Technology. Career. Entrepreneurship. Life.

10 things you want to know about Millennials in the workplace

Millennials are those born between the early 1980s and early 2000s. As a Millennials myself and a people manager to a few Millennials, I know a thing or two about my fellow Millennials. Therefore, in this article, I’d like to represent us and share with you what Millennials think are important in the workplace. 

We care about learning and continuous education more than we care about job titles. Give us a chance to grow. Make opportunities for us. And we will repay you with great work and loyalty. 

We were either born or grown up with technology. Therefore, it’s a no brainier, providing necessary tools and technologies will help us work more efficiently. (Side note: I think this is one of the reasons why Atlasssian is doing so well.) 

We don’t like being micro-managed. Let us figure things out on our own but also let us know that you are available for help. 

We like to innovate, and innovate for a good cause! Ask us or involve us in projects with a positive social impact. 

We are curious and we have many questions. (Side note: Could it be because we grow up with Google?) If you are trying to get our buy-ins, give us reasons. Tell us why. We are more productive and work better when we know why we are doing what we are doing. 

We don’t disrespect anyone but respect needs to be earned. Do lead us by example. 

We like flexibility and for that we are happy to work extra hours or from home but we may not always be at our desks from 9 to 5. 

We are known for being impatient but the truth is, inefficiency bugs us. This goes mainly for systems and processes. We don’t like wasting time because an hour wasted is an episode of our favorite TV series missed. Ha. 

Money isn’t everything. Rewards for good performance can come in many forms, a day-off, a chance to work on a great initiative, a paid conference, or even kind words will make us feel valued. 

Last but not least, do you know that each and every one of us is different although we represent the same generation? Take time to get to know us and our personalities. We guarantee you will be pleasantly surprised. 

Size doesn’t matter. Happy International Woman’s Day!

As a petite female in a male dominated industry, I’m no stranger to comments regarding the way I look, by male colleagues. It’s usually about how small I am, how skinny I am or how young I look. Or how much I can eat. Go figure! I usually take those comments as compliments but if I really think about it, they are not compliments. They are just remarks. Do I get offended? Depending on the context and situation. If I was told that I am tiny and short and I should sit at the front for group photos, of course I am not going to be offended. On the other hand, if I was told that I am tiny and short and therefore, I shouldn’t be an emcee, well, the person who said it is going to regret it. And sometimes, I can’t help but wonder why it seems ok to tell a skinny person skinny but not a fat person fat. Or why it is ok to say someone looks young for their age but not the other way around?  

A few weeks ago, I found out that my daughter’s friends have been saying to her that she’s not tall like them. They also said she isn’t four yet and they are. Sure they are her friends and they say the truth but I feel a bit of pain in my heart. When she goes to primary school, will she be teased by her peers because she is not as tall or as old as them? Will it make her cry? Will she hate going to school then? As a mother, I over-think and worry.

And then I realise that I am in a similar situation when I’m told I’m tiny, skinny and what’s not. So how do I respond in those situations? I usually respond by coming up with something witty, saying thanks or smiling politely. Unless I am really offended and feel that I am being discriminated. Then I will be very quiet with a straight face but will be thinking of ways to let the person know that what he said is not ok. But these types of responses are not appropriate for 4 years olds. 

Therefore, I have been thinking about how to teach my daughter to respond to such comments. I have to think of an appropriate response for preschoolers. When I first heard of my daughter’s friends teasing her for being slightly younger than them, I was angry. I said in my head, so what, she is not four yet, it’s none of your business. It is amazing how our thinking changes when we are angry, or when we are being protective of our children. 

Anyway, after thinking long and hard for a few days, I have come to the conclusion that I want my daughter to be confident about herself no matter what other people say. No one should bring her down, when she is happy with herself. So rather than teaching my daughter what to say to her friends the next time they tease her, I told her that I think she is amazing and a clever 4 years old. And that’s all it matters.

How about you, I hear you ask. Well, as for me, I believe in leading by example so I will be working on my confidence and self-worth. No more wondering or getting upset when someone makes a comment on my appearance. 

Happy International Women’s day! May we all be confident and happy with ourselves. 

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I was requested by one of my readers to write something for the International Women’s Day which falls on 8 March. I hope you enjoy reading this post, as much as I enjoy writing it. 

What I’ve learnt about being an ISTJ

I am an ISTJ. No matter how many times I take MBTI personality test, or how many different MBTI personality quizzes I take, I always get the same answer, “You are an ISTJ”.

I would like to share with you my story as an ISTJ. You may or may not learn anything from this blog post, but by sharing with the world how I feel and putting my thoughts into writing, I hope to be more self-aware and connect with my readers better.

I will use the strengths and weaknesses disucssed in this article as a guide because if you haven’t already known, as an ISTJ, I like having structure and order. Ha.

ISTJ strengths

Honest and Direct – Integrity is the heart of the ISTJ personality type. Emotional manipulation, mind games and reassuring lies all run counter to ISTJs’ preference for managing the reality of the situations they encounter with plain and simple honesty.

This is true. I place strong emphasis on integrity and what I do must not be in conflict with my integrity. I am honest and direct but I always try to be conscious about what I say to make sure I am not offending people or causing conflicts. I guess I am not one of those extremely direct people who say what they think, but I don’t have a problem with it.

Strong-willed and Dutiful – ISTJs embody that integrity in their actions too, working hard and staying focused on their goals. Patient and determined, people with the ISTJ personality type meet their obligations, period.

