How do you bring new talent into your organization? What’s the biggest challenge for leaders in almost all midmarket organizations? I find the biggest challenge is how entrepreneurs attract millennials to their organization.
Don’t worry; I’ve got significant experience working with millennials both in high school and college. You’re going to enjoy working with them!
Earlier this week, I talked about how to work with us boomers. Today, I share several key secrets to help you attract, develop, and retain the most talented millennials. I’ll share what I’ve learned from many of the world’s most gifted organizations. All successful organizations today invest time and resources to develop and retain their most talented millennials. These organizations are building a great future by understanding several key ideas in creating a great management pipeline.
I’ve taught a number of undergraduate classes over the past years and I have learned several things from my millennial students. I’ve also spent significant time working with many high school athletes. I share them in hopes that you use this information to help make your business a great place to work and invest their lives. If not, there will be many other companies willing to take your future leaders and treat them well!
The first key I learned is millennials don’t mind working hard. Despite the myth that they are not looking to make their work a priority, I have found many of them to be very hard workers. Actually, let me rephrase that, they are very smart workers. They were brought up with technology and are very good at getting things done quickly and easily if we let them. Asking your millennials to do things the way you do them is a sure formula for failure. Give them the freedom to make it fun and you will get outstanding results!
The second key I learned is millennials are very good at high speed collaboration. I’ve discovered if you allow a manager or team leader to run a project it gets done more quickly than I could have imagined. If you want people to collaborate more effectively, help millennials to get to know other members on their team. Most people place a high value on teamwork but today there are so many ways to collaborate in virtual communities. Millennials are very good at understanding what the outcome is and how to work together to get that result. The downside is it is very hard to micromanage a person who seems to be working at the speed of light.
The third key I learned is millennials have a wide range of interests and have many different ways to learn things they need to know. When I get stuck on social media or WordPress I’ve found that my millennials have many different ways of teaching me things. They are patient, or put another way, they are willing to mentor me to an easier way of doing things. Many millennials know how they learn best and if you ask them, they will share it with you. Once you know this it will be easier to share things with them.
The fourth key I learned is millennials enjoy spending time with family and friends. Millennials are great connectors and, if you let them, very capable recruiters for your organization. If you invest some time sharing what you’re looking for they will help you find them. I’m always surprised that more organizations don’t send their millennials on campus to recruit fellow team members. Try it and you’ll never have problems finding great people again.
A warning here, this means you should invest more time finding and attracting great millennials for your teams early. Great people know other great people and so and so on.
Finally, share your vision with your millennial team members. Then ask them to help it evolve. If you let your team members contribute to your organization’s evolving mission, vision, and values, you will have engaged team members. To me, it’s the difference between motivation and inspired person. When was the last time you heard about a motivated artist? Millennials want to make their lives a masterpiece. This means they require more flexibility when working with them, but the benefit is they help you create an organization that stands the test of time.
Next Tuesday, Dennis will be back sharing his ideas on your generation and several great tips to help you build a great multigenerational team. See you next Tuesday.