28 PM NETWORK MAY 2016 WWW.PMI.ORG
Vitaly Glotov, PMP, was born and raised in
Russia and is now a project manager at con-tagi GmbH, Frankfurt, Germany. Translation
help provided by Sally Parsons.
Stop the
Turnover
What project managers need to
know about managing millennials.
By Sam Alkhatib, PMP
Ionce worked with a fresh graduate who had just been hired for an entry-level project management position at my organization. The young project manager soon
found that the real-world application of project
management principles was quite different from
the hypothetical textbook scenarios she learned
about in school. Still, eager to rise to the challenge,
she spent countless hours learning from the mentor the company had assigned her. After a year
and a half, she began to feel she had mastered the
art of project management. But her enthusiasm for
the project and the team started slowing as she felt
she was no longer gaining new skills. Soon after,
she left the company, citing its lack of skill development. Her manager felt betrayed and swore off
hiring new graduates.
Does this scenario sound familiar? Millenni-
als—those born between the early 1980s and mid-
1990s—are noted for their high job turnover in
many parts of the world. In Australia, for example,
employees between the ages of 25 and 35 switch
jobs about every two-and-a-half years, and younger
millennials switch even more often. This trend can
understandably frustrate managers. But given that
the generation is becoming largest group in the
workforce (it already is in the U.S.), managers must
understand what motivates—and matters to—
millennials. Doing so can improve retention rates and
ultimately save time and money.
Getting It Done PROJECT MANAGEME
lives. A project manager should personally coach
and teach, award and punish.
5. Learn the roles. The team, if it’s working as it
should, will take all responsibility and blame. It is
an honor for a subordinate to deflect a threat to the
manager. However, a good project manager never
transfers his own guilt or responsibility to his team.
6. Let people lose gracefully. Remember to
allow people to admit defeat while saving face. If a
Russian tells you no, offer additional information
rather than argue. Your
opponent can now indi-
cate that it is a different
matter and can comfort-
ably change his or her
mind. This keeps mild
opposition from becom-
ing major opposition.
7. Play by the book. It
might seem like there
is a thin line in Russia between standard business
practices and corruption, but Russians hate bribery
and try to avoid it.
8. Act like a host, not a guest. Understand the
difference between host and guest to better understand your negotiating position. The guest in Russia is the one who requests the meeting and has
to answer the host’s questions. The host agrees
to the meeting, asks the questions, and grants or
withholds permission. Because of this dynamic,
employees often delay in arranging needed meetings because neither party wishes to initiate it—the
guest always takes a risk. PM
Continued from the previous page
One of the
highest forms of
acknowledgement
in Russia is
the sharing of
information,
knowledge or
contacts.
Millennials
have no
intention of
waiting for
the world
to come
to them—
they want
results now.
