Millennials and Leadership
The third annual Deloitte Millennial Survey 2014 includes the following:
“Organizations must nurture emerging leaders. Over one in four Millennials are ‘asking for a chance’ to show their leadership skills. Additionally, 75 percent believe their organizations could do more to develop future leaders.”
So, there you are with Millennials pouring into your workforce. You need leaders now. You need leaders in the future. A quarter of those people are looking for an opportunity to lead. And those people are right, most companies, probably including your company, can do more to develop effective future leaders.
The Millennials Compared to Other Generations
There’s been a lot of nonsense written about how the Millennials are totally different from every other generation that’s ever lived. That’s hogwash. They’ve got the same basic human desires and ambitions as every other generation. Your job is to create a leadership development program that fulfills those basic human needs.
Even so, Millennials are a product of a unique blend of parenting and environmental influences. There are ways that they are different from other generations. Your job is to tease out the key differences and consider them when you plan leadership development.
How One Company is Meeting the Challenges
From Susan Peters: How GE Is Attracting, Developing, and Retaining Global Talent
“We recently convened a team of 21 millennials from various GE businesses and functions around the world for a special three-month assignment: identify ways to attract, develop, and retain talent in the future. We named the effort “Global New Directions,” and we knew we’d picked the right people almost immediately when they told us that they didn’t want to retain employees, they wanted to inspire them.”
Resources that Will Help
From Josh Bersin: Millennials Will Soon Rule The World: But How Will They Lead?
“In the last few years there has been a lot of research on Millennials and how they’re different. But a new topic has now come up in many of my conversations with HR and business executives: What is their leadership style and how will they lead? The answer to this question is important. Your ability to attract, develop, and retain young leaders will make or break your company in the coming years.”
http://www.forbes.com/sites/joshbersin/2013/09/12/millenials-will-soon-rule-the-world-but-how-will-they-lead/
From Center for Creative Leadership: Generation Y: Attitude and Talent at Work
“Companies face a struggle finding the balance between offering an environment suitable to younger employees and engaging the older generation to retain their skills, experience and knowledge. Generation-specific human resource, management and leadership strategies are now at the fore of developing and retaining a qualified and flexible modern workforce.”
