Millennials get tagged as entitled, if you want to find the source of those attributes try parking or standing in line at Costco. That pattern of adults behaving badly has been handed down from generations. If you are raising millennials or generation next and you are concerned that they might turn out like those kids, take an inventory of your own practices and attitudes as so much of what children become is caught more than it is taught. Set a good example and do your best to raise them right, the habits of upcoming generations may be more of a mirror than we would like to admit.
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Adventures of a Breach Millennial In A World Of Business DisruptionFirst off, I would like to start a designation of my own. If the term Millennial is going to be thrust upon me, I reserve the right to restore some ownership of the term by referring to myself as a Breach Millennial (BM). One thing about being a Millennial is that you don't get to choose whether you are or not, classification depends upon selection of arbitrarily fluctuating dates and the assertions of a secret society of generational dignitaries. So, Breach Millennial is one who teeters between generational markers, someone like myself who is Gen X and/or Gen Y depending of who is ordaining the categorization. As a Breach Millennialist, I have some life experiences that are more in common with Gen X than I do with Pure Millennials and one hit me rather abruptly as I sat in front of a national chain of Orange Chicken producing fast food restaurants. As a sidenote, for the purposes of this collection of ramblings, the significant distinction between a Breach Millennialist and a Pure Millenialist would be whether one can quote Top Gun...if you don't know what Top Gun is - you are a Pure Millennial. No shame in that. Not having observed or knowing Top Gun, there is shame in that. I grew up in a small town, going to the video store was one of few universe expanding escapes from our slow paced reality. All that separated me from other worlds were several miles which friends and I could usually traverse on bicycles or as we grew older and were allowed further from the bramble, rides with friends. As I entered neared closer to the finale of my primary education experience and teetered into adulthood the portal were non existent as I had my own video store membership and my own motor vehicle. One experience these younger generations, my own four children included, will never have reference for is the trip to the video store where you spend over an hour reading the backs of VHS tapes to decide which 5 movies you will take home for The Weekend Special. These are foundational decision metrics and formative processes that Pure Millennials will have to develop through other mean as movies for them come from a brightly colored boxes stationed outside the Golden Arches or are viewed on their non-movie-screen-sized handheld devices. Where is this story going? Probably nowhere, but you've come this far...let's see what we can do. Back to Orange Chicken...there I was, sitting in my badass minivan, staring at a building - THAT USED TO BE A BLOCKBUSTER (did you hear tones of a Jeff Foxworthy-esque delivery there too? Probably only if you are a BM) but is now a Rice-or-Noodles assembly line and a chain dental service provider. That building used to be filled with multiple copies of varying degrees of cinematic accomplishments, now it's Beef & Broccoli with a side of halitosis. Why did Blockbuster die? Wait, did you just say, "What's Blockbuster?" Well, young PM, that used to be where you picked up your movies. It's hard to explain but they were HUUUUGE. They died because they couldn't see the future. Redbox popped up, and at first it was a luxury because movies were $1 instead of $5 (or more). Hollywood Video disappeared even before Redbox got popular, but there was no way that Blockbuster would falter, they were too big to fail, too entrenched in the culture. And yet it happened, an un-manned video portal with only a few copies of each move played the role of David and shot a industry transforming rock right through the Blockbuster storefront with its thousands of copies of every movie known to humanty, and exploded the bearded head of the video rental giant. Supposedly Redbox and Blockbuster met at one point to discuss merging or working together...hindsight? The video renting Philistines were shocked, but the mediums through which we receive content are constantly changing, and mammoth corporations such as Blockbuster are being disrupted by innovation. If conventional wisdom says, "If it isn't broke, don't fix it," those that live by that philosophy better hope their retirement success isn't anchored to the sinking ship they are toiling their productive years away in. The reality is that everything around us is changing, the only constant is that the rate of change is accelerating. There is a strong possibility that Redbox will face it's Blockbuster moment far sooner than Blockbuster did, not because they aren't smart people but because of acceleration. So what do we do, whether you think you are in a progressive field or know you are in an industry prime for disruption, we all have to keep pace with the music. There are no safe bets, but the best practice is to be engaging in leading the disruption rather than waiting for the tsunami to rip through your efforts. How do we innovate, progress and even disrupt ourselves to keep our teams moving forward? I wish I could take full credit for the next analogy, but I was listening to the Awesome Office Podcast with guest Andres Izquieta, CEO of Four Club and he shared a story about Steve Jobs. Izquieta noted that Steve Job's favorite invention was the Sony Walkman (Pure Millennials who are still reading - Google it) which lead Jobs into creating the iPod (originally released in 2001) and completely disrupted the medium through which the public listened to music while starting a ripple through the music industry itself (another industry that was too HUUUUUGE to be disrupted). Apple made significant waves with designs, marketing, capacity and the availability of a music library at your fingertips. Because of Jobs all those Sony Walkman's were rapidly being distributed to Goodwill or the dump along with the three ring binders full of thousands of dollars worth of compact discs (sorry PM's, I know, no reference). So, on that seventh day, Steve Jobs rested and remained satisfied in his turtle neck perch for the rest of time - right? Nope. Six years later, Apple released the iPhone which now gave you calls, text, camera and music all in one handheld device. Steve Jobs didn't wait for disruption, he disrupted himself and in so doing made his prior success (the iPod) an obsolete vessel. Think of this, disrupt yourself while people are still trying to copy your original innovation and by so doing initiate your own prior success' death. Not all changes and disruptions are as sexy or make as far reaching of an impact, but the acceleration of the system shows no signs of slowing. If you are near retirement, you may have been smart enough to save up and ride out your days enjoying the fruits of your labors with the ones you love most. If you are starting your career, are in its prime or in the post mid-life crisis phase, you have to stay on your toes. What shall we do? I don't have the answer but a few thoughts. 