I can’t agree more. I am dutiful. The only thing is I am dutiful as long as what is being asked of me is not in conflict with my integrity and my inner and outer expectations. Gretchen Rubin described this as an attribute of an Upholder personality.

Very Responsible – ISTJs’ word is a promise, and a promise means everything. ISTJs would rather run themselves into the ground with extra days and lost sleep than fail to deliver the results they said they would. Loyalty is a strong sentiment for ISTJ personalities, and they fulfill their duties to the people and organizations they’ve committed themselves to.

I think this point is very similar to the point above. Dutiful and responsible, same same right? However, I am always cautious about running myself into the ground and it gets me quite upset if I have to lose sleep because of my commitments to organisation or people, unless I am really really passionate about them. The way I deal with this is by making sure that I never take on more than I can accomplish.

Calm and Practical – None of their promises would mean much if ISTJs lost their tempers and broke down at every sign of hardship – they keep their feet on the ground and make clear, rational decisions. Peoples’ preferences are a factor to consider in this process, and ISTJs work to make the best use of individual qualities, but these decisions are made with effectiveness in mind more so than empathy. The same applies to criticisms, for others and themselves.

Being efficient is one of my biggest strengths and efficiency is my top priority. Not only for myself, but for those around me.

Create and Enforce Order – The primary goal of any ISTJ is to be effective in what they’ve chosen to do, and they believe that this is accomplished best when everyone involved knows exactly what is going on and why. Unclear guidelines and people who break established rules undermine this effort, and are rarely tolerated by ISTJs. Structure and rules foster dependability; chaos creates unforeseen setbacks and missed deadlines.

I like structure and order. I like having efficient processes. I believe that the less thinking or improvising someone has to do in order to achieve something, the better. Rules, regulations and processes help us do just that.

Jacks-of-all-trades – Much like Analysts (NT), ISTJs are proud repositories of knowledge, though the emphasis is more on facts and statistics than concepts and underlying principles. This allows ISTJs to apply themselves to a variety of situations, picking up and applying new data and grasping the details of challenging situations as a matter of course.

Yes, this is me. I like to know and do many things, usually all at once. There is nothing else to discuss further regarding this point.

ISTJ weaknesses

Stubborn – The facts are the facts, and ISTJs tend to resist any new idea that isn’t supported by them. This factual decision-making process also makes it difficult for people with the ISTJ personality type to accept that they were wrong about something – but anyone can miss a detail, even them.

Ouch. This is probably true. Show me the facts and I will likely agree with you. Similarly, when I am told that I am not right, I tend to take it personally and will analyse facts to get to a conclusion for myself, of whether I am right or not.

Insensitive – While not intentionally harsh, ISTJs are often hurt more sensitive types’ feelings by the simple mantra that honesty is the best policy. ISTJ personalities may take emotions into consideration, but really only so far as to determine the most effective way to say what needs to be said.

This is actually not an issue for me because I always try to think before I speak. I may be harsh and insensitive in my thoughts though, but nobody has to know, so nobody gets hurt. Hehe.

Always by the Book – ISTJs believe that things work best with clearly defined rules, but this makes them reluctant to bend those rules or try new things, even when the downside is minimal. Truly unstructured environments leave ISTJs all but paralyzed.

This could be the most frustrating thing about myself, in my own opinion. Sometimes, I wish I could take more risks and do bigger and crazier things. This is why I am always envious of risk-takers and start up entrepreneurs who scarify everything to follow their passions.

Judgmental – Opinions are opinions and facts are facts, and ISTJs are unlikely to respect people who disagree with those facts, or especially those who remain willfully ignorant of them.

I won’t disagree with this and I don’t want to change the type of person I am. But I try to be diplomatic and empathic in my dealing with others, which could sometimes mean I keep some things to myself. Well, you can’t win at everything in life and I am ok with this approach.

Often Unreasonably Blame Themselves – All this can combine to make ISTJs believe they are the only ones who can see projects through reliably. As they load themselves with extra work and responsibilities, turning away good intentions and helpful ideas, ISTJs sooner or later hit a tipping point where they simply can’t deliver. Since they’ve heaped the responsibility on themselves, ISTJs then believe the responsibility for failure is theirs alone to bear.

Spot on! One of the feedbacks I have received about myself is that I am too hard on myself. Unlike the example mentioned above, which is failing to deliver projects because ISTJs load themselves with extra work and responsibilities, I don’t have a problem delegating and letting go. My issue is that I often don’t think I am achieving all there is to achieve in my life, reaching my full potential or doing things to change the world, make the world a better place. I know they all sound very big, but to me, they are the things that keep me going and making me feel satisfied.

So that’s me. I am a true ISTJ, by the Book, and my main weaknesses are “Always by the Book” and “Often Unreasonably Blame Themselves” aka “being too hard on myself”. If you are like me and have discovered techniques that works, then I’d like to hear from you. Or if you are like me and have not discovered solutions for yourself, well, keep reading my posts because as soon as I find something that works, you will be the first to know*.

*I found the points discussed in the article, Ten Rules to Live By to Achieve ISTJ Success, quite helpful. Of course not all ISTJs are equal and all of us do not have the exact same weaknesses. But the followings are great reminders for me.

• Feed Your Strengths!
• Take in Everything.
• Assume the Best.
• There is Nothing to Fear but Fear Itself.

Footnote: ISTJ is one of the sixteen personality types of Myers-Briggs Type Indicator®.