Do you have "Millennials" as part of your network? You should...

Recently I caught up with some colleagues who are part of the very much talked about "Millennial" demographic; I consider them friends and part of my network so our range of topics were broad... everything from up coming proposals, to the trials and tribulations in the work place. As a late stage baby boomer, insight into their world is familiar enough, as I've been there and done that; but at the same time, they offer insight with regard to leadership, development and success in our ever-evolving world.

They say 80 Million plus "Millennials" are entering the work force in North America alone and represent the largest group to enter the work-force since the baby boomers; as a result of shear numbers, they are a force to be dealt with as you manage your business. A few points regarding the Millennials to ground us all and do remember this is from the perspective of a Non-Millennial - 

• The "Millennial" demographic is defined as anyone born after the early 1980's through to the late 1990's.
• Also known as the Y Generation.
• They tend to be well educated.
• Very technologically savvy.
• Like to operate in a team environment.
• Very sensitive to a work / life balance.
• Have aggressive expectations regarding careers, career development and career advancement (from and entry level position to Director in five years).
• Have a very high sense of self worth and ability... to the point of being perceived as arrogant and particularity self entitled.
• If not happy with a current situation they are very comfortable with making changes by "moving on to something else".
• The younger the "Millennial", the more profound these points are.

As a leader or a manager of "Millennials" I suspect you are nodding your head and saying to yourself, "Yes, that it about right. Look at what I have to deal with"... where I suspect if you are a "Millennial", you are saying something along these lines, " Yup that sounds about right... deal with it" - (Be Honest). 

More and more leaders and people managers are struggling to manage a growing percentage of this demographic on their teams, as well as a growing number of employees struggle with the working environment they find themselves in - There is a growing frustration with leadership, people management, building stable teams, as well as creating a environment for sustainable success. And this situation is destined to become more and more real as new economies continue to emerge, organizations struggle to achieve the bottom line and the need to have extremely effective teams just to survive... let alone thrive.

As my Millennial friends offer me their thoughts, it became very clear that they found themselves struggling with a few core themes and by extension struggling with their business pursuits. I am not suggesting these are all the struggles going on with "Millennials", but I have heard before:

• Career and skill development, as well as the next steps in advancement.
• Leadership motivation and inspiration.

Some quick thoughts on what I heard around the table (with wine in hand I should add)...

As career development and skill development goes, let me offer a perspective that I know my "Millennial" friends and colleagues do not like to hear; it is a "truism" that can not be disregarded, no matter how much you want to believe it to the contrary - Skill development needed for career development and advancement takes time... 10,000 hours for mastery they say. Although becoming a little trite, it is a fair benchmark with knowing when you will be good at what you do. So if career discussions is being discussed in months, and not years, there is truly a disconnect with expectations. And this makes for a very nice segue into the next point...

Although "Millennials" are looking for candid conversations regarding skill development, opportunity, performance and career advancement, what they are truly looking for from their leaders is "inspiration and motivation". They will look for this as individuals, and for the team in the broader sense (remember, by nature, they are team oriented, so they will speak for the team as a way of speaking for themselves). If you are a people leader, particularly if "Millennials" are involved, you need to ensure inspiration and motivation is part of your Leadership DNA - This is a full stop requirement when you lead "Millennials"; not simply a nice to have.

One last comment when it comes to leadership... it is a not a "directional sport" where leadership is just from the top... remember there is an expectation for everyone to manage up, down and side ways. The leader sets the tone for this, but in the end it is a "participation sport".

I appreciate the insights of my "Millennial" friends and they make up a key component of my professional network... they offer me a much needed perspective when looking at the situations and problems of the day. I highly recommend you get them into your network.

In the same breath, I hope they are saying, "I am glad I have an 'old guy' as part of my network" (or something to this affect)... which sometimes may be hard, as it is not part of their DNA.

Something to be worked on for sure.

gpe

Be Epic...

I was at a cycling event last weekend* and a friend arrived "sporting" a new T-shirt that said, "BE EPIC".

There was something in this simple phrase that caught the imagination and whispered countless possibilities- The deeds and adventures of heroic and legendary figures; stories standing the test of time... all Homer-like in grandeur. We were all caught up with the emotion of these two words, and shared the greater meaning among ourselves. 

