Millennials - The hope of the future

When we hear the word millennials I also get feedback from businesses about how lazy they are, not get to work on time, spend too much time texting, and many act like they are deserving of special treatment.

The truth is that millennials are highly educated, tech savvy, they are bold and want to make changes in the world that will make a difference.

Every generation is a product of what their parents did. When I grew up Mom was always at home and although we did not have everything we wanted we had everything we needed. As the baby of the family I did not see the times when we went without some things we needed. The point is I was very attracted to contact with others and I still am.

Millennials are very tech savvy because most of their lives are connected to a computer in some way or another. Although the cell phone has only been around for just over 10 years most Millennials can hardly remember it because before the cell phone they were using their computer for a very large amount of their communication. The first email was sent about 45 years ago but was not really embraced until 1990 with the birth of the World Wide Web. Millennials are said to be the generation born between 1979 and 1999 but I have found many who live in smaller cities that do not believe they belong to the Millennial generation those I would say are more along the lines of 1982 to 2005. Because the millennials grew up at a time when tech was prominent in the bigger cities that was not always the case in smaller cities. Before you start labeling people you should get to know them.

So what do Millennials want besides a state of the art game controller and a gaming chair. They want much of what others do it is just a little different mix. I have studied Leadership now going on for 30 years and one thing I have discovered is, the name changes but the principles always remain the same. It is still the same if you want to know what a person really needs, you have to get to know them. The leadership trait, of getting to know others, has not been used as effectively in the last few years by many businesses. The reason I know this is because I find when I work with businesses I spend the first few weeks on either communication or how to become a better influencer. Both of these require knowing your people better. Most businesses take very little time to know the people and that has worked for several years. Millennials have had less contact with others in many ways, and as with all human beings we want contact with others.

So as leader we will have to be help them become better communicators in person. So those leadership traits of connection you have not used in a long time, well it is time to dust them off because Millennials need it more than any group that you have had. You know what, those who have been working for you all these years that you have taken for granted; they could use it too. We all like to be appreciated whether you want to admit it or not.

Here is an article I found in Entrepreneur on line by Dixie Gillaspie that is one of the best from what I have studied.

1. They don’t believe in being shackled to tradition or location.

This generation didn’t know a time without digital technology; they were weaned on it. They take for granted that you can put a playroom, a research library, a movie theater, and the yellow pages for the entire world in your pocket.

While farmers were shackled to their fields and pastures, the industrialists were shackled to their factories, and the “mad men” were shackled to their offices, while the office drones were shackled to their cubicles, this generation is shackled only to their devices and the reach of a cell tower or Wi-Fi signal. As cellular and Internet coverage spreads, and devices become more and more powerful and portable, those shackles are becoming less and less restrictive.

This generation has been accused of being lazy. But what generation hasn’t? What I see is that this generation believes in efficiency of effort for maximum impact. And they naturally use technology to achieve it.

I’m reminded of the story of “The Man Who Was Too Lazy to Fail,” which was part of Time Enough For Love by Robert Heinlein. The enterprising hero of the story was charged with the milking of the cows. But he wasn’t one to enjoy being up with the sun and he’d been told that was the time the cows required milking. He soon determined that the cows didn’t give a fig about the time of day, they cared only about frequency and results.

That hero must have been a millennial ahead of his time. Because that’s exactly how this generation seems to approach the demands of any business. They figure out the required outcome and how to get it on their own terms.

2. They don’t believe in the inherent value of face time.

That isn’t to say they aren’t social. Nor is it to say they don’t ever want to take meetings with clients. They just don’t see why people get paid for showing up unless the job requires their physical presence.

Face time, to the millennials I talk to, is more valuable when there’s less of it. When it’s reserved for the really important pow-wows, or when it’s a smaller portion of the day.

This is, of course, a direct consequence of technology as well, because that’s what makes it possible. But it’s also a recognition, I think, that the only way to have it all is to work at maximum efficiency when you work. For the millennial entrepreneur that means fewer face-to-face meetings and more emails, texts, video conference or calls. It means selling results, not hours on the meter or time in the building. The positive aspect of that is that this generation of entrepreneurs is also less likely to fall into the trap of selling their time or becoming a commodity. 

3. They believe in learning, not pieces of paper.

While my clients of other generations are likely to tell me about the degrees they’ve earned, or about the prospects or projects they’re afraid they won’t get because of the degrees they haven’t earned, my millennials talk to me about what they’d need to learn in order to get the gig.

Which isn’t to say this generation doesn’t value a formal education or certifications. But when it comes to personal growth or qualifications they value knowledge and experience more. Time will tell, but while the previous generations seemed to expect that once you graduated your education was finished unless you decided to pursue another degree, the millennials seem to have a mindset of continual learning. And why not? With a connected device they can audit courses from the most revered universities or consult Wikipedia and countless other reference sites. If they need some practical how-to advice they can find a forum or a YouTube video. They can learn continually and cumulatively without compromising their work or lifestyle.

4. They believe in learning from someone else’s experience.

In line with valuing learning over degrees, this generation is all about learning from anyone who has done something they want to do. They gobble up stories of successful trailblazers, they pick the brains of more experienced people in their industry, and they look to everyone from formal advisers to fictional characters as role models.

5. They believe in life, not work-life balance.

I’ve always had clients ask me about work-life balance. Not my millennial clients. They want to talk about designing a life. That life includes their family and friends, it includes their hobbies and pastimes and it includes their business.

While many professionals in my generation are chanting the “what is the world coming to” mantra that sounds just like the one I heard from my parents, and is probably a lot like the one they heard from their parents, I’m excited. While others are saying “these kids have a lot to learn,” I’m thinking these innovators have a lot to teach.

What this article did not really go into was that although they are very connected to their technology it is also an addiction for many. When they are having a bad day they text and wait to see how many people will get back to them the more that connect with them on line the better they feel. It is equivalent to a person who when faced with a problem turns to drinking, eating more, goes shopping or just watches television for 6 hours straight. We all have coping mechanisms that can be harmful to us if we do not have people around we can talk to. People that have connections with others are more stable. This is one thing we will need to do to help millennials learn. I am doing a complimentary course that is short on how to better reach millennials if you are interested contact me at [email protected].