Sending the Right Message to Young Talent

Many of us "mature" managers remember being told at the beginning of our work careers that the quickest way to the top was by being "seen and not heard."

Seen but not heard does not cut it in today's workplace. Organizations need vital contributions from every employee, whether they have 40 years vested or 4 days. But far to often, young talent is set off on assignments without a proper setup from the manager, with frustrating results.

In an excellent lesson on how to set expectations, Chris Resto demonstrates how precise framing of a project assignment helps a young manager's understanding, comprehension, and development.

"Although recent grads do want to contribute to the organization, they also want to make sure they are developing their own skills and career paths, right from the start," Resto writes. "If they don't believe there's something in it for them, their performance may show it."

One tip: Give your star-in-training goals that not only advance the project, but also provide on-the-job learning of bedrock business skills. Resto recalls his own experience as a business pup when a manager added as goals for him: learn to organize a large meeting, learn to facilitate a large meeting, and learn how to present to a group of people who won't initially be open to your message.

What invaluable business skills did you learn from early mentors? What do you try to teach young employees?