Millennial Manager: Manifesto

I didn’t write the rules — but I’m trying to learn the ones that actually matter.

I wasn’t handed a playbook when I became a manager.

Just a title, a lot of expectations, lots of pressure and a vague sense that I was supposed to have it all together.

Now I’m managing across generations and learning how Gen Z communicates, remembering what my own mentors did (and didn’t do), and trying to keep up without burning out.

I’m navigating leadership while juggling real life, messy days, family & friends, group chats, and a calendar that is jam packed.

I care about my team. I care about doing this well. But I also care about not losing myself in the process.

And I know I’m not the only one.

We’re the managers who grew up being told we could do anything and then got promoted without a roadmap. We were told to work hard and put work first with the promise of making it to the top (without ever knowing what the top actually is). 

We’re the ones who inherited outdated systems, inconsistent feedback, and a whole lot of "just figure it out."

But we’re doing things differently now. It is a new generation from what our mentors navigated. There are new rules and expectations. 

We’re learning that leadership isn’t about knowing it all.

It’s about listening, growing, setting boundaries, being raw, and showing up with consistency.

We believe:

• You can lead with empathy and still have high expectations
• Avoidance isn't leadership- we don't avoid hard conversations
• Trust doesn't come from your title- it comes from being authentic
• Not everything is personal even when it feels like it
• Set backs are not failure
• Leadership isn't about being liked, it is about being clear, fair and consistent 
• It's okay to not know all the answers 
• Boundaries are a strength, not a weakness and they are needed in leadership
• Burnout isn't leadership
• Authority doesn’t mean ego
• Feedback is not optional and it is how we grow
• You don’t have to pretend you’re okay when you’re not

We’re not chasing perfect. We’re building something better.

Something human. Something that actually works.

Welcome to Millennial Manager.

Let's make leadership make sense.  We are here for real life, for real people, and for the kind of work that actually matters.