Generational Leadership: How to Recruit, Mentor, Coach and Develop Top Millennial Talent

The Millennial Generation is the most educated demographic group in history. They also hold the smallest proportion of leadership positions. In years past, new up-and-coming leaders were embraced, mentored and run through a myriad of leadership development programs. I don’t see the same approach to embracing the leaders of the future today.

Why?

Well mostly, it is because organizations have cut training budgets for almost everything except job skills-based training in order to keep costs down. Yet, employees have always been, and still are today, the only asset (other than real estate) that appreciates in value.

Millennials are the future of businesses everywhere on the planet. We need to prepare them for the key leadership roles that are about to become vacant as Boomers retire and Generation X leaders take the helm. Embracing the mindset of Millennials is, in my opinion, the next distinctive advantage in business. The problem is though, that they have not been nurtured to be the leaders of the future.

Here’s what we can do starting today:

1. Recruit new talent based on Values and Purpose fit. You can train for every other skill there is.
2. Identify top millennial talent.
3. Create a ‘Leaders of the Future’ program where your top talent is exposed to all the leadership roles in the company.
4. Assign your current leaders to be mentors to rising top millennial talent.
5. Send your rising top millennial talent to high-level leadership programs.
6. Mandate that your top millennial talent read leadership books (you need to read them at the same time) and then hold ‘book reviews’ to discuss concepts, ideas and how you can implement any new ideas in your business.
7. Involve rising top millennial talent in strategy sessions and governance reviews.

Millennials are the future. If we embrace that future, the organization will thrive. If we don’t… assign someone to turn out the lights at the end of the line.

Robert Murray is a Vancouver, BC based Business Strategy Consultant, #1 Best Selling Author, and International Keynote Speaker. For further advice, insight and inspiration on how to unlock your inner leader, follow Robert on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

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