Mar/Apr 19 - ChannelVision Magazine

channel management time. However, they sometimes fail to realize that working many hours with- out success means very little to the bottom line in the end. There is no such thing as an activ- ity check. Companies survive based on profit and earnings. Organizations can’t pay commissions simply for completing activities; they must associate commis- sions with closed revenue. This is one of the most important fundamentals in millennial management, and many lead- ers are so focused on tactical manage- ment that they forget that they are managing a person and not a robot. The millennial worker needs to understand the importance of revenue- producing activities and should be taught the signs that a prospect or partner is wasting their time with exercises in futil- ity. Leadership can’t just assume that young workers will know the difference. Millennial Stigma Number 2 – The millennial sense of entitlement. This can be incredibly problematic if not managed correctly. Millennials will sometimes come right out of school expecting to make wages equivalent to seasoned professionals, and they sometimes look to shorten or skip steps in their ascent to the top. In some cases, this mindset is exac- erbated when organizations place a brand new millennial worker under the care of a more seasoned leader that worked through the ranks of the orga- nization over many years to get to the position they have. If that leader is not trained properly, and they feel that the millennial worker is looking to ascend before properly paying their dues, the mix of mindsets can become toxic. Leaders need to show millennial workers a path to each career mile- stones and provide them with a clear set of things that they can do to get them to the next stop. Millennials must see a clear way to achieve their multiyear plan and must have their expectations set up front (during the hiring process) on the time and expe- rience reasonably required to achieve those goals. If conversations about advancement are more sizzle than steak when selling a millennial can- didate on any position, the millennial worker (or any worker for that matter) will get bored and look to leave for a better opportunity. Transparency can mitigate these situations. The bottom line: millennial work- ers are a powerful force in today’s economy and can add tremendous value to an organization that edu- cates leadership appropriately. Instead of looking at the millennial worker as challenging, try looking at the positives: a generation bred to set goals, collaborate and work together to achieve results. o Bruce Wirt is the chief business devel- opment officer at Telesystem, a national provider of communication, collaboration, security and infrastructure so- lutions. Wirt has previously led both direct and indirect sales and marketing teams, with ex- tensive executive experience in the telecom industry. 109 March - April, 2019 | Channel Vision