adminZachary Aldwin Milkshake in The Boardroom
Millennials are hot. Not in the good looks way, but millennials are a hot topic at the moment. A Millennial is a person who reached adulthood in and shortly after the year 2000. While there are no fixed dates, millennials are roughly the current 18-35-year-old age group. As the current new spenders on the block their behaviour has implications for your business. They are the new parents, new home owners, the recent college graduates and the new wave of entrepreneurs disrupting the way business and life in general is done.
If you are an older person and hiring someone young the chances are you have no understanding of how they operate or think because it is so alien to the way you were at the same age.
Millennials have grown up in a connected world that has had more global networking than ever before. The awareness that you are one of seven billion people has never been higher. With the disruption of borders by the internet and the consequent ability to network and have business models that no longer fit the classic hierarchical system.
Millennials are more flexible, more tech savvy, and have more of a desire to stand out. So how do you get on with millennials – whether you are one yourself or an older baby boomer there are a few things that help.
Millennials want purpose. If you want to tap into the productivity of a Millennial give them a valid reason to do.
This reason is not a ‘do the job or get fired’ threat but a plea to their passion and desire to make a difference in the world. If your company does not have a significant vision or purpose motivating it then do not expect to retain millennials on your staff.
If you want to sell to a Millennial more than ever you need to have a fantastic story behind your product.
Millennials want experience. With their ability to process tech at a high rate providing a learning rich environment has appeal to a Millennial.
On-line courses, podcasts, TED talks, the occasional live course are available at a rate of never before. Encourage your millennials employees to take advantage of this; if you are older then tapping into it yourself is not a bad idea either.
Offer seminars, mentorship programmes, study groups as part of your routine to allow sharing and feedback-but make them fun because this brings us to the next point.
Millennials do not value traditional workplace rules. Suits, meetings, clock-in cards, ‘by the book’ rigid rules that exist because someone said so are met with disdain. Usually this is because of the lack of purpose behind the requirement. Millennials want to know the why not just the how.
Being an automated cog in a wheel is the last of their desires. Use this to your advantage and allow them some leeway to figure out better ways of getting the job done.
Chances are millennials can work out a better way of being productive if given a bit of time. A Millennial is less likely to be driven by being having a ‘nine to five’ job that expects them to be at work for a fixed time if they can get the expected work done in a fraction of that time. Project orientated deadlines are a better option than a mere job description when dealing with millennials. The office can be anywhere in today’s networked society as long as the job gets done.
So let’s flip it. What can millennials learn from others that have gone before them? What pitfalls do they need to avoid?
Top of the list is a little less narcissism. Selfies in Barbados-you will be surprised how few people really care.
The world does not revolve around you so become a little more outward looking. Learn to focus on the long term — I have said this before, social media has us looking short term with quick turnarounds.
Building takes time. Realise that just because you can Google it does not mean that you really know it.
There is a false sense of knowledge that happens when it comes to having the world available at the click of a mouse. I can look up how to change a light fitting-this does not make me an electrician.
Finally, we also need to start looking forward to the next generation. In two years’ time those born after 2000 will hit the job market.
The first kids of millennials will probably push back just as hard against their parents’ generation as millennials did.
Spend some time studying young teenagers; invite one into your workplace for the holidays. See how they interact with people and handle media in a different manner to a 25 year old. Use that to start to plan your future.
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