioned to treat anyone more senior than us as an authority figure instead of a teammate. Though we are likely not being given a letter grade by our boss that will determine if we are considered “successful” enough to move on to the next project, it’s difficult for us to leave that mindset behind and realize that in the workplace everyone is working towards a common goal despite titles. We see both giving and receiving constructive feedback as a scary thing, and giving feedback to individuals who are “above” us may feel like we are overstepping.
Second, it can feel like a lose-lose for us. Whether outwardly or inadvertently, Millennials are often discouraged to provide feedback to peers or management. If we do so, we risk being labelled as entitled because we “expect” colleagues and managers to treat us with the same respect they would someone at a higher level. But if we don’t provide feedback, we risk never gaining credibility.
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I was incredibly careful when providing feedback to my senior leaders.
I didn’t victimize myself. I didn’t place or deflect blame. I didn’t make judgmental comments and I certainly didn’t bring emotions into it. It was important that I go into the meetings with a clear purpose so I avoided being just another stereotype (and also so I avoided bursting into tears).
I was very polite in my delivery. I had all my facts checked out. And I ran everything by my boss before entering each meeting to ensure everything I said was appropriate and relevant to the situation.
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The bias against Millennials makes it incredibly difficult for us to gain credibility in the workplace and be given opportunities to prove our value (beyond being the only person in the office who knows how to use Snapchat). But having difficult conversations like this and showing your colleagues or managers that you do, in fact, think critically about work situations rather than just your next Insta opp will help them see you as more than just a Millennial.
And as hard as it was for me to have those conversations, I am so glad I did. Because every single senior leader that I met with listened to me, empathized with me once they understood my point of view, and outwardly told me they appreciated my ability to be so transparent with them. They now have more respect for me and I certainly have a lot more respect for them. My relationships with these managers are so much stronger now.
And in turn, that motivates me to do my very best work for them at all times.
And that, is why Millennials shouldn’t be afraid to give feedback up.
The post Millennials: Don’t be Afraid to Give Feedback to Senior Leaders appeared first on Twenty Something Living.