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Six Ways to Effectively Lead Millennials

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Six Ways to Effectively Lead Millennials
Featured article by Dave Ferguson in CEOWORLD magazine. Reprinted by permission.

Not a week goes by that I’m not asked the question, “How can we lead these millennials?”

I am to the point now that I generally just laugh at first and then quickly answer, “You lead them like you lead others.”

That usually gets me a blank stare and then some form of a follow-up question that usually starts with, “But…”

Sure, there is much chatter. And there are a lot of social media posts about this generation. But have you ever thought for a minute that maybe, just maybe, the only difference between this generation and the one you are from, is the media exposure?

Have you ever considered that it is all just blown out of proportion?

I work individually with several successful millennials, and I can tell you firsthand that I lead them the same way I lead everyone else.

Here is how you can lead millennials well.

1. Recognize that leadership is a priority for you, your team, and your organization.

Work on self-awareness. Choose to be a leader rather than a boss. Develop your own Leader’s Creed or simply use mine. If you set the standard for good leadership in your organization, your team (from millennials to baby boomers) will respect and follow your lead.

2. Engage and connect with your team.

Ask more open-ended questions and (this is key)…listen to what they have to say. You may actually learn something from their perspective, and especially as it pertains to automation, technology, and innovation in the workplace.

Get to know them better than you do now. Learn their interests.

Find common ground. For example, millennials tend to be very much about purpose. If you have ever talked to someone in their forties and fifties – and if you listen closely – you will hear the same desires for purpose in their work.

Find out what they truly value in life. Every person has a “why.” If you as a leader know the “whys” of your people and help them work based on those, you will seldom have motivation issues with your team. A good “why” is the best motivator.

Help them not only connect with you, but with the vision of the organization. Take them beyond the individual level to the level of higher and greater purpose. Being part of team with a clear and unified goal bonds individuals into one highly cohesive and very effective whole.

Make them feel like part of a team…because they are. It is important that each team member recognize value in their fellow team members. No matter what generation each represents, they bring perspective and ideas that are unique to them and valuable to the organization.

Be caring, but disciplined. It takes both to be a leader. Leaning too far in either direction yields the same lack of results.

As Teddy Roosevelt is credited to have said, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

Ensure that your discipline is done because you care. Your people will more readily accept it, knowing that you are only seeking to help them grow and be the best they can be.

This balance is a major difference between being a boss versus being a truly effective leader.

3. Drive results.

Teach, and show them how to drive results with you, not for you. Be a results-driven leader, and you will attract other results-driven people.

Set goals with them. There are instances where they may inspire your team to set higher goals than they would normally consider because they are accustomed to striving for higher levels in sports and technology, for example.

Develop strategies together. This is a great exercise for broader perspectives to combine forces. It often lends to new and fresh ideas for how to reach the goals you have set.

Celebrate successes and milestones as a team. When your team works well together and reaches a goal, every person wins.

Download and discuss your failures. This is a major lesson for those just starting into their careers. It lets them know that failure happens, that it is okay to fail because it means you have tried to do something. And if it doesn’t work, you talk about it, learn from it…and grow. In fact, and we can all attest to this, some of our most impactful life lessons have come from failure.

4. Develop others.

Make it your personal mission to help them develop as leaders. Lead by example and let them do the same. Invest in their development. Learn together, grow together, and create an environment that is a leadership development machine.

At some point in your career, this facet of developing others will become the most meaningful part of your legacy. And the good news is, you can start to build that legacy today. The opportunities abound.

5. Advance the vision.

Include them in conversations about where the company or department is heading. Ask them for ideas and suggestions. Let them know you want them involved in advancing the vision, through forward thinking and strategies.

This inclusion has manifold benefit: they will feel valued, secure, and purposeful in their work if they can see the greater good that will come of it.

6. Legacy

Most people think about family when they hear the word “legacy.”

And while family is usually our most impactful legacy, we also have an opportunity to leave a legacy to those with whom we work on a daily basis.

The fact is, you are going to have a legacy; why not make it one that speaks to developing current and future leaders?

When extensive training for leaders and teams is needed, an extended leadership program will give you and your team time to learn new principles, apply them in the workplace, and then review and refine for best results.

Living to Lead offers an innovative new option where you as a leader can lead your team through a 16-week leadership training program. We provide the tools you can take to your team for learning and application. With this option, you are learning and developing your leadership skills right along with your team. This gives you a chance to get to know your team and generate real solutions and ideas for your business.

Lead and Learn With Your Team

To discuss and determine the type of leadership training and team development options that best fit you and your team, feel free to contact me at livingtolead.com/contact.

Dave FergusonDave Ferguson is “The Leaders’ Coach”, an internationally recognized executive leadership coach, speaker, facilitator, and author. Are you interested in talking to Dave about coaching or having Dave speak to inspire and motivate your team? “ASK COACH DAVE” at 704-907-0171 or at Dave@AskCoachDave.com.

