Millennials are counting on their workplaces to nurture their leadership potential so they can contribute personally and professionally to the vitality and sustainability of their organizations. Learning how to adapt to millennials’ professional development preferences is key to improving retention, loyalty and quality of work. In this blog, we explore some of the ways you can get the most out of your workforce with leadership development for millennials, so they can give the most to your business.
Create a Formalized Mentorship Program
Mentorship requires time, thoughtfulness and scheduling. It’s not enough just to bump elbows with your millennial workers at the water cooler. They want to participate in formalized mentorship through leadership training programs where they are matched with someone they can solicit meaningful feedback from. Support fruitful mentorship collaborations by creating a framework that will ensure your millennial participants see the value of their engagement in this initiative.
Lead Millennials Through Empowerment
Millennials don’t want to be talked at, lectured or made to feel incompetent. They are not looking to be micromanaged, but instead, are seeking a leader who motivates them by effectively balancing trust, empowerment and constructive guidance. Treat millennials with respect; give them opportunities to shine; and don’t make assumptions about what they do and do not care about.
Incentivize and Guide Developing Leaders
Millennials are eager for feedback. If they are doing a great job, they hope their team leader will let them know. Be it a quick email specifically highlighting the job well done – or a shoutout during a team meeting – saying what is going well will signal that level of work is appreciated and increase the likelihood it continues. Alternatively, if one of your millennial leaders misses the mark on something, let them know in a way that focuses on next steps and solutions, rather than overt criticism.
Be Flexible & Recognize Individuality
We are making suggestions about what millennials are seeking in terms of leadership development, but what we are certainly not doing is saying all millennials are the same and want the same things. Cater your leadership style and expectations to each unique individual you work with. Be cognizant about how people like to work and where. Consider making work training fun by incorporating game-like programming, allowing for digital platform engagement and leveraging authentic, real-world scenarios. Align with and empower personal preferences as much as possible, and your investment in Millennial leadership will be returned in spades.
Connect with Learn2 to Build Your Millennial Leaders
From supporting your organization to create a formal mentorship program through to designing individualized personal development plans, Learn2 can support you to cultivate Millennial leadership potential in bold and rewarding ways. Connect with our team today and let’s chat about how we can help your organization realize the next generation of capable, compassionate and creative leaders.
