Dear HR: Please help us Millennials learn to lead
You’ve heard it before: Millennials are destroying everything.
Banks. The real estate industry. Traditional 9-to-5 jobs. Even the English language.
We wouldn’t call it destroying, personally. But it’s certainly true we have a different way of living and doing things.
We’re pro-jugglers: hustling from work to the gym to a social event to working on a freelance gig at home on the side of normal work is just what we do. We’re accustomed to jumping quickly from one thing to the other. It’s not that our attention span is short – it’s hyperactive.
We’re digital first. We’ve grown up with smartphones and this has given us so much opportunity, which we’re grateful for. It’s sustainable and it’s easy. That’s why we’re so incredibly productive, and can balance all the above while still (frequently) checking email at 10pm on a Friday.
But most of all, we want to contribute. We want to have a positive impact. Did you know that over 90% of Millennials want to become leaders?
For us, leadership is about empowering others. We don’t just want fame, credit, or a nice salary. We want to feel like we’re making a difference.
And here’s the thing: we’re already 50% of the workforce. And by 2025, that will be over 75%. The time for Millennial leaders is now.
But let’s be honest: We’re not really sure we know how to lead. It’s a different world. We’re eager to be challenged, to grow and develop – but most of us feel we’re lacking the skills necessary.
In fact, 55% percent of Millennials view leadership opportunities as a key consideration when looking at new jobs – but the same percentage doesn’t feel satisfied with the leadership opportunities being offered.
As it turns out, studies have shown that over half of managers don’t even get any leadership training…but even the leadership trainings that do exist don’t fully support new leaders in the needs of today. We learn the most by doing, but the format of traditional leadership training is more geared towards theory, and we leave with a physical paper compendium in hand. And yeah, we’ll be honest – it’s hard to remember all we heard at the event and try to implement those learnings into our crazy juggle routines.
But we want to make it work. We really do.
Millennials view leadership as something inclusive and collaborative, where we can work together to help each other improve.
We believe that these are the sorts of opportunities which should be available for everyone. Democratic, if you will. Each one of us wants to maximize our potential.
We do want to lead. But we need some help. Help us get the training we need – not over a weekend, but every day. We’re willing to put in the effort. But meet us halfway – make it accessible. Online, but relevant here and now, in the real world. Something bite-sized, an action we can implement at work on a daily basis to really start making a difference then and there.
You have decades of expertise on leading yourselves and others. You know how to create purpose-driven teams, have tough dialogues, and foster innovation. We admire your skills and we want to learn from you – but let us learn the way we learn best.
Daily. Digital. Democratic. Now that sounds like a plan we can get onboard with.
Help empower us, so we can empower others.
Sincerely,
The Yomento Millennials
About Yomento: Our mission is to empower 1 billion people to apply leadership skills at work, to create a better world. We do this by inspiring people to take daily action, with a unique leadership training app offering bite-sized exercises to implement on the job. Learn more and try it out here.
