How are Millennial Leaders different?
Gen Y has taken our old-school notion of leadership… and flipped it on its head.
I was born in the early 1960s, stuck between the Baby Boomers and the first Gen Xers. To us, leadership was defined by politicians, military generals and captains of industry – as well as the willingness of dedicated workers to do whatever they were told because they were just “lucky to have a job”.
Most of we Boomers – and perhaps the Gen X-ers who followed our sometimes less-than-stellar example of silo-based, autocratic (and often self-indulgent) leadership would agree: the latest generation to serve as leaders in our workforce, the Millennials, has turned leadership into an art form.
Depending on who we talk to, there are many reasons why “leading toward good” has become a compulsory aspect of Millennial leadership. Here a few:
The Willingness to Share
Baby Boomers are notorious for holding our “secret sauce” close to the vest; to this day, we’re unwilling to share critical information that might help others succeed. Out of a sense of professional survival, we too often refused to share. For all but the most secure, mentorship became obsolete.
Gen Y entrepreneurs, however, see the open sharing of information, and the technology that serves as a delivery device, as an integral component of their success. From blogging about “best practices” (an unavailable resource until relatively recently) to open and active mentorship of colleagues and protégés, open distribution of knowledge is critical to the sharing aspect of today’s new leaders.
The latest generation to serve as leaders in our workforce, the Millennials, has turned leadership into an art form.
The Appeal of Success (Regardless of Who Gets the Credit)
Gen Y, as a stereotype that pushes 80 million individuals in the US alone into one being, is absolutely driven to success. Better said, Gen Y is driven by their own definition of success.
They’ve heard all the rhetoric about “go to school, get good grades, go to college and get a good job”. This decades old theory-turned-myth has not served them well. Neither has the notion that we’ll go to work for the same company for 40 years and walk away with that worthless gold watch at retirement.
Instead, they believe in the power of teamwork. They collaborate incessantly, even with would-be competitors. They hire and mentor their replacements, sometimes to their detriment. And, when projects go well and organizational milestones are exceeded… they distribute credit to others. To these new leaders, the mission comes first; personal accolades will come later.
The Desire to Learn While Leading
Millennials are often accused of being “entitled” and unwilling to “pay their dues.” What if we took a different look at this group and thought, “We must admire their desire to serve as leaders – and learn from their mistakes in the process – rather than wait years and years to step into some corporate-mandated leadership roles.”
They’ve heard all the rhetoric about “go to school, get good grades, go to college and get a good job”. This decades old theory-turned-myth has not served them well.
At YouTern, we work with emerging Millennial talent every day. We are constantly amazed at how they covet leadership roles, not from an ego-driven perspective as may be the perception, but from the desire to effect change. The theory seems to be, “I believe I am just as capable of gaining support, motivating, and leading as the generations before me. Why should I wait for permission to lead?”
Gen Y didn’t invent all the tools and methods that make them some of today’s most effective leaders. However, while they serve as role models to Gen Z and all who follow, Millennials have already shown the potential to create art in the form of inspiration-driven, precedent-setting, working-toward-good leadership.
Art by Kerozuki