This is the final part in a five part series focused on Millennials.

Here’s the thing: Millennials are already in leadership positions. And the number of Millennials moving into leadership positions over the next ten years is going to grow astronomically. According to the Deloitte global study on Millennials, entrepreneurship is still the preferred path for Gen Y. So what does that mean for organizations that want to be around in 20 years? It’s time to recognize how Gen Y is changing leadership and start adapting to new ways of doing business.

Millennials want to be leaders, but a different type of leader. They’ve seen unprecedented growth in new Internet companies and their quick-moving leadership style reflects that. Given the struggles traditional companies have faced, Millennial leaders are doing things differently. Keep them motivated and committed by giving them the space to create, relate, innovate, and actuate.

Even better? Encourage intrapreneurship in your organization. If you create the right space for Gen Y leaders to act as intrapreneurs, you’ll have a real recipe for success. Give them the chance to own and run their piece of the organization, even the chance to start something new from within. Harness their generation’s natural entrepreneurial spirit. Encourage, recognize and support their energy internally.

Millennials, even more than previous generations, want their careers to have a real impact. Creating intrapreneur programs or simply encouraging it among leaders in general is a great step. Giving your youngest leaders the opportunity to have an impact both inside and outside the company will align with their natural desire to make a difference. Whether you provide those opportunities or not, Millennials are likely to seek them out and create them. Allow them to do so if you want to ensure your leadership pipeline won’t slow down.

It’s important to remember Gen Y leaders value authenticity and inclusiveness above almost anything else. They want to be approachable (no matter what position they hold in an organization), honest, true to themselves, transparent and respectful of others. They want to inspire and motivate the people around them, and it’s important for them to be wholly who they are to do that. They won’t hide the bad and the ugly, they will share those things, along with the good, without hesitation. Traditionally, this hasn’t been the way most organizations have worked. Embrace the change! Gen Y is very community-focused and they feel the more information everyone has, the better off they are. They’ll use that community to help solve problems and open up new ways to fix “bad news”.

Along with authenticity, Millennial leaders thrive on recognition. Not just for themselves; they’ll recognize the people around them quickly and heartily. If you want to develop and keep your young leaders, it’s time to come up with new recognition programs — and relegate once a year performance reviews to the trash heap. Ongoing and immediate feedback, and continuous learning and improvement, is the wave of the future. Millennials want to grow and improve. Robust recognition and feedback systems combined with a customized learning and development programs will give your organization a competitive advantage in the future.

Millennials want to be leaders, but sometimes they lack the experience and capabilities to take on those roles. Provide them with soft skills training that will help them understand themselves better, and improve the impact and influence they have on those around them. Previous generations were content to adopt the “management style” of their predecessors, despite some obvious shortcomings. Gen Y won’t be content doing the same if they don’t see an alignment with their vision and values. Give them the practical training and experience that allows them to put their newfound skills into practice immediately.

This is not an exhaustive list of the traits, characteristics and important considerations for Millennial leaders, but I hope you’ve found it a useful starting point for discussion in your organization.

If you’d like to read the rest of the series, start here and you can read it in order.

Click here f you’d like to learn more about how we can work with you or to book Céline for a workshop or talk.

This is the third in a five part series focused on Millennials in the work place.

Many leaders are struggling with the influx of Millennials in the workplace. Unlike previous generations who were willing to do what they were told without asking questions, Gen Y is changing the rules. This isn’t a generation that succumbs to being managed — they truly embody the idea that you manage things but you lead people, and they expect real leadership as a result. Now, more than ever, it’s vital that organizations have leaders at all levels that understand this and focus on a few key things to bring out the best in Millennials.

The Why

To quote the brilliant Simon Sinek, you always have to start with why. If you aren’t clear on the “why” of things, and haven’t communicated it clearly, you’re going to struggle in leading your Millennials. Without understanding why they’re doing what they’re doing, and why the company itself exists is doing what it is doing, Millennials won’t feel engaged with any aspect of the organization. A common complaint I hear from leaders about Gen Y is that they ask too many questions; in fact, they’re sometimes called “Gen Why”. But in that joke lies one of the key secrets to leading Millennials: answer their questions and explain the “why”. Help them understand how what they do is connected to that question.

