Everybody seems to have an opinion about Millennials. Some think they are good: a talented, team-oriented, hard working bunch who will transform the workplace. Others think they are bad: an entitled cohort of brats who demand rewards they haven’t earned.
Whichever side you’re on, most people agree that the next big challenge for companies around the world is changing leadership development to fit this latest “new” generation.
Leadership Development for Millennials
I’m pretty sure that most of the things that constitute good leadership development practice will remain valid. After all, Millennials are human beings and human nature hasn’t changed in a very long time.
I’m also sure that Millennials, as a group, are different from previous generations. But every generation is different from the ones that came before. That’s how the world works. Some differences in Millennial attitudes and expectations and experience will demand differences in the way we deliver leadership development.
No matter how different the Millennial generation is from those that came before, you still have to develop leaders one at a time. That’s not going to change.
Some Resources on Leadership Development for Millennials
“Even as employers focus on ways to attract and retain today’s younger workers, they must also begin to prepare for the next imminent challenge: guiding Millennials into leadership roles. To successfully accomplish this will require capitalizing on the Millennials’ generational strengths and helping them overcome perceived weaknesses.”
From Herman Marino: 4 Ways To Develop Millennial Leaders
“In 2020, just five short years from today, Millennials will represent almost half of America’s workforce and an equal number of leadership positions in companies both large and small. As you review Millennial employees on your team, who stands out as one of your next leaders? More importantly, how do you keep potential team leaders engaged in your business and not lose them to a competitor?”
From Ray Williams: Millennials and the Impending Leadership Development Crisis
“Millennials consistently rate leadership development among the most important employer benefits. At the same time, they expect it to be delivered differently from that to Baby Boomers, expecting it to be highly individualized and on-demand and experiential in nature. More than 60% of the respondents indicated companies are not providing sufficient leadership training.”
From Roy Maurer: Millennials Expect Raises, Promotions More Often than Older Generations
“Millennial workers—those in their 20s and early 30s—set themselves apart from older generations by being more likely to expect raises, promotions and bonuses more than once a year; more likely to view having their own office as a right; and more actively looking for new job opportunities, according to survey results.”
From Stephanie Neal: Engaging Millennials: Focus on the Leader, Not the Label
“We explored data from over 13,000 leaders who responded to the Global Leadership Forecast 2014|2015 to identify what experiences most impact their engagement and likelihood to stay with their organizations. In particular, Millennials’ engagement and retention was most significantly impacted by these seven conditions.”
