You can't be mean to them.  They must be praised first and foremost, sometimes just for showing up.  You can't expect them to make work the top priority.  They are too focused on themselves ... there's no time for anything or anyone.  How do you manage these workers?  Millennials are those 75 million "kids" born between 1977-1998.  They are Internet Savvy, consumed with themselves, most have never worked before graduating from college and have been told consistently through the early years that they are just great.  All the world seems to be worried about how the heck we'll manage these people in the workplace. 

I have never heard a greater truth.  I have a child that falls into this camp.  He's a millennial.  He's been told his entire life by everyone (mostly me!) that he is the best thing since sliced bread.  He has had my support in the way of a place to live (before during & after college) , a career counselor and someone to back him up financially, emotionally and everything else you can think of.  Have I crippled my son for the real world? (Just a note that it doesn't look like my son has been hurt by my constant praise of his amazing self.  He has firmly placed himself in a job he doesn't love and is working his ass off for an average salary.) 

Thanking and motivating these folks for just doing their job seems to be a requirement.  The focus is on morale more than ever.  Wow, this is going to be hard to keep up with.  Microsoft measures morale a couple times a year.  We've had declines at times and in many groups.  I'm starting to think the declines has a lot to do with the millennials. 

Do you have some of the millennials working for you or with you?  What kind of differences have you noticed?  60 Minutes covered this topic tonight, 11/11/07.  I have to say the story really brought home for me the challenges parents like me may have inadvertently created.  And if you saw the story on 60 Minutes, what did you think of them blaming Mr. Rogers?!?!  LOL