Striving to "BE EPIC" is a stretch goal if ever there was one... it will take you places that you never thought you could go, and on adventures you didn't realize were in you; the only place for big, big dreams - "BE EPIC" makes for a great mantra! 

And then someone** said, "Or maybe, the shirt says BEE PIC." 

Looking at the stylized lettering, and with a little imagination, it wasn't hard to see how you could come up with "BEE PIC"... and of course that is short for "BEE PICTURE". With that, I just started to smile. 

By saying "Or maybe, the shirt says, BEE PIC", I was reminded that different perspectives will let you see different things... and "different" will lead to new thoughts, ideas, impressions and interpretations. For me, I was literally reminded of The Bumble Bee, a blog entitled " Every man has a story... even the Bumble Bee" and those characteristics we should emulate.

So now when I put on my "BE EPIC" T-shirt, I am reminded of this - 

• Dream and set your goals with EPIC proportion.
• Look at the world differently and embrace those who do.
• Be industrious and never underestimate the importance of hard work.
• Believe in what you are able to do... and do it.
• In the end, only true character is left standing.

And yes I bought a T-shirt.... wouldn't you?

gpe

* The cycling event was a Princess Margaret Ride to Conquer Cancer, where 4,799 of my closest friends and I rode 223 kilometers and raised $19 Million. I big thanks to Huey, Dewey and Puddly for riding with me... it was a pleasure and an honour.

**It was Huey. Introduced in a blog entitled "Reflections".

Yes it's a game... but what exactly are the rules?

Patented in 1933 and sold to Parker Brothers, Monopoly is a board game that is standing the test of time; playing Monopoly is where most of us are given our first glimpse into "business". You open the box, set up the board, pick your favorite token, distribute the appropriate money and brush up on the rules that are conveniently provided. The dice is rolled and the game begins. A couple of hours later someone inevitably leaves disgruntle after they turn over all of their holdings and declare bankruptcy - They say Business (and Life for that matter) is a game and should be treated as such.

I don't remember anyone giving me $200 for just passing "GO"; it seemed I had to do much more. And I sure don't remember seeing a set of neatly typed up instructions as to how to play. Did they fall out of the box when we were setting up? It seems I am in the middle of an engaging game and have picked up some of the rules on the way. This is what I have gleaned so far - 

Knowledge allows you to play the game better: Search it out formally and/or informally. There is some knowledge that allows you to play the game better and with some advantage; understand what you need and what you are good at - Then learn to get really good. What can make it tricky is knowledge and ability valuable today, may not be in the future. Maintaining the momentum of learning to "retool your knowledge base" is key.

You play with people, so build reliable networks: Playing the game requires a wide range of people who can teach, council, mentor and motivate you. This will support you intellectually and emotionally, as well as afford you the opportunity to meet people who can help you play longer and better.

Be Trusted and Reliable: People want to play with people that they can rely on, and who can be trusted to "do what they say, and say what they do".

There are times the game is not fun to play: There are times the dice do not roll your way, you go directly to jail and won't pass "GO", or just can't seem to make that trade for the final property to give you a monopoly. When it doesn't go your way, you need to keep focusing on action to make things happen. And remember, if you are not having fun, you may have you ask yourself, "Why am I playing this particular game?"

Achieve... do not compete: Look to your own goals and work to achieve them - Celebrate your achievements, as well as those of others - Achievement tends to be infectious. If you find yourself competing with someone and their goals, you have shifted the game away from you and to someone else. You cannot achieve someone else's goals... just your own.

"Winning and Loosing" is a spectrum, so play the game with character: There is no absolute winning or loosing in this game, just degrees...there will always be someone "winning" a little bit more, or loosing a little bit more. And this can change in a week, and is the nature of the game, so be ready. Grace is something that will serve you well with the other players, no matter where you find yourself in the game.

Be balanced, as this game of business is not the only one: There is other games that we play and they are all connected... look after your health, share your heart and watch a sun set. 

Well that is what I have so far, but as I say, I am still playing. 

gpe