Managing Millennials by Drew McLellan and Susan Baier

November 10, 2016 by Madhura Birdi

Drew McLellan of Top Dog, MMG/Agency Management Institute, and Susan Baier, Owner of Audience Audit, took the stage in the morning to share the findings from their new research on managing millennials.

Also known as “Generation Y” and “Generation Me”, millennials are typically accused of being lazy and entitled.


But a large part of the world’s workforce now comprises millennials, making it essential for agency owners to be able to address their needs and harness their considerable talents.

McLellan and Baier’s research data was aimed at providing the key to managing millennials effectively.


Armed with this knowledge, agency owners should be able to assess potential employees better, recruit talent more effectively, and keep their employees motivated and happy.

McLellan and Baier’s talk was enthusiastically received by the INBOUND16 audience.


One of the key points of the talk was the need to distinguish between different types of employees, irrespective of their ages.


On the other hand, according to Baier and McLellan, the “millennial mindset” refers to a disengaged state of mind that is independent of age.


In fact, the research says that most younger employees don’t have the “millennial mindset”.


What matters above all to most millennials is having the chance to learn new things.


And this is something that is not unique to this generation, but true for employees belonging to any age group. A rewarding career can mean different things to different people, but almost everyone wants the opportunity to develop their skills and grow.


So agency owners should simply focus on providing that and stop worrying about their employees’ ages. This will help them increase employee retention across the board.


So there you have it. The key to managing millennials is the same as it is for everyone else: providing them the chance to learn and grow.

For more session recaps, check out the rest of our INBOUND16 coverage.