Last week I had the opportunity to follow up on a conversation with Lydia Janow of Aviation Week which had begun at the SISO Executive Conference in August We had been ruminating about a conference panel on millennials when our discussion turned to the different facets of dealing with a staff composed of millennials in terms of hiring, managing, and, in general, getting the best out of them.
We agreed (with my having come to this opinion after speaking with David Audrain and others) that millennials should be treated as one would any other group of employees: hire the right fit for the job, set expectations, and expect performance accordingly.
In Lydia’s market, the baby boomers are retiring so she, as with many of us, is being compelled to hire younger employees, particularly if we want to hire our successors. What is her recipe for hiring success?
Hire for the right attitude and passion.
Specifically, here are the qualities Lydia looks for in new hires:
- Age-whether young or old- is not necessarily a factor
- A certain level of confidence, but one that falls short of arrogance
- Enough experience such that you can entrust them with tasks with the assurance they’ll get done
- A point of view, but is not set in their ways
- Real, important human qualities (e.g. character, commitment, etc.)
- Passion. You do not want “9-5” robots, but rather people who smile when the going gets tough, who you’d welcome in that proverbial ‘foxhole’ because they’ll bring ideas, drive, and competence with them.
At the end of the day, Lydia uses a combination of the above and a ‘gut feeling’ that’s been honed by her many years of experience.
The result is a great team that can execute the many events that Lydia manages. And it’s also an up close view of the candidates for her job in the future!