The Two-Part Leadership Development Formula

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The Two-Part Leadership Development Formula

In any given company, few people are leaders; so it tends to reason that we are primarily a society of followers.

Why is this?

The simple answer is twofold: first, there is no such thing as a “natural born” leader, and secondly, leadership skills are rarely taught in our classrooms. Leadership, if offered, is an elective rather than a requirement.

As the leader of a company, you know your best path to success is not to create a team of followers. It is to create a team of leaders. And you also know that leaders don’t “just happen”.

This puts leadership development high on your list of priorities. But many corporate training programs address only half of the equation.

What is leadership, and why does it escape so many of us?

  • Leadership is the art of making possibilities a reality. This is accomplished via personal leadership, where you are leading in your field of expertise, and via team leadership, where you are tapping into the expanded expertise of each leader on your team. Leading a team of leaders compounds the results.
  • Leadership is also truth. You have to be true to the man or woman in the mirror before you can be true to your team.

The Two-Part Leadership Development Formula 

Your followers can become effective leaders with the right training and mindset.

  • Leadership Training

    The good news is, all the skills necessary to be a good leader are learnable. Initiative, vision, empowerment, attraction, modeling, and directing are skills that can be taught and applied systematically.

    But knowing how to lead is only half the battle.

  • Leadership Mindset

    Leadership development starts, not with training, but with mindset. You can offer your employees the best leadership training available. You can spend thousands of dollars sending them to seminars. And you could still end up with “followers” if you do not first address mindset.

    Even those who apply the training will hit a wall of ineffectiveness if mindset is not well established.

    The reality is, leadership is more of a mind game than a skill set.
    (Click to Tweet)

    As an executive coach, I see this every day at all levels of an organization – even amongst those at the top. Limiting beliefs are the traitorous betrayers of leadership.

The key is to know your own personal limiting beliefs and to develop tactics ahead of time to deal with them. Having a plan and an accountability partner will keep you on track when limiting beliefs attempt to derail you. And rest assured, they will.

To lead successfully, there are four critical elements of mindset that must be in place.

  • Character

    Character is what activates and empowers your leadership ability. There are no “gray areas” when it comes to character. Leaders cannot afford to cross the line between right and wrong. Many who do are overwhelmed by the stress of their success or actually on the brink of disaster. If this is you or someone on your team, don’t think unaddressed cracks in character will just go away. Get help!

  • Commitment

    Commitment inspires and attracts people to leaders because it shows they have conviction. While commitment means something different to each person, it almost always comes from the heart. And we all know that heart is what separates the good from the great. Unfortunately, most people set goals but quit when the going gets tough. To go from “dropout” to “all-out”, a business coach can help guide you.

  • Courage

    Courage is about taking risk, especially at challenging times. Courage is setting the ultimate example for your people. It means you’re willing to take a stand, or draw a line in the sand, and to encourage others to do the same. Courage comes down to one thing: principle, and whether you’re willing to stand up for it, or not. Do you stare fear down, or do you hide from it?

  • Passion

    Passion makes it possible for ordinary people to create extraordinary results. Passion is the fuel that increases willpower. You can never lead something you don’t feel passionate about. If you don’t have passion for what you’re doing, consider digging down deep and searching for what you’re truly passionate about, then bring that passion back into your work. Sometimes loss of passion is a symptom of burnout, in which case re-balancing the other areas of your life could result in renewed energy for your work.

Do you and your team have solid leadership skills? If so, you’re halfway there.

But don’t miss the second – and most important part – of the equation. Get the mindset right as well.

Dave Ferguson is “The Leaders’ Coach”, an internationally recognized executive leadership coach, speaker, facilitator, and author. For help in creating a solid leadership mindset plan for yourself or your team, “ASK COACH DAVE” at 704-907-0171 or at Dave@AskCoachDave.com.

An Energized Team Can Boost your Business

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Today, the market is flooded with all kinds of energy drinks, and people are drinking them down like found water in a desert. Unfortunately, the energy that comes from these drinks lasts only for a short period of time. When it wears off, the energy plummets to lower levels than before.

This is similar to some of the energy leaders try to pump into their people. Motivational words, slogans, posters, and events all provide short-term energy boosts, but how can you as a leader create sustainable energy for the long haul? And why does this matter?

Why should you care about energizing your team? Here are a few critical reasons.

  • To rebuild trust. All the downsizing, rightsizing, and re-engineering has created environments where employees have lost trust.
  • Employees today must be more self-motivated and self-directed.
  • As our work environments have become more high-tech, the need for leaders to be more high-touch has developed.
  • Work environments today must be supportive and foster the desired behaviors and outcomes.
  • All employees want to feel valued and appreciated for their knowledge, skills, and work.
  • Leaders have limited time with their people, so the interactions that do happen must be positive and meaningful.
  • There is a bottom-line effect – higher levels of focused energy translates to higher levels of revenue.

