The Leaders of Tomorrow are Here Today
Make way for an entirely
new - and different - generation of leaders. This new generation is called "The
Millennial Generation" and they are the most numerous, affluent, and ethnically
diverse generation in American history and they are very different from the Gen
Xers, or Baby Boomers before them.
Today's leaders will do
well to prepare to embrace and mentor this new generation because in the new
highly competitive global marketplace, the strongest differentiator for almost
any organization is its people. Those organizations that can best figure out
how to lead this new generation will emerge as the winners in the battle for
the best talent in the years to come. In an article titled ‘Managing
Younger Workers' Robert Wendover writes, "in order for managers to
effectively lead people from different generations, they must first understand
them." Just as this has been true for every generation throughout history, it
is doubly so for the millennial generation.
In their book ‘Millennials Rising, Straus and
Howe describe in great detail the characteristics of the new millennial
generation. According to the authors,
"This generation is going to rebel by behaving not worse, but better. Their
life mission will not be to tear down old institutions that don't work, but to
build up new ones that do."
In her article, ‘Managing
Millennials,' Claire Raines refers to this up and coming generation as "the
hottest commodity on the job market since Rosie the Riveter. They're sociable,
optimistic, talented, well educated, collaborative, open-minded, influential,
and achievement-oriented."
Just as all generations
learn to perceive their world via experiences from the moment they are born, so
too the millennials have developed certain filters through which the see the
world. Born from 1980 through 2000, the Millennials are:
- the first generation in human history to grow
up surrounded by digital media.
- deeply focused on children and family
- experienced in living highly scheduled, structured
lives
- highly skilled in multiculturalism
- deeply aware of global terrorism
- aware of inspiring acts of heroism in the face
of such terror
- profoundly patriotic
- aware of their parents activism in their
upbringing and really look up to their parents
- used to seeing the world as a global
marketplace that is open 24/7
To reap the highest yield
from the work efforts of this new generation, leaders will need to motivate
these new workers to heretofore unparalleled productivity. Susan Hearthfield
offers Eleven
Tips for Managing Millennials:
- Provide
Structure - Goals should be
clearly stated and progress assessed along the way. Clearly define
assignments and success factors.
- Provide
leadership and Guidance -
Millennials want to be committed to a cause and a leader. They want to
know what's going on and why. Commit to spending time teaching and
coaching.
- Encourage
their feeling of confidence and a ‘can-do' attitude - Millennials have been told from the day
they were born that they can accomplish anything - and they probably can.
Encourage them - don't squash or hold them back.
- Take
advantage of their comfort level with teams - Millennials actually believe that teams can
accomplish more and better than individuals can. Capitalize on this and be
the team's coach and mentor.
- Listen
to the millennial employee -
This is the first generation ever that ‘lapped' their parents in that they
- not their parents, were the resident experts on things like technology
and digital media. These young people have ideas and opinions and are used
to being listened to.
- Millennials
are up for a challenge and change - What's happening next is very important to the millennial worker.
Don't bore them, ignore them, or trivialize their contributions.
- Millennials
are multi-taskers - Unlike
previous generations these employees really can effectively work on
several things simultaneously. Indeed without such variety the millennial
worker will most likely experience boredom.
- Take
advantage of the millennial workers technological (computer, cell phone,
and digital) literacy - This
is the first generation of humans that were bathed in bits since the day
they were born. They don't even think of technology as technology.
- Capitalize
on the millennials affinity for networking - These young people can and will network
around the world electronically as naturally as breathing.
- Provide
a life-work balanced workplace
- Home, family, and spending time with friends and pursuing numerous
personal interests are priorities. Balance is key.
- Provide
a fun, employee-centered workplace - Millennials want to enjoy their work and their workplace. The
time to start worrying about the millennials is when you don't hear them
laughing or see them socializing with their co-workers. Promote this.
In the next fifteen years,
75 million millennials will join the workforce This new generation will be
comprised of people who will be highly sought-after employees. Embracing this
new generation will be the secret to organizational success in the future.
Additional Resources
A dozen other web sites
dealing with how to manage workers in the millennial generation include:
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