Wednesday, January 3, 2018

Motivating Millennials


Happy New Year to all!  I hope you set some goals for yourself (personally and professionally) and are ready to get after it!  I know I am!

I Just finished a good book on “Motivating Millennials.”  As we know, they are coming and…they are different!  By 2030, this group will make up 75% of the workforce and will fill most of your Organization’s leadership roles.  Unfortunately, 63% of this group believe their “leadership skills are not being fully developed” according to a 2016 Deloitte Millennial Survey. 

What are you doing to develop this group?  Here were some things in the book that resonated with me:
  • As we know, this group needs regular feedback.  As such, we can’t wait for the annual performance review to be the time we talk to them about what they did well…or not so well.  More frequent coaching sessions, specificity on their performance, and honesty in our communication with them (“Millennials are really good at cutting through the crap….”).
  • Millennials may not always value the chain of command.  “If…Millennials think (they) have a good idea and want to make sure it’s heard by those who can actually make it happen (no matter what their rank), (they) think it’s perfectly okay to share it.”  What forums do you have to hear their ideas?
  • Millennials thrive on consistently being challenged and want to learn new skills.  Keep looking for ways to expand their horizons and take on new projects.
  • Millennials truly value a sense of purpose.  What are you doing to communicate the purpose of your organization and ensuring these people understand how their role connects?  They can be immensely helpful in spreading the good news (think of them as brand ambassadors)…once they feel it personally.  They value “Cause” over “Compensation” in many areas of their lives.
Lots of interesting topics here.  Think about what you might do to address some of these issues as you look ahead to 2018.  How are you integrating some of these concepts into your Strategic Plans?  These people, many of them new to your team, are the future.  How you “Lead” them, may be your personal legacy!

Let me know how we can help.  We look at motivation of all employees, to include Millennials, as a key component of all of our leadership programs.  If you see opportunities for growing your leaders, aligning your team, and helping your organization go from GOOD to GREAT, we are ready to help!  You can see our full schedule for Open Enrollment “Boot Camps” in SoCal on our website.  Contact me directly if you want to look at an “in-house” program with your team!

Happy New Year and…Lead the Way!

Tom Magness
lbihank@msn.com

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