How to Delegate so Gen Y Employees Stay Engaged

In my last blog, I talked about Gen X and delegation. Now let’s talk about delegating to Milllennials, otherwise known as Gen Y.

One mistake Baby Boomers and Gen X often make when delegating to Gen Y is that they like to delegate details. Mary might say “Hey Juan, can you please update this database?”, without explaining what the database is for. This doesn’t go over well with Gen Y because, being digital natives, Gen Y tend to be big picture thinkers. They have seen globalization, diversity and technology in ways that no other generation has. They can see the future more clearly than the rest of us, because they understand the current and future use of emerging technology.

So if you’re a Baby Boomer or Gen X, before you delegate, ask Gen Y for their ideas by giving them the big picture first. Then allow them to give their input. Remember, they’re used to having a voice during “family meetings”, so let them have their say at work as well, which will improve their company buy-in. They will think nothing of going online and finding out a best practice for a similar project in China, so let Gen Y bring their global thinking to your project. If you let them see the big picture, they will invariably figure out how to make your idea even better. Then start to delegate *with* them. not *to* them. I know, it seems like a lot of hand holding. Yet you’ll have a much stronger project once they have the buy-in and understand the big picture.