SXSW 2014 Millennials As Supervisors: Strategies for Success

Jennifer Selke spoke at SXSW 2014 on the topic of Millennials As Supervisors. Below is a link to the slides and the tweets from the session. The session was written about in the Austin Chronicle under the headline #TheWorstPeopleInTheWorld

Here is a link to the slides at slideshare as well as the tweets from the session. 

What are your best tips or lessons learned from being a millennial supervisor or from supervising millennials? Leave a note for us in the comments.

Millennials As Supervisors: Strategies for Success
The Millennial generation, born between 1980-2000, is moving into manager and leadership positions rapidly with a desire to excel. They have a workplace style that is vastly different than their predecessors. Raised in a praise-based culture, college-bound since kindergarten, Millennials have been protected from failure by over-engaged parents. They have not bought into ‘climbing the corporate ladder and paying their dues’ and instead value equality over hierarchy. Millennials seek flexible schedules as well as time for personal pursuits yet they expect to make an impact immediately. They are comfortable challenging authority and the status quo and bring these values into leadership and management roles. They perform best when using their strengths; learn how focusing on strengths makes transitions into leadership and supervisory roles more successful. Understand what types of training and mentorship this generation of leaders needs to be more productive and engaged in their work.

Jennifer Selke

Dr. Jennifer Selke is a UC Berkeley-trained educational psychologist, veteran program director, and workplace strengths and engagement expert. She helps the military and corporate community maximize their strengths to reach goals, regulate complex emotions, and find purpose and work that is fulfilling. Dr. Selke spent 26 years at UC Berkeley as a program director and faculty member. In 2019, she retired from UC Berkeley and moved to Atlanta, Georgia, to work for Zac Brown, the Grammy award-winning musician. At his non-profit, Camp Southern Ground, Dr. Selke is the director of the nationally acclaimed Warrior PATHH program, the nation's first-ever program designed to cultivate and facilitate Post-Traumatic Growth (PTG) in combat veterans and first responders, and enables these remarkable warriors to transform times of deep struggle into profound strength and growth.