Millennials -- These are the Childen in Schools Today

Eb60830millennials

How Are They DIFFERENT

GENERATION” – 20-year Cohort, whose attitudes, perspectives and workstyles are more similar to each other than to any other group

MILLENNIALS	GEN-X	BABY BOOMERS	WW II SILENT
5 - 25	26 - 41	42 - 60	60+

1. SPECIAL

o Sense They Will Contribute, Future-Focused

2. SHELTERED

o The Most Nurtured [Protected] Generation

3. CONFIDENT

o 66% Say They Will Have Ideal Job, Top Earnings

4. TEAM-ORIENTED

o Teens list “cooperation,” “teamwork,” & “technology” as the most valued work skills

5. CONVENTIONAL

o 94% of Teens trust Parents, 50% trust Institutions

o Marriage, Family, Community, Work/Life Balance are Priorities

6. PRESSURED

ü The “Most Over-Scheduled” Generation

7. ACHIEVING

o 90% of Teens agree: “It’s cool to be smart.”

• Opportunity To Balance Work w/ Other Interests

• Open, Honest Communication (#1 Question: “Why?”)

• To Be Part Of Something Significant

• Variety, Challenge, Diversity, Action (STIMULATION !!! )

• Access To Latest Technology

• High Compensation – Investment Capability

• Positive, Respectful Culture

• To LEARN (“Learning Is COOL!”)

• To Be Paired With Older MENTORS - ACCESS TO AUTHORITY

• To Be Involved In Defining Their Own Job, Work and Development

• FEEDBACK + REWARD

• Flexible Schedules

• Work-From-Home

• 24 X 7 Access

• To Know The Purpose Of ________________

• Work Choices, Including Outside Interests

• Work & Learn In SHORT CHUNKS

• A Voice In The Organization

• A 1-on-1 Connection With Authority Figures

• RELEVANT Assignments & Learning

• Clear Expectations – Respectful Feedback & Rewards

• Empowerment To Form/Join Ad Hoc TEAMS

• Nurturing and PROTECTION From Failure

• State-Of-Art Technology

Teachers and Employers Need to:

• Pair-up Millennials With Baby Boomers (not Gen-Xers)

• Schedule Formal Mentoring Sessions

• Create A Structured, Supportive Work Environment

• Mentor Should Be Authoritative, but Respectful

• Aim To Make Their Work Personalized, Learning Customized

• Work & Learn In SHORT CHUNKS (“Granular Learning”)

• Mentor Should Be Prepared For Millennials’:

– High Demands, Low Patience

– High Expectations, Need For Protection From Failure

– Assumption of Equal Status to Authority Figures

– Need For Technology, On-Demand Content Delivery

UPSIDE

• GOAL-ORIENTED

• TECH-IMBEDDED

• MULTITASKING

• PRO LEARNING

• COLLABORATIVE

• NATURAL TEAMERS

• COMMUNITY JOINERS

• WORK ISN’T EVERYTHING

DOWN SIDE

• ASK BOSSES “WHY”

• LACK BASIC SKILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• SHORT ATTENTION-SPAN

• NEED INDIVIDUAL PACE

• NEED SOCIAL OUTLETS

• FORM OWN “TEAMS”

• CONFLICT W/ WORK TIME?

• LEAVE WHEN DISSATISFIED

Unacceptable numbers of college graduates enter the workforce without the skills employers say they need….

…the quality of student learning at U.S. colleges and universities is inadequate and, in some cases, declining”

- Federal Commission on the Future of Higher Education, July 2006

“…employers [complain]… graduates with top grades come to them lacking critical skills in writing, communication, science or math.”

“A college degree is now about the equivalent of what a high school diploma used to be 30 years ago.”

This Blog extracted from a presentation at Arizona Technology Council by Mike Maynard

Mike Maynard

Predictive Index Arizona, Inc.

800-713-8344

602-743-5046

mmaynard@predictivegroup.com