Millennials aren't the issue; YOU are!

The biggest complaint I hear from "leaders" today is around Millennials. More specifically, that Millennials are lazy, they are not engaged, can't be motivated, have a poor work ethic, feel they are entitled and simply do not care ...Sounds a lot like the feedback on Baby Boomers (BB) by the press in the 70s & 80s (TIME magazine).

The Millennials are not the issue, YOUR lack of leadership is the problem.

Before I explain lets take a quick review of what it means to be a highly effective Leader:

• Ability to Influence & Motivate
• Adaptability & Flexibility
• Innovation & Creativity
• Excellent Communication Skills (listening)
• Consistency & Emotional Management
• Vision & Direction

Leadership is about motivating the masses, inspiring the effort of the team and influencing the individual. Leadership isn't about a generation, it's about being impactful as a leader.

Leadership is not a cookie cutter, one size fits all and it definitely isn't about manipulation, control or power. In fact, just like the great Baby Boomer generation, Millennials will strongly resist abuse of power, attempts to control and insincere gestures around coaching, praise & recognition. NOTE: take inventory of yourself as a leader - - how do you stack up here?

If you're having issues leading your Millennials look in the mirror and take ownership.

This next part will be hard for most to swallow but here it goes: You are using a generation as an excuse for your ineffective leadership, your laziness around adaptability & flexibility and lack of your assigned business results. It's never the people, the customers, the market or the 'weather' when a business fails (or is failing), its always the lack of leadership. Therefore, stop negatively defining your Millennials, using them as an excuse and take accountability for leading.

“In four years Millennials will account for nearly half of the employees in the world.” – Harvard Business Review

Successfully leading any generation starts with understanding that generation, how they grew up, the world they grew up and their "why". Millennials do not compartmentalize life: personal, professional, hobbies, etc ...There is no "life balance", there is simply the balance in life. To most Millennials life is simply life; a continuous flow of energy, experiences and events - - they tend not to label as much as BB or Gen X.

Millennials (and I generalize here) are not uneducated, dumb or lazy. The Millennials are actually the most educated generation of our time and if properly led have the most potential to deliver higher than expected results  ongoing.

"Their great mantra has been: Challenge convention. Find new and better ways of doing things. And so that ethos transcends the wonky people who are inventing new apps and embraces the whole economy.” - Tom Brokaw

Millennial Stats: Me, Me, Me Generation (same label given to The Baby Boomers)

• Born 1978-1994
• Largest consumer group in the history of the U.S. total incomes > $211b

• Spends $172b per year and saves $39b per year
• Spends disposable income on technology, cloths, travel & experiences
• 38% are nonwhite, 15% African-American, 14% Hispanic and many identify themselves as multiracial - - 36% are first generation Americans!
• Represent 29% of the U.S. population, or approximately 61 million workers
• 30% of those 18-24 are currently attending a college or university

Millennials: Who they are ...

• Millennials view work as a part of life, not a separate activity that needs to be “balanced” by it. Need work that is fulfilling.

• Millennials are the most socially conscious generation since the 1960s.
• Millennials want a constant stream of feedback.
• Millennials have a high expectation for themselves as well as their employers.
• Millennials are highly educated and want to learn and solve problems

Millennial High Level Work Expectations:

• They expect their work environments to be technically inclined, savvy and user friendly - - all interconnected, all the time
• They expect a workplace that encourages collaboration and interaction
• Capability to work in various areas & on various projects
• Ongoing mentoring, recognition, development and feedback
• They expect common sense to be common practice

Workstyle ...

• Raised in comfort and with the Internet
• Work on their own terms — command of technology and having experienced affluence so early in life puts them in a unique position to negotiate those demands
• Want to be “paid volunteers,” joining an organization not because they have to, but because they really want to, and because something significant is happening there
• Pragmatic and hard-working - - you heard me right!

Why invest in Millennials?

• They bring fresh skills and ideas to the workplace
• They are tech savvy and catch onto new technology faster
• They are racially diverse and culturally accepting
• They are socially interconnected and collaborative

Recommendations:

• Start leading and stop whining ...
• It starts with the hiring & on boarding process: Do you have a Talent Acquisition Flow? How effective is it in attracting and hiring the best talent and setting expectations from the start? 
• Structured recognition program that is objective but has "feel good" components like; "Scott always has a great attitude and is high energy."
• Communication strategy delivered with consistency: regular 1:1 coaching, morning huddles, directional e-mails, side by side observations, development plans - - I would recommend each new member create a Individual Development Plan (IDP) after their first 45 days on board that outlines how they will be successful 
• Coaching sessions around a development plan; I suggest the 70/20/10 system
• Social communication & marketing strategy - - do you have your team set-up on Whats App (or as Millennials call it; What's Up)? Have you inspected and coached your team on their LinkedIn profile and offered free head shots if they maintain a professional page?
• Burning imperative - - Have you explained the "why" to your people and do they understand their purpose and value related to the "why"?
• Collaborative, fun, creativity and innovation place - - do you celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, births? Do you have a family & friends day? Team building?
• What charity does your company/department support - - big one for Millennials

So, there is your shot of reality; it ain't the "kids" it's YOU! You simply are not being an impactful, effective leader - - swallow that pill, take the medicine and start getting better today.

About Greg Banning: Greg is a visionary leader bringing over 20 years of experience in establishing operational optimization across diverse industries in both national and international operations. Recognized for talents in high impact leadership, strategy development and providing corporate vision. Greg is best known for converting strategic plans into tactical reality through influencing people as a trusted leader. Noted for building and leading high impact teams that consistently deliver better than expected results.