They’re Here
Posted: August 20, 2015 Filed under: Business, Demographics, Leadership | Tags: baby boomers, Millenials Leave a commentIt’s difficult to overstate the impact of millennials in the workplace. An interesting tension has developed as they have become the largest working generation, but their power is tempered by the fact that many organizations are led by their baby boomer predecessors. In roughly ten years, however, millenials will be taking the helm in droves. How differences in work styles, lifestyles and values are respected (or not respected) will shape the future of business.
If you’ve ever found yourself questioning the work ethic of millenials or simply not understanding how and why they do what they do, take a gander at Why Millennials Understand the Future of Work Better Than Anyone Else. Maybe you’ll come to appreciate that, “…millennials are perfectly positioned to create the sustainable independent work economy that we—and they—need.”
If you haven’t done so already, getting up to speed on the nature and traits of millennial employees should be a priority for any leader. The payoff will be not only be easing the transition, but also maximizing the talents of this unique group.
Additional resources:
- How Aging Millennials Will Affect Technology Consumption
- Instill a Sense of Purpose, Unleash Better Performance
- If Millennials Ruled the Corporate World
- This year, Millennials will overtake Baby Boomers
- Millennials a Catalyst for Innovation
- The Deloitte Millennial Survey 2015
Weekly Download 14.16
Posted: July 30, 2014 Filed under: Business, Demographics, Technology, Weekly Download | Tags: 3D printing, Dr. Ichak Kalderon Adizes, Generation Flux, kiosk technology, Millenials Leave a comment
Here’s a recap of news and notes from around the Web that caught my attention over the past week or so.
How to assess how business-centric you really are: IT is rapidly becoming front-stage in solving business issues. This rubric is a good way to examine one’s focus.
The App I Used to Break Into My Neighbor’s Home: With an attention-grabbing headline, this article explores the nefarious use of 3D printing and kiosk technology. But aren’t physical keys on the way out? I think that a lot more damage can be done with either password hacking or a crowbar.
It’s easy to put labels on people to describe who they are or why they act the way they do. Taking this type of shortcut often has its pitfalls; putting labels on how to manage Millennials is one example. 4 Things You Thought Were True About Managing Millennials (HBR) challenges conventional wisdom about this demographic.
Secrets of Generation Flux (Fast Company): This article summarizes many themes I have been writing about. It also cites one of my favorite authorities on this new world of work (Aaron Levie, CEO and cofounder of Box). While it is fairly long and dates to November of 2012, the information is relevant and insightful. Key quote:
“This is the great challenge of 21st-century leadership. We have grown up with certain assumptions about what works in an enterprise, what the metrics for success are, how we organize and deploy resources. The bulk of those assumptions are wrong now. The world in which we were raised and trained no longer exists. The clarity of words we use to discuss business, standbys like marketplace and competitive advantage, are being redefined and rendered almost meaningless.”
Are We as a Society Falling Apart?: Dr. Ichak Adizes has long been a favorite read. He hits the issue of the decline of mutual trust and respect head on.
Weekly Download 14.6
Posted: May 12, 2014 Filed under: Business, Change, Demographics | Tags: Berkshire Hathaway, change, diversity, leadership, McKinsey & Company, Millenials, National Geographic, Pew Research, The Economist, Warren Buffet Leave a commentHere’s a recap of news and notes from around the Web that caught my attention over the past week or so.
Berkshire Hathaway. Warrant Buffet is 83. His partner Charlie Munger is 90. Berkshire Hathaway has a market value of over $300B. They have a succession plan, but very much still run this holding company. With their recent annual meeting (attended by over 30,000 people in Omaha), there has been some interesting recent reading.
It also reminds me that many of us will continue to work later in life—regardless of our financial situation.
Change leader, change thyself. How we examine our own “profile” and understand our modes of operating to help effect larger change.
Millennials in Adulthood. What a fascinating generation. Detached, yet networked. Distrustful, yet optimistic. Disaffiliated and digital. And more racially diverse than any previous generation.
The Changing Face of America. A visual depiction of how the U.S. population is broadening from its original European roots.
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