What millennials can teach about microfeedback

Do you have a "millennial" in your work life? They are the cohort born between 1977 and 1997, the ones 33 years and younger. An article in the May issue of the Harvard Business Review, "Mentoring Millennials" by Jeanne C. Meister and Karie Willyerd, is full of interesting advice on how to do so. Here is one: evaluations that are daily and done Twitter-like in 140 characters. According to the authors’ research, this cohort wants constant feedback and information on how their career is or is not progressing — no formalized, Kabuki-like annual review for them. When advice is brief and timely, it is useful. In practice, this is an on-demand assessment system, with the employee asking questions of the supervisors, such as: "Was my presentation relevant?" or "What can I do to be more successful at the company?" The answers from bosses are limited to 140 characters, so the bosses carefully must think through their responses for them to be useful. Since employees usually pose the questions in close proximity to an event (such as a presentation), the answers are timely, not dusty. It’s called microfeedback. I like it.