(crossposted at the excellent career guidance site Brazen Careerist) 

The terms "tech-savvy" and "Millennial" seem joined at the hip, like "hopeless romantic" or "out-of-control pop diva." Of course, many romantics are nothing if not hopeful, some pop divas are models of good behavior, and not all Millennials are tech wizards - but we tend to hear much more about the stereotype than the exception. However, even Millennials who aren't bits-and-bytes pros do have something that only comes from having grown up marinated in technology, rather than learning it on the job: an innate level of comfort and familiarity with digital culture. That confers certain abilities, like seeing useful potential in new technologies, or finding fast ways to learn an unfamiliar application, that even clued-in older colleagues might lack.

In my book Generation Blend: Managing Across the Technology Age Gap, one of the main points I make to employers is that it is essential to create cross-generational conversations around technology to insure that everyone is making the most of their information toolkit. Part of this can involve formal training, where younger employees work directly with older colleagues in reciprocal mentoring environments to teach them tech skills while learning from their business knowledge. But the situation need not be so formal or structured, and it definitely does not need to come from the top down.

Millennials in a multi-generational workplace can make themselves more valuable to their employers and their colleagues - thus increasing their influence and opportunities at work - by becoming ambassadors of digital culture in a positive, pro-active way. This might also have the benefit of improving management perception of useful new technologies and practices at work, which might reduce some of the conflicts that are emerging in many workplaces between younger workers and rigid IT departments.

Some tips for turning yourself into an ambassador:

• Demonstrate practical uses for the technology at work: Let's say you've come up with a great way to use wikis to share knowledge among your team, but the term "wiki" draws blank looks or nervous laughter. Show, don't just click through features; actually show people how and why the particular application can make people's jobs easier
• Make an effort to understand IT's point of view. Some consumer-grade technology really is risky and dangerous from an IT perspective. If you want to introduce IM into your organization, don't just download Yahoo or AOL messenger, book up on some enterprise-grade solutions. If you anticipate IT concerns and help make their job easier, they may respect your point of view.
• Start conversations: Many older workers are looking to young colleagues for cues on how to use technology better, but don't want to appear ignorant. Having these conversations involves using some tact. Remember that people in their 50s and 60s are not target markets for technology and are not necessarily subject to the same stream of information about new stuff in their lives as consumers and citizens. They are curious, but may not even know how to ask the right questions. That said...
• Be a resource, not a know-it-all: Be patient, respectful and discrete when helping older colleagues or managers with technology. A lot of older workers I talked to report that they don't like asking for help with tech stuff because it could diminish their status and authority in the eyes of their peers - and in many cases, the younger person "helps" by taking over at the controls, doing the task so quickly that they can't follow, or explaining in terms they don't understand. Don't be that guy. Slow down, listen, show respect, and ask for your colleague's advice and experience in return.
• Try to speak your boss's language: Remember that his or her job is not necessarily to make work easier and more convenient for you, it's to build value for the business. One supervisor I spoke to was having trouble getting her manager to see the virtue of telecommuting, because he suspected it would lead to slacking off. I recommended designing a pilot program that made telework contingent on every member of the department maintaining certain levels of productivity - otherwise the whole program would be canceled. This met the manager's objections because it left it to the employees to step up and show they could manage themselves.