Monday 23 January 2012

Successful Leaders and The Millennial Generation



Much of my time over the last 5 years has been spent interacting with what I learned to describe as the Millennial Generation!

This is the demographic born in the 1980s and early 1990s, and are now well established in junior and middle levels within organisations. I like the Millennial Generation! 



Why do I like them? 
It is because when you engage correctly with them - which is not always easy - you find that they are smart, alert and you can tap-into their energy, technological know-how, creativity, and up-to-date social media intelligence. They challenge what they see; they give you feedback and often don't accept things at face value.

In the workplace today, staying ahead of the competition and demands of customers, as well as being operationally agile, requires a workforce mind-set that moves quickly and is not fazed by communication "noise" that seems to have become the norm.

 The Millennial Generation, when managed right:
  • Brings more energy into the workplace.
  • Is highly productive.
  • Works well with a team.
  • Is happy to share success with others.
  • Loves individuality – yet still desires a team atmosphere.
  • Works harder for managers who they feel understands them.
Engage... Why?
Business Leaders of SMEs and large Corporates are quickly realising that it is in their best interest to foster understanding, that nurtures and utilises the Millennium Generation. 

The challenge that faces them, is how they ensure that their wider management teams will create the sort of engagement that this generation of employees demand! 

Employee engagement is quite a buzz word right now and you see lots of words splashed all over the business networks and blog community. David Cameron stated in early 2011 that he wants to create a "Guru Group" to lead the way in how best to guide and encourage organisations to invest time and strategy in creating better levels of employee engagement. Initiatives like this are just what are needed for the present and future, so long as we all understand that the Millennium Generation will be a driving force in many of the initiatives that evolve. 

Managers do and will continue to directly impact upon employees day-today working lives and as such need to come to the party in terms of delivering the kind of engaged team that we need.

7-pointers I Share With My Clients’ Teams
  1. The smart manager takes advantage of this generation's intelligence, energy, and technological know-how.
  2. The smart manager insists on learning how to manage the Millennial Generation – soon to become the largest group of workers in the UK.
  3. The smart manager adapts to these fast-changing, uncertain times – and believes that success comes in the continual interaction for new ideas.
  4. The smart manager learns from everyone, everything, and everywhere.
  5. The smart manager promotes a message of hope, hard work, and success.
  6. The smart manager has learned – already! – How to manage the Millennial Generation.
  7. The smart manager understands the Millennials – and uses this information wisely.

Okay then, to summarise 
2012 is going to be a demanding climate for us all, organisations need to be forward thinking and to benchmark the most successful management teams (shown in the Times Top 100 Companies to Work For) helps to show that they have developed ways of creating truly engaged, motivated and yes inclusive teams. Within many of them, the Millennium Generation is active.

My advice to any Business Leaders and their managers, is to fully embrace your Millennium Generation employees. Engage with them, win their trust and look for ways to tap-into what they posses. Then at the same time, engage with the vast experience that exists within the mature employees, to then blend together a potent cocktail of fully functioning and focused teams who are emotionally connected to the overall objectives…

Engage, engage, engage.... the People Factor is already driving your workplace!

Until next time… Jay

1 comment:

  1. Why not leave me your thoughts in relation to this post!

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