How To Successfully Team Up with Millennials (Podcast)

Here's the fourth episode of our #WomenTalk podcast series. This is a special episode, and unique in its concept. Fashion Potluck was invited to join the discussion panel at the quarterly event of Sis in Biz (Sisterhood in Business). The main topic of the event was "How to successfully team up with millennials". After the event, we had a chance to chat with 6 inspiring women, business owners, and young professionals. These are Patricia Becker (also check our individual podcast with Patricia), Ellen Mensink, Rens Plandsoen, Joyce Knappe, Jacqueline Smit, and Mariska Visser.

These women can relate themselves to the Generation X, therefore we chatted to them about the millennials, how to work with them, and how to manage them. We received plenty of tips & advice, useful for both generations. 

Listen to the full podcast here:

Podcast Highlights:

" You need to figure out what makes them tick, and challenge them, and dare to challenge them. And on the other hand, I think, as a millennial, I think it needs some planning. It is a  totally boring aspect of your career but it can be really empowering to start planning your career and make assumptions." - Patricia Becker, Sis in Biz

"I think they're clever. They know how the world turns because of social media, they understand everything. But sometimes they don't have the experience yet,  and although they think they have. So I think maybe they should try to understand better what my experience is and how they can make use of it." - Ellen Mensink, Loop.a Life

“If we create a familiar setting, not being the boss, doing stuff together, but also doing fun stuff together like not only work, but also going to concerts, or doing activities, or having lunch in the park, we keep them connected to us, to do more excellent work “– Rens Plandsoen, WeAllRide

“One of the biggest trends with millennials and forming families is that they are actually postponing, they are uncertain whether it actually fits in their career, it is not the question if I want it, but when I want it.”  – Joyce Knappe, ProParents

“What I have noticed is the return of the book. Young people are actually reading books again, they love paper, they love slowing down, they are not into the business of running and so much information… I see Millennials using Instagram to promote reading books, to separate themselves from other people” - Jacqueline Smit, Orlando 

“For Millennials (when applying for a job), don’t only tell your resume, but say something about yourself, what are your qualities, your talents, what are you passionate about, do you have a hobby which is cool to tell… the more you show of the person you are, the more authentic it is… and the better it is for the employer to see what your soft skills are in the company.” – Mariska Visser, YoungCapital

Podcast Transcription:

Una [00:00:11] Hello everyone and welcome to the Fashion Potluck Podcast Session.  My name is Una, and for this time we have a different type of podcasts. Today we are the House of artisans and we are part of an event organized by SisinBiz by Patricia Becker and Aafke Osse.  Today we are going to be interviewing some people to find out what is their view on working with millennials. Patricia! 

Patricia [00:00:39] Hi Una! 

Una [00:00:40] How are you? 

Patricia [00:00:40] I'm actually very great because we have an amazing event and you're part of it, so that's cool. 

Una [00:00:45] That's great to hear! Okay. So I'm curious... What are your views on Millennials? And what do you think, how can millennials work together with older generations? 

Patricia [00:00:55] Well I would love to answer that but first I have to say something. I'm one of the co-founders of Sisterhood in Business, what we call for the intimates, we call SisInBiz. Says embrace. And the other one, of course, is Aafke Osse. Also, we're both hosting this event,  and we were asked by our members in the previous event, 'Could you please organize this? How we can successfully team up with Millennials?', Because that's a big question. And who are the members? They are all ambitious female entrepreneurs really owning their own company. So they have cool companies. I can tell you that but it doesn't mean you can successfully team up with them. So to really understand them but not lose your position as a boss, and as an owner, and the one who started the strategy that is rather a challenge because they are often Generation X, like myself. They come from different roles. So what we talked about today is how to bridge that to really understand each other. And it's not just, fully, totally adjust to Millennials or even the generations after that,  like yourself. But it is really to come to an understanding of how to make it work for both. And it's not easy because we also discussed the fact that to generate as such I'm not 15 years anymore, but maybe just five, and evolving as we speak. So. I think really using each other's talent to scale your business needs a deep investment in really understanding and keep the dialogue going. But not to put up with everything, that was also one of the conclusions. 

