As A Startup CEO, I Needed To Learn This Lesson About Managing Millennials

Russell Rothstein
Aug 8, 2017 · 2 min read

When I started IT Central Station 4 years ago, everyone reported directly to me. I worked with rock star employees who lacked management experience. As the team grew, I had 2 options: I could either turn the team into management material or I could hire new people and risk changing the culture.

These options hit me on the head when an employee announced that he wanted to be a manager. Speaking with him, it was obvious that he didn’t know what management was all about. He thought that management = telling people what to do and deciding who got a raise.

In reality, management means recognizing talent, nurturing talent, setting goals, and mentoring. While my employee had management potential, he didn’t understand what he was aspiring towards. So I decided to train him.

Why did I invest in my team, rather than bringing in managers from the outside?

1) Employees want professional development and growth. The #1 reason people quit their jobs is that they stop learning — more so than salary, title, and office perks.

2) Oftentimes the best way to grow your company is to grow your existing team’s value. The time invested in your own people can pay off 10x more than the time spent recruiting new people.

But why did I train my team directly, rather than outsourcing the training sessions?

Doing so allowed me to reinforce the company culture. If you bring outside people to teach your team, then you risk cultural disconnect. However if you create internal leadership training systems, then you’re able to strengthen the company ethos. My initial management training session has now evolved into the annual Leadership and Management Training Program.

In addition to this manager training program, I am proud to announce our new company-wide “Always Be Learning” initiative. Every single person in the company takes on a new topic to learn for the quarter. We then share the learnings with the larger group.

CEO of IT Central Station. Product reviews are eating the world of B2B enterprise tech. www.itcentralstation.com

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade