Managing people is hard. Managing a group of fresh graduates who think they know everything because they have a degree—but don't know how to BCC an email—is a whole different level of stress. When I first heard the phrase my juniors a handful, I laughed. I thought it was an exaggeration. Then I actually got put in charge of a small team of Gen Z associates at a mid-sized marketing firm, and reality hit me like a ton of bricks. It wasn’t that they were bad employees. They were brilliant, actually. But they were high-maintenance in ways I hadn't prepared for during my own "pay your dues" era.
You’ve probably been there.
Maybe you’re a mid-level manager or a senior lead who just inherited a "handful" of your own. You’re looking at your calendar, seeing it filled with "quick syncs" that turn into hour-long therapy sessions or technical deep-dives on things they should've learned in week one. It’s exhausting. But here’s the thing: that "handful" of energy is actually your biggest asset if you stop trying to manage them like it’s 2005.
Why "My Juniors a Handful" is the New Management Standard
The workplace has shifted. In the past, juniors were seen and not heard. They did the grunt work, stayed late, and didn't ask "why" very often. Fast forward to now. Today’s entry-level professionals are entering a landscape defined by rapid AI integration, remote work flexibility, and a much lower tolerance for "busy work." When a manager says my juniors a handful, they usually mean the team is questioning processes, demanding feedback every five minutes, or pushing boundaries on work-life balance.
Honestly, it's a culture shock.
Kim Scott, the author of Radical Candor, often talks about the balance between challenging people directly and caring personally. With a difficult or overwhelming junior team, that balance is constantly tested. They don't just want a paycheck; they want a purpose. If you don't give them one, they become restless. That restlessness is what makes them a "handful." They start poking at old systems. They ask why we're still using Excel for things that could be automated. They’re right, but the way they ask can be, well, a lot.
The Feedback Loop Obsession
One of the biggest reasons you might feel your juniors are a handful is the feedback requirement. Older generations were used to the "annual review." You’d work in a vacuum for twelve months and then find out if you were doing a good job. That is dead. Dead and buried.
Modern juniors grew up with instant gratification. Likes, comments, shares. When they submit a report, they expect a reaction within the hour. If they don't get it, they assume they failed or that you’re ignoring them. This creates a massive administrative burden on the manager. You feel like a glorified babysitter. But if you look at the data—specifically from Gallup’s workplace studies—teams that receive weekly feedback are far more engaged than those who don't. The "handful" behavior is often just a craving for direction.
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Breaking Down the "Handful" Archetypes
Not all difficult juniors are difficult for the same reasons. I’ve noticed a few specific types that pop up in almost every industry, from tech to finance.
First, you have the Over-Optimizers. These are the ones who spend four hours trying to automate a task that takes ten minutes to do manually. They’re smart, but they lack the "business sense" to prioritize. They think they’re helping, but they’re actually just stalling the pipeline.
Then there are the Anxious High-Achievers. They’re the ones sending you Slack messages at 10:00 PM asking if "v2" of the slide deck was okay. They aren't trying to be annoying; they’re terrified of making a mistake. To you, it feels like they’re a handful because they require constant emotional regulation.
Lastly, you’ve got the Boundary Pushers. They’re the ones asking for a raise after three months or wondering why they can’t work from a beach in Bali when the policy clearly says "in-office Tuesday through Thursday."
Handling these personalities requires more than just a "manager" title. It requires being a bit of a psychologist. You have to realize that their behavior isn't a personal attack on your time. It’s a byproduct of an educational system and a digital world that prioritized individual output over corporate hierarchy.
The Cost of Getting It Wrong
If you dismiss your juniors as "just a handful" and ignore the underlying issues, you’re going to lose them. And turnover is expensive. According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), replacing an employee can cost six to nine months of an employee’s salary.
But it’s not just about money.
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It’s about your sanity. A team that feels ignored becomes a team that underperforms. When they underperform, you look bad. The cycle continues. I’ve seen managers burn out because they tried to "crush" the spirit of their juniors to make them more compliant. It never works. It just leads to quiet quitting and a toxic department culture where nobody wants to speak up.
Real Talk: Stop Micromanaging
If you feel like my juniors a handful, check your own habits. Are you hovering because they’re incompetent, or are you hovering because you’re afraid of losing control?
Most "handful" juniors thrive when given a clear "Commander's Intent." This is a military concept where you tell the team what the end goal is, but you don't tell them exactly how to get there. You give them the "What" and the "Why," and let them figure out the "How." Sure, they might stumble. They might take a weird path. But they’ll stop pestering you for every single step of the process.
Strategies That Actually Work
You can't just wish the "handful" away. You have to build a framework that contains their energy without stifling it.
Batch Your Communication
If they’re blowing up your DMs, set a "Office Hours" policy. Tell them, "I won't respond to Slack messages about project status between 9 AM and 1 PM, but we will have a 15-minute huddle at 1:15 PM to cover everything." This gives you deep work time and gives them the certainty of a dedicated time slot.
The "Three Before Me" Rule
This is a classic. Before a junior comes to you with a question, they must have tried three other ways to find the answer. Check the documentation, ask a peer, or Google/AI it. If they still can't solve it, then they can come to you. This trains them to be resourceful rather than reliant.
Visual Progress Trackers
Use a Kanban board. Trello, Asana, Monday—doesn't matter. Most juniors feel like a handful because they don't see the big picture. When they can see where their task fits into the larger project, they tend to settle down. It satisfies that need for "instant feedback" because they can see the card moving across the board.
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Let’s Address the "Soft Skills" Gap
We have to be honest: a lot of juniors entering the workforce right now spent significant developmental years behind a screen due to the pandemic. Their interpersonal "radar" is sometimes a bit off. They might be too blunt in emails or miss social cues in meetings.
Instead of getting frustrated, treat soft skills like technical skills. You wouldn't get mad at someone for not knowing Python if they were never taught. Why get mad at them for not knowing how to handle a difficult client call?
I’ve found that "shadowing" is the only real cure here. Have them sit in on your calls—on mute—and tell them to take notes specifically on how you handled disagreements. Afterwards, spend five minutes deconstructing it. "Did you notice how I paused when the client got angry?" That kind of mentorship turns a "handful" into a high-performer faster than any HR training module ever could.
The Role of Mentorship vs. Management
There is a massive difference between a manager and a mentor. A manager cares about the output. A mentor cares about the person.
When you deal with my juniors a handful, you have to wear both hats. You have to hold them accountable for their KPIs, but you also have to realize they are terrified of the future. The economy is weird. AI is threatening entry-level roles. They feel like they have to prove their worth every single second.
If you take a genuine interest in their career path—even if that path eventually leads them away from your company—they will give you more loyalty and better work than you ever thought possible.
Why This Matters for the Long Haul
The "handful" you’re managing today are the senior leads of tomorrow. If you teach them how to channel their intensity now, you’re doing the whole industry a favor.
Think back to your first "real" job. You were probably a bit of a nightmare too. You just didn't have a smartphone to broadcast it 24/7. Having a team that is a "handful" usually means you have a team with high potential energy. Your job isn't to dampen that energy; it's to build the turbine that turns it into power.
Actionable Next Steps for Overwhelmed Managers:
- Audit your "Quick Questions": For the next three days, track how many times a junior interrupts you. If it's more than five times a day, you haven't set clear enough boundaries or documentation.
- Schedule a "Purpose Sync": Instead of talking about tasks, spend 20 minutes this week explaining to your juniors how their specific work impacts the company's bottom line. Connect the dots for them.
- Implement "Self-Correction" Time: When a junior makes a mistake, don't fix it. Point it out and give them two hours to find the solution themselves. It’s slower in the short term but saves you hundreds of hours in the long term.
- Define "Success" Visually: Create a simple document that lists what a "Great," "Good," and "Needs Work" version of their primary task looks like. Stop making them guess what’s in your head.
- Stop the 24/7 Slack Cycle: Lead by example. Don't send messages after 6 PM unless it's a genuine emergency. If you're always "on," they'll feel they have to be too, which fuels the anxiety that makes them a handful.
Managing a team that feels like a lot is actually a compliment to your leadership. It means you haven't hired a bunch of "yes-men" who are coasting. You’ve got a group that wants to move, and they’re looking to you to show them the direction. It’s exhausting, sure. But it’s also the most rewarding part of the job if you get it right. Turn that handful into a powerhouse.