Una [00:02:39] Okay. What do you think are the biggest challenges when facing work with millennials? 

Patricia [00:02:44] I think a different take, a different view on our labor ethics, as such. And the assumption that millennials are takers and not givers. And if you ask them, they would not agree. But that's part of the problem. So I wouldn't say that is a problem, it's more of a fact. It has a different take on it. So you need to figure out what makes them tick, and challenge them, and dare to challenge them. And on the other hand, I think, as a millennial, I think it needs some planning. It is a  totally boring aspect of your career but it can be really empowering to start planning your career and make assumptions. And I want to quote your own suggestion for the whole group here. You said that it is very important to keep you on the tip of your toes because you are easily bored. And if you one can beat you, on the time when you get bored, you will stay because you were offered a different task within the company that was really challenging you because you need to develop new skills, that will make you stay. And so the company will make the best of it. So that was your suggestion. 

Una [00:04:13] That was my suggestion. Okay. Thank you, Patricia, for this nice introduction. And we're going to keep continuing interviewing other attendees. 

Ellen [00:04:26] I'm Ellen Mensink. And I'm the director of Loop.a life which is a brand, and we produce from waste materials we produce new fibers, yarns, and knitwear. So we make from old clothes new clothes. We have a knitwear collection and we sell it online. 

Una [00:04:40] That sounds amazing. Did you have experience working with the millennials? 

Ellen [00:04:45] Actually yes, because I have millennials working in my company. So yeah. 

Una [00:04:51] OK. And what is your experience? 

Ellen [00:04:55] Well the people think it's very important to have free time and to have room for their own opinion. They are very interested in sustainability. So I have a lot of, we call it 'corporate refugees'. People come from bigger companies and they want to develop themselves more in sustainability. At the same time is not always very easy to manage Millennials because they have big ideas about where they want to develop to, which is very good because we also have big ambitions. But sometimes it also lacks some insight into where they are in their own development and how to get there. And so that's not always as easy for a manager to, to help them, in a good way. 

Una [00:05:47] Do you have some tips on how they should approach then? The millennials to you? 

Ellen [00:05:52] How I should approach them, or how they should approach me? 

Una [00:05:55] How they should approach you. Some tips. 

Ellen [00:05:58] How they should approach me? That's.. I haven't got that question before. I was thinking about how should I approach them, because I'm sort of the boss, but it seems that they are the boss actually. How they should approach me? Well, I think they're clever. They know how the world turns because of social media, they understand everything. But sometimes they don't have the experience yet,  and although they think they have. So I think maybe they should try to understand better what my experience is and how they can make use of it. And at the same time, also see that a lot of managers, and like myself are very much interested in people too. And how I can build the bridge to them and understand what is necessary for them because I'm from a different generation. I'm used to working very hard, and to get there, make a long way to get to the thing, what I'm doing now. And yeah, sometimes for them they want to do it too quickly, and they need some time to get this experience. So I think on the one hand they're very open-minded, they have good ideas, they're creative and spiritual, and they enjoy their free time, which is good, which sometimes we forgot in my generation. And at the same time I think they can also learn a lot from us, the experience, what we do, how we look, how we try to incorporate, integrate different knowledge from different sectors into new business concepts et cetera. And being a little bit more strategic and entrepreneurial.... 

Listen to the full podcast in the player above.

We want to thank Sis in Biz and all its guests for the inspiring atmosphere, hospitality, and plenty of useful information for us and our community.

If you have any questions, feedback, or suggestions regarding our podcasts, email us at inspire@fashionpotluck.com.

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*Disclaimer: The purpose of this podcast is to educate and to inform. It is no substitute for professional care by a doctor or other qualified professional. Statements made by Fashion Potluck's guests and speakers do not reflect Fashion Potluck's views, and are shared as personal opinions of interviewed individuals.