How do you truly energize your people? Here are five ways to begin.

1. What and how you communicate with your team members is just as important as what you pay them.

Well-informed individuals are good and productive team members, simply because they feel involved. The positive effects of communicating vital company information to your team members are huge. Those who are “in the loop” are energized and feel like a vital part of the organization.

2. Involving your people in decisions that affect them will result in overall better decisions.

The collection of suggestions is one of the best ways to involve your people – and to energize them in the process. Their suggestions will not only help the company but them as individuals, by improving working conditions and giving them a measure of control over their jobs. If company leaders carefully review these suggestions and quickly implement the ones with merit, leadership is sending a message to their people that they are valued. By the same token, an unattended suggestion box sends a clear message and is de-energizing.

3. The training your team members receive is essential for their long-term relationship with your company.

The best companies recognize that training their people pays long-term dividends. When employees are given opportunities to learn and better themselves, it can electrify an otherwise stagnant workforce. Just the ability to break out of their day-to-day routines can be very energizing in itself.

4. Creating new and interesting challenges can keep your team out of a rut.

These new challenges can re-energize them and restore enthusiasm. If you want your employees to feel excited about coming to work, you must create interesting new challenges.

5. Recognize outstanding efforts.

The results of a recent survey revealed that a large percentage of employees had not received recognition for their efforts from those in leadership for as long as two years. That is two years without a thank you for their outstanding efforts. How long has it been since you thanked a member of your team for a notable accomplishment? One word of thanks, according to the survey, stood out in the mind of one employee for an entire year. If you really want to energize the individuals on your team, it may be as simple as saying, “Thank you.”

If you decide to consider some of what you have read here, remember that people today are looking for much more than a paycheck when they go to work. Many employers still don’t get this, and it shows in their production and turnover numbers. My suggestion is to give your people a chance to make an impact, not just do a job. Bosses provide jobs. Leaders provide opportunities for people to engage their best energy to do make an impact. And making an impact creates even more energy across the company.

Dave Ferguson is “The Leaders’ Coach”, an internationally recognized executive leadership coach, speaker, facilitator, and author. For help in creating energy across your team, “ASK COACH DAVE” at 704-907-0171 or at Dave@AskCoachDave.com.

Get Prepared for the Upturn

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Today, as markets are on the rise, the outlook for employment is looking up, and the grim economic news of recent years is beginning to be replaced by more positive reports. If you are not already prepared for the upturn, now is the time to get prepared.

As the leader of your company or team, following are seven actions you can take now to prepare for the upturn. In fact, these actions apply in upturns and downturns as well.

  1. Get creative.

    Innovation is one of two things that make money for companies. Spend time brainstorming with your peers, employees, friends, coaches, and others. Get everyone’s juices stirring around products, services, and processes.

  2. Get your operations house in order.

    Spend time with your customers, including those who are not currently buying from you. Let them know you value their businesses as well as their business. Then ask them how you can improve. Find out your strengths and weaknesses as an organization. Build on your organizational strengths, and work on your organizational weaknesses.

  3. Get your financial house in order.

    You must create a firm foundation for growth if you want to participate in the upturn. Have all the necessary documentation ready for the bank in case you need to borrow at the onset. There could be a race for the funds, and you will want to win that race!

  4. Have a strategic plan.

    Make sure you have a game plan for game day. A true strategic plan is all about tactics, techniques, and implementation. If you are going to beat the competition out of the gate and down the stretch, you need a strong strategy.

  5. Get the right people on your team.

    Evaluate your team, and if you have doubts about anyone, consider replacing them. There are many free agents on the market, and you can use this time and their talent to upgrade your team. It is wise to bring in an objective third party to help with this process, especially around interviewing and selection.

  6. Invest in your people.

    As the upturn takes hold, so will the war for talent. If you have good talent and want to keep them, invest in them now. Help them prepare themselves to be the best they can be. Provide them with more training, as well as developmental opportunities. Investing in your people now will demonstrate a commitment from you that will factor big time if and when the competition attempts to steal them away.

  7. Carry the torch of hope.

    Whether in upturns, downturns, or transitions between the two, a leader must spread hope throughout the organization. These times may be tough, but that doesn’t mean the talk has to be. Don’t let your employees dwell on the negative; rather, help them see the positive. Find ways to energize and lift them. Consider bringing in an inspirational speaker. And, always, keep the lines of communication, vision, and goal-sharing open.

Truly effective leaders don’t just strike while the iron is hot. They strike well before the furnace is lit. They see the vision and create the solution long before it is needed. If you are working your company goals and objectives, as well as planning for the good times ahead, you will not only have a better chance at surviving the downturns, you will be ready to ride the next wave.

Dave Ferguson is “The Leaders’ Coach”, an internationally recognized executive leadership coach, speaker, facilitator, and author. For help in getting your organization ready for the upturn, “ASK COACH DAVE” at 704-907-0171 or at Dave@AskCoachDave.com.

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