The Young and the Restless: How to Lead and Develop New Food & Beverage Managers

June 5, 2017 in HR Best Practices

 

 

They’re ambitious. Full of fresh ideas. Amazingly tech-savvy.

They’re millennial food & beverage managers, and they can be an amazing asset to your organization if you lead and develop them properly. Here’s why:

  • They’re natural learners. Millennials are used to a professional and personal world that’s rapidly changing. As a result, young professionals are comfortable adapting to new ideas, technology and processes.
  • They’re open to changing jobs. Notoriously optimistic and growth-focused, young managers see their work as an endless string of opportunities. If they don’t find those opportunities within your food & beverage organization, they’ll look for them elsewhere.
  • They know their tech. Young managers consider social media, IoT and other emerging food & beverage technology as part of the “norm,” rather than innovations. Their comfort with tech of all varieties can help your organization make the most of your technology investments.
  • Developing talent internally makes good business sense. Training, grooming and promoting from within is significantly faster and more cost-effective than hiring external talent.

Over the long-term, developing young food & beverage managers improves employee motivation, performance and retention – all of which translate into real competitive advantage for your organization. The question is, how and what should you be doing to address their growth and development needs?

Focus on these four areas:

  1. Mentoring. Mentoring is a low-cost (yet highly effective) way to harness young professionals’ skills, develop their potential, fast-track career growth and train them to lead. And don’t forget: young managers can “mentor up,” too, sharing their skills and fresh ideas with your organization’s veteran employees.
  2. Training and professional development. Adequate training is critical to professionals promoted to management for the first time. Be sure your proteges have the support and instruction they need to effectively delegate, lead, build trust and confidence, and juggle the needs of direct reports, superiors and their own responsibilities.
  3. Career planning. Help young managers plot their path within your organization, so they continue to grow and reach their full potential. Schedule time at least twice per year to: revisit young managers’ evolving career goals; ensure their goals align with those of your organization; and plan to close skill and experience gaps that may stifle their growth. By demonstrating your genuine commitment to young professionals’ growth, you cultivate greater loyalty and job satisfaction.
  4. Offering challenging – but not overwhelming – work. Young food & beverage professionals value meaningful work, and they want opportunities to stretch their wings and learn new things. On the flip side, millennial managers also demand a healthy work-life mix. Help them strike the right balance between challenge and flexibility by offering “stretch” assignments, inter-departmental learning opportunities and the freedom to complete work without micromanagement (as long as they hit their goals).

Kinsa makes hiring your ideal food & beverage managers easier – and more successful.

Experts in food & beverage recruiting, Kinsa helps you identify and hire top performers by creating exceptional matches. There’s an ideal out there – trust Kinsa to help you find it.

Learn more about our food & beverage specialties.