1) Think about your people - what are you doing as an organization to engage the culture, the community and the system of commerce? Do you have people on your team that are ready to face the challenges of the new economy are you empowering them to help you identify and disrupt your organization? Is your team embracing cross generational integration of ideas and collectively working to recognize and battle against entrophy? 2) Think about your processes, what are you doing as an organization that doesn't make sense? Get to work on fixing your own solvable internal problems - don't procrastinate. Small problems can become big ones when thrown in with acceleration. Not all innovations and disruptions are about massive scale or having the greatest idea of all time, there are many thriving businesses who have made a good living with serving niche markets with quality. 3) Think about your position, what is your organization doing that is making a difference in the lives of your customers and the world as a connected system? Al Gore has literally brought the global economy to our fingertips through his invention, don't miss your opportunities to be an agent of the larger picture through engagement in your local communities. It's not always bigger is better, but acceleration requires attention to cultural and marketplace shifts and meeting those challenges. 4) Think about the public that you serve, are you getting feedback from those who are invested in your brand as well as those who are not customers? Both groups can provide you with important data to determine how your products and services are being translated to those who may be willing to spend their hard earned dollars with your organization. 5) Think about the person in the mirror, what are you doing as a leader to identify, embrace and battle the challenges of the marketplace that you compete in? Are you leading by example by developing your knowledge, skills and perspectives? As I was recently challenged by our local group of Young Professionals - Get #INformed. Get #INspired. Get #INvolved. You don't have to start wearing a turtle neck and jeans, but if you think it will help...you're wrong. Reach out and connect with other professionals, together we are stronger. If you're ever in the Eugene, Oregon area - let's get some coffee. We have awoken to a world and a work place that no longer reflect the environments and relationships of yesteryear. This new world is populated by a new generation of persons who share a new language, a new code and it is difficult to process that a bunch of youngsters will soon be running the world. If you are starting to say phrases like, "Back in my day," or "They just don't understand," or "I don't know how to get through to them," congratulations - you are now old. You have a decision to make - A) you can join the traditions of every generation before you and perpetuate a us (ie the good ol boys) versus them (these dang youngsters) OR B) you can recognize that a single noun (regardless of how popular its use) does not define over two decades of persons who are now emerging in the work force. The functional definition of a Millennial (Generation Y) is someone born in the 80's or 90's, more specific references state 1982 - 1994. This makes an interesting distinction, if you aren't quick with math, if you have an employee who is 21 years of age, as of 2016 that would put their birth date at 1995 which would technically classify them as Generation Z aka iGen (not as popular in our vernacular). As a member of Generation Y, born right on the transition point from Generation X to Y, I am uniquely qualified to assist with whispering into productive relational connection points for those who sincerely want to expand their understanding. Classification Is Not Realistic The first step towards productively engaging Millennials is to understand that the term does not define the individuals. Already there is such a negative connotation around the word Millennial that mentioning it does not help you connect, it creates a barrier. Are you defined by your generational category? When you were coming up the ranks with your first job, your first promotion at a young age, your first assignment of positional importance - how were you treated by the generations before you? Deal with individuals rather than define generations. Connection Isn't That Hard Are you so far removed from your professional journey that you cannot remember the generational obstacles you faced climbing the corporate ladder as a youngster? Do you remember those who opposed you just because of your age or your lack of experience? If you can tap back into that time in your life, you can empathize with your team members who are working to grow as humans and desire to be productive employees. Look past age and follow the effort. Who was the first person that gave you a shot or mentored you through your initial challenges as a young professional - it's now your turn to pay it forward. Mentor through empathy to create real connections. Categorization Is Not Productive Every generation has their lazy slobs but they also have their shinning stars. Like your generation, you respect your peers who have worked hard and made something of their opportunities while you detest that older generations would classify your generation as this or that because of a few degenerates who made a bad name for the whole group. If you interact with hard working Millennials you will find that they are as upset with those of their own generation who are dragging their efforts into question. Millennials can be your greatest asset to understanding, engaging and empowering other Millennials if you can create trust within their core group. Millennial Whisperer - Key # 1 Like most relationships, trust is built one small brick at a time. If you are able to create an open discussion with your team members, you will need to listen closely for the opportunities and make sure that you follow through. Most likely you will be given small openings in the trust circle and you will be watched closely to see if you do what you say you are going to do. If you make a promise, you better make good on it. No one can build or destroy your relationship with Millennials faster than you. With rising divorce rates, declining educational environments and political dissatisfaction, Millennials are used to being disappointed by authority structures. If you are overtly authoritative in your management style, you will not maximize your effectiveness in engaging the potential of your Millennial workforce. Engage the potential by creating an open culture in your organization and empowering all of your team members to input and own the solutions to the challenges your team is facing. Step 1 - Stop using "Millennial" immediately Step 2 - Empathize Step 3 - Engage Step 4 - Follow through. See above - LISTEN CLOSELY. @iz_fnb Discuss creative solutions for employee engagement and development with MIZDOTBIZ |
AuthorThoughts on personal and professional development. Jon Isaacson, The Intentional Restorer, is a contractor, author, and host of The DYOJO Podcast. The goal of The DYOJO is to help growth-minded restoration professionals shorten their DANG learning curve for personal and professional development. You can watch The DYOJO Podcast on YouTube on Thursdays or listen on your favorite podcast platform.
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