The Millenial Worker
June 23rd, 2009
Shared by Erik
Excellent assertions and leadership points.
A good friend asked me the other day my thoughts on how to lead the millenial generation, basically those born after 1980. We gather thousands of leaders who fit in this category on an annual basis, have several on our staff, and really gear what we do towards an early stage millenial/late stage gen X’er.
So what are some thoughts on leading Millenials?
- give them freedom with their schedule
- provide them projects, not a career
- work, family, social are all intertwined, so make sure the work environment is experiential and family oriented.
- tie in compassion/justice oriented causes and opportunities to their projects or environment
- embrace social media.
- embrace the reality that they grew up with technology such as texting, XBox, laptops, and ipods as the norm
- lead each person uniquely; don’t create standards or rules that apply to everyone; customize your approach
- provide authenticity and honesty as the norm for the corporate culture.
- millenials are not necessarily interested in “climbing the corporate ladder” but instead interested in making a mark and making a difference
- not willing to wait- want to make a difference now; so give them opportunities early with major responsibility.
I would also add–
They want the same things that you do– respect and acknowledgement for a job well done.
They want the management to understand that the work environment is a two-way street– Millennials want to take as much as they want to give.
But isn’t this what we all want?
Here is my take– Tips on Managing the Millennials.
http://bit.ly/JTIRP