THE MILLENNIAL WHISPERER

An instructional guide focuses on the care and feeding of millennials in the workplace.

As an ad agency managing partner, Tuff found himself in charge of a team made up entirely of millennials. This appealing debut chronicles his challenges in this role while offering very specific, sensible tactics for how to lead those employees, who are now statistically the largest generation in the American labor force. The author begins by debunking some of the more negative, common myths about millennials, such as their supposed laziness and narcissism, citing research studies and his own firsthand observations. He also points out an important distinction between older millennials, who are less technologically savvy and more cynical, and younger ones, who are more connected and feedback-oriented. The heart of the well-executed book is Tuff’s philosophy of millennial management, which flows through eight short chapters that address company culture, recruitment and retention, rewards and recognition, motivation, and morale. Each chapter details ideas and on-the-job stories designed to assist any manager to become more adept at leading millennials appropriately. Perhaps most helpful are the “Make It Happen” sections that close each chapter with step-by-step tactics. For example, to create a millennial-friendly workplace, Tuff suggests such actions as “Hero your people,” “Permit your Millennial team members to help craft the culture,” and “Delete your negative attitude.” For those managers who scratch their heads about building relationships with millennials, he advises, “Follow your employees on social media and engage with their social channels” and “Provide Millennials with an opportunity to pursue their passions within their work.” Some of the author’s advice, such as encouraging millennials to be entrepreneurial, perhaps even by “starting a business incubator program” within a company, may give pause to traditionalists, but it reinforces Tuff’s premise that managing millennials requires a different mindset. Interestingly, the author has found that with millennials, public recognition of effort is as important as a reward and that small, regular, meaningful perks, such as concert tickets, may be perceived as more valuable than cash bonuses. Insights like these confirm Tuff’s self-proclaimed status as “The Millennial Whisperer.”

Perceptive, passionate, and actionable tips on managing millennials.