Millennials are on track to make up 75% of the workforce by 2030. As result, it’s crucial for all small business owners to harness the strengths of this generation and develop strong leaders for the future.
On The Small Business Radio Show this week, Chris Tuff, author of USA Today bestseller, “The Millennial Whisperer” discusses research-based and time-tested strategies for bridging communication gaps between Millennials and the rest of your team.
How to Motivate Millennials
According to Chris, Millennials want different things than previous generations:
1. Flexible work: Companies need to let employees have the freedom to work more where and when they want. This is critical because work is now “always-on” and it can be done anywhere. Chris says this is the only way they can integrate life and work.
2. Autonomy within the structure: Micro-managing should be reduced as Millennials want more freedom to pursue the things that interest them including any side-hustle businesses. Chris points out that Facebook has a program called “Fuel” that supports this type of work.
3. Rewards and recognition: Every small business needs to focus on this for Millennials since they are the generation that grew up with helicopter parents, participation trophies, and social media. According to Chris, public rewards and recognition are critical to them.
4. Transparency and connection: Chris believes that gone are the days where you can’t be friends with your boss. Millennials demand real connection and inspiration from their leaders. They want to know why they’re making the decisions that happen.
5. The grass is always greener complex: Chris believes that job jumping is a much bigger issue with this generation than ones in the past and leaders must teach their employees that this is not always the case. Social media is one of the biggest culprits here. Chris says “we must stop comparing our insides to other people’s outsides”. His “70/30 rule” is accepting the fact that “30 percent of your job and life will just suck, but the other 70 percent should fire you up.” He also suggests that for Millennials, mindfulness and meditation will become more mainstream within organizations with an increased emphasis on mental health.
Listen to the entire interview at The Small Business Radio Show
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