Positive Characteristics Of Millennials

SPECIAL Positive: Millennials feel special because they are the most wanted generation and treated as important by elders. They expect frequent positive feedback, and believe themselves to be the future of the world (Howe & Strauss, 2003). This observation is supported by Alsop (2009) who explains that feedback from managers provides validation that millennials are doing well in the organisation. Negative: Twenge (2009) is less positive about this trait as her analysis shows that the specialness millennials feel led to a rise in narcissism. This pessimism is also shared by Hershatter and Epstein (2010) who believes the need for trophies has led to a sometimes excessive propensity to continuously seek guidance and direction at work.
SHELTERED
They prefer to fit in with peers rather than stand out, and hence choose egalitarian leadership over hierarchies (Howe & Strauss, 2003). They prefer to work collaboratively on team-based kinds of projects and assignments after assigning the work and developing the details (Jerome et al, 2014). Managers also laud this trait as largely positive (Ferri-Reed, 2014). This is supported by Smith and Nichols (2015) who point out that millennials enjoy working in teams and are more tolerant than prior generations because they were raised on sports teams, standardized testing, and group learning, which transfers to the workplace. Team work is so highly valued that there is tolerance to subjects which older generations would not approve such as tattoos on women. This growth in helps them adapt to a more diverse world and gain new perspectives in completing tasks (Kaifi, Nafei, Khanfar & Kaifi,
PRESSURED Positive: Millennials feel pressured to perform in all that they do because they feel that what they do now will impact their lives in the future. Hence, they engage in a lot of preparation and hard work to ensure job-readiness (Howe & Strauss, 2003). Millennials are capable of handling challenging tasks because a significant portion of them are familiar with handling a large amount of stress from their higher education experiences (Jerome, Scales, Whithem & Quain, 2014). Neutral: Hershatter and Epstein (2010) cites the greater competitive environment for the pressure, and extensive involvement of helicopter parents who planned in advance for their futures. Having become more affluent, many parents prep children for best schools and selective colleges. Recruiters also fuel the pressure by utilizing cut-off GPAs for job applications, and reaching out to high performers with advanced offers and placement.