In my experience, young professionals are getting a bad rap. People claim they feel entitled, they are too casual, they don’t want to work 40-hour work weeks. They say these “kids” are connected to technology not relationships. I am here to tell you differently! I have hired several interns over the past four years and each one has completely knocked my socks off.

Like you, I believed the stereotypes and I set my expectations low. I was concerned about results as I brought each one on. And, each one overwhelmed me with their level of productivity, professionalism and all around positive attitude.

Of course, I knew it was important to create a structure to help them be successful. While these were short term internships, I did talk to them extensively about what was important to them in full time employment. Here’s what I learned:

• Work/Life Balance: No surprise here; we have heard it often. Young professionals don’t want to be tied to an office for no reason. They want balance. So, I allowed my interns to work from home and did not “watch the clock.” They were incredibly productive and usually got the job done much quicker than I ever anticipated!

• Respect Ideas: Don’t treat young employees as if they don’t know anything. Encourage engagement and ask them what they think. Even if they don’t have an opinion ask them to research the topic and come back to you with an informed point of view. Believe me, they can get online and find information much faster than most.

• Social Engagement: Show how your company makes a difference in the community and cares about the environment. Young professionals and specifically the millennials like to work for “green” organizations. This is high on their list of important attributes when deciding who to work for and with. Show them that your company not only gives back but pays forward. If your company hasn’t even put a recycling program in place (and you’d be surprised how many have not) you better get one going if you want to entice quality young professionals to come and work for you.

• Career Path: Young professionals want advancement, fast! They are ready to hit the ground running and if you don’t show them upward mobility, they will leave. They like to see lots of steps and progression. Remember, these were the kids who are known as the “trophy kids” – the ones who were constantly receiving awards and feeling good about finishing. They are wired this way.

The fact is, the average tenure of a young professional is only about 3.5 years. They just don’t see the value on long-term employment the way previous generations do. Who can blame them? After their parents dedicated their entire lives to their employers, many of them have lost their jobs in the past few years.

If you recognize that working with this new generation of employees is going to be different and embrace their unique attributes, you can experience what I did – that these young professionals have a desire for meaningful work, they are incredibly quick with technology and they are enormously productive.

Besides, you’ll never have to buy them a company lap top – they already have their own!

Yes, we all talk a lot about today’s workforce and their unique attributes and downsides. But the fact is, these 75 million workers are a critical part of our workforce today and they are our future leaders. And they aren’t going to change their outlook on work, life and how it all fits together so it’s up to us to adjust to accommodate them. And, if we’re honest with ourselves, we know they’ll probably help teach us better ways of approaching recruiting and retention.

For some terrific strategies for working with this dynamic group of employees, check out the article Advice for Managing Millennials on GlassHammer.com. Authors Terri Klass and Judith Lindenberger take a deep dive into what makes the workers of this generation tick and best practices for getting the most out of them.

Do you have some insights and strategies that have worked for you? Tell us about them!

As managers, we are tasked with so many tactical and strategic activities in any given month, week, or day. One of the more important tasks is to manage, lead and inspire your best players.

So what do you do when your best players are tired? It happens. They get worn down, worn out and just plain tired of their role. And, sometimes, there is not a lot of wiggle room to expand their position, give them stretch assignments or move them up the career ladder.

So, how do you help them rekindle their passion for their work?

I am not talking about trying to create a spark where there is no ambition. I don’t mean motivating the employee who was never motivated to begin with. I mean, recharging your superstars and reigniting the flames under your best and brightest.

Here are a few simple techniques to inspire and stimulate your top performers:

1. Give them a research assignment. Get them outside of the office and introduce them to someone outside of the business for some networking and research time. This will give them new surroundings and environment and help bring a fresh perspective to their work.

2. Put them in charge of something that is currently on your plate. And, tell them that. It does two things: it frees up some of your time to be more strategic and gives them a sense of significance and importance.

3. Sign them up for some leadership development work and have them train the rest of your team on whatever they learned. This gives them some new coaching opportunities and will encourage them to think through the experience in such a way that they can share with others. Plus, you’re getting great information out to your other team members as well.

Remember, even the brightest stars experience burn out sometimes. Continue to invest in your best and you’ll keep them shining through the good times and the challenging times as well.

Do you have suggestions for ways to keep your emerging leaders inspired? Please share!

Too often, well-meaning managers guide their employees towards certain mindsets or behaviors that either embody the corporate philosophy, or even that of the individual manager. But high performers are high performers for a reason – they tap into their own personal attributes for success and it’s critical that managers recognize and encourage this.

Patricia Spadaro an internationally known author and expert in practical spirituality, writes about the importance of harnessing what makes us tick as individuals in her article, Honor Your Own Style.

This is a must read for any manager who wants to draw out and nurture the things that set star employees apart from the rest. These are the things that can’t be documented on a performance evaluation or even articulated in a review, but the things that are critical to the success of your organization.