You've just completed your profile on LinkedIn when everyone starts asking about your Twitter plan. Your what? You hire an expert to help you define your social media strategy. In terms of executing it, this seems like a perfect piece to delegate to your team. Who better to navigate this world than people who grew up in front of the internet? In fact, the Millennials--those born in the 1980s or early 1990s--have largely driven the explosion in social media itself. Perfect. You're happy to have this Twitter business off your plate so you can focus on the big picture.

But the generation gap, you find, can pose problems in the workplace when you're managing and trying to communicate with people who have had a very different life experience from you. It's important to understand the world in which Millennials were raised in order to effectively manage them.

"Millennials grew up with video games, doting parents and a trophy for every kid on the soccer team. They expect frequent feedback and worry that they're failing if they don't receive any," says career expert Lindsey Pollak. "However, this is a great opportunity to help shape your employees and increase communication overall."

Barbara Poole is founder and CEO of Employaid.com, an online community and resource for small-business owners, employers and employees. She says, "Millennials value authenticity. They are confident, tech-savvy and highly mobile." They are also well-connected and always online. They grew up digging around for answers to questions and take pride in their ability to do so quickly.

How best to manage this unique generation?

1. Get their opinions, and tread lightly when it comes to criticism. By asking opinions rather than directing, by offering suggestions rather than dictating, managers will have far more luck in managing this unique generation, Poole says. Given their relative level of online sophistication, their viewpoints can be highly valuable. You may ultimately make a different judgment call, but getting their input will engage them and keep them caring about your business almost as much as you do.
    
2. Respect parental involvement. It might shock you to hear your Millennial employee talk at work about his or her parents' suggestion on how to handle a work challenge. In fact, your immediate reaction may be "But what do you think?" You may see this as a red flag as to whether your employee is an independent thinker. But remember, Millennials largely grew up with very involved parents, many of whom are highly successful professionals. So embrace that.
   
   Aliza Freud, CEO of SheSpeaks, a company that builds and operates online communities that drive consumer insight and advocacy, notes that from time to time Millennials on her team will come to work and say, "I asked my dad about that marketing issue we were grappling with. Since he has run a marketing department before, he suggested we do this."
   
   Says Freud, "It's wonderful to see that Millennials recognize and respect their parents' experience and leverage it to do a better job. We encourage that kind of discussion."
    
3. Don't take anything for granted. While you might be accustomed to simply "running with it," Millennials need frequent check-ins to make sure they're on track. Remember, they're used to that kind of constant monitoring from elders. "What's common sense to one generation (e.g., how to write a formal business letter, how to leave a professional voice-mail message) is not necessarily common sense to another generation," Pollak says. "Whenever giving an assignment or directions on how to accomplish a task, double-check that your employee understands your terms of reference and the type of work you're expecting."
    
4. Don't underestimate the value in the outspoken. Millennials can be incredible additions to your team for their confidence in voicing their opinions. They're not being disrespectful by doing so--they're simply doing as they've all been taught to do. Harness that, and you can use it to your advantage.