This is a fantastic post by Brad Lomenick, who directed the leadership organization Catalyst for years and is author of The Catalyst Leader: 8 Essentials for Becoming a Change Maker.
Here’s the start of his post:
Young leaders are the future. They actually are the present as well. Lots of leaders ask me how best to lead the millennial generation, basically those born after 1980. We gather thousands of leaders who fit this category on an annual basis, and most of the Catalyst staff are under the age of 30. I have the privilege to get to hang out with 20-somethings a lot, and I’ve noticed some things very particular to this generation.
I have to admit — I don’t always get this right. As a 100% Gen X’er, my tendency is to lean away from several of these points, and lead how I’ve been led over the years by Boomer and Busters. But I’m working on it….
I’ve managed several teams of those in the millennial generation, and totally agree with Brad on his list. The best news of all is that these principles are not just helpful for leading millenials; they are simply good leadership in general. Because millenials tend to get these principles more than most, they tend to be among the most enthusiastic, capable, and committed team members. That’s why I love working with millenials.
In terms of where I fit myself, I was born just a few years before 1980, so I don’t know if I’m a millennial or not. But I do know this: I don’t fit into Gen X. That puts me in some strange sort of in-between category. Perhaps there should be some category for people born right on the boundary between Gen X and millenials. Here’s the take-away on that for me: while Brad points out that sometimes his tendency can be to lean away from some of these points, my tendency can sometimes be to take a few of them too far. It can be hard to get the balance right.
Here are some of the highlights from Brad’s 20 items:
1. Give them freedom with their schedule. I’ll admit, this one is tough for me.
3. Create a family environment. Work, family and social are all intertwined, so make sure the work environment is experiential and family oriented. Everything is connected.
4. Cause is important. Tie in compassion and justice to the “normal.” Causes and opportunities to give back are important.
5. Embrace social media. It’s here to stay.
7. Lead each person uniquely. Don’t create standards or rules that apply to everyone. Customize your approach. (I’ll admit, this one is difficult too!)
10. Give them opportunities early with major responsibility. They don’t want to wait their turn. Want to make a difference now. And will find an outlet for influence and responsibility somewhere else if you don’t give it to them. Empower them early and often.
12. Partnering and collaboration are important. Not interested in drawing lines. Collaboration is the new currency, along with generosity.
13. Not about working for a personality. Not interested in laboring long hours to build a temporal kingdom for one person. But will work their guts out for a cause and vision bigger than themselves.
18. They’ve been exposed to just about everything, so the sky is the limit in their minds. Older leaders have to understand younger leaders have a much broader and global perspective, which makes wowing Millenials much more difficult.
19. Recognize their values, not just their strengths. It ain’t just about the skillz baby. Don’t use them without truly knowing them.
20. Provide a system that creates stability. Clear expectations with the freedom to succeed, and providing stability on the emotional, financial, and organizational side.
Note that these principles are in contrast to the leadership culture that has typically (though not always) been in place from generations before. That leadership philosophy tended to be authoritarian and based on some strange mindset that you should just be happy to have a job, rather than being committed to making a difference (and being given the freedom to do so).
I’m not saying that leadership mindset is what always prevailed in generations past; but millenials seem to “get” leadership and what it takes to make an impact in the world much more intuitively. That’s why knowing the keys for leading 20-somethings is not just important for its own sake; it also helps anyone (whether a millennial or not) simply understand leadership itself better.