Multi-directional communication

Communication flows in all directions. Gone are the days of strict hierarchy where communication happened from the top down. These days it’s all about multi-directional communication. That means leaders must encourage everyone to share ideas and listen to differing opinions without passing judgement. Feedback is vitally important to Millennials and they need to know you’re listening to theirs. They’re the generation that’s lived in a world of instant response and constant validation. Leaders need to increase the frequency of feedback they give and receive from Gen Y.

Encourage ownership

Forget buy-in, you want ownership. The corporate world frequently banters around the idea of buy-in, as though it makes an actual difference. The reality is you want Millennials to feel they have ownership of their work. When you dictate to Millennials, you alienate them. When you ask for their input, and include them in conversations, they feel valued and heard — and their dedication to you as a leader and their role in projects deepens commensurately.

Be Authentic

Authenticity is your secret weapon. The traditional corporate way of doing things is decidedly inauthentic. Despite the lip service authenticity gets in marketing and branding, companies are more concerned about avoiding potential conflicts, disruptions and difficult conversations. Millennials aren’t interested in that approach. In fact, it’s an immediate turn off. All your leaders and teams should be open about the good, the bad and the ugly of what’s going on in your organization. By doing so, you create space for the collaboration Millennials crave. When you allow the possibility of innovation, and the opportunity to problem solve, Gen Y respects the “realness” of its leaders — and there’s nothing more jarring or obvious to them than “fakeness”.

Help them grow

Invest in their future, whether or not it’s with your organization. Show the Millennials you care about them and where they’re going by helping them create actionable professional and personal improvement plans. Then provide training and development opportunities that are in line with those plans. Gen Y is passionate about growing and learning and they’ll appreciate your efforts no matter where they end up later on. And as a bonus, this does nothing but good things for your overall brand and organization as you build a pipeline of leaders internally.

Obviously, this is not an exhaustive list of the ways to better lead Millennials, but it is a solid starting point that any leader in any organization can use.

Be sure to read the next post in this series, Retaining Millennials.

Aside from the feel-goodness of the story, what struck me most was how applicable it is to leaders in any organization. We’d all do well to take a close look at Morgan’s example and learn a few things.

1. Embrace creativity and innovation

Morning commutes are no fun — and school drop offs can be like war zones. Recognizing the negative situation created in these first interactions every morning, Morgan stepped in and reframed the situation entirely. He came up with an unexpected solution that created entirely different outcomes for everyone involved. Instead of grumpy, frustrated, unhappy kids and parents, he has smiling, excited (Dare I say happy?) people showing up every day.

We’re often afraid of change and taking risks because we can’t guarantee what will happen. But the truth is we can’t expect different outcomes if we don’t take risks and try new things. Morgan perfectly exemplifies how embracing change and being innovative in your approach can turn frustration into elation.

2. Hear what people are saying

According to Morgan, the kids request the “whip and nae nae” song every day. While he doesn’t play it all the time, he plays it enough to keep the children excited and dancing and singing right along with him. I’m sure his bursting out into a song from Frozen was at the request of the kids as well. Morgan balances what he thinks will be good for the kids right along with what they’re asking for.

By listening to what people around us are asking for, and what they’re telling us, we can create the same kind of engagement Morgan creates every day with the children at his school. You don’t have to cater to every request to let people know you’re listening and you care. A little can go a long way to making people feel valued.

3. Your mindset matters

Morgan couldn’t have said it better: “I don’t do bad days… Every day’s a good day”. Studies show us again and again that mindset and mindfulness make a difference in all aspects of our lives and have an impact on our success. Imagine the possibilities if we all started our days with Morgan’s attitude that every day is a good day and faced our lives with that in mind.

If we change our mindset to one where we start each day in a positive frame of mind, we’re more likely to find solutions and be innovative in our approach to things. With that mindset we’re expecting positive outcomes, which means we’re looking for possibilities — not limitations.

4. Model the behaviour

Every morning Morgan is out on the curb with his loudspeaker and his music, shaking what his mama gave him. He jokes with parents, he smiles, he sings — and he dances pretty much non-stop. His students don’t hesitate to join in; they see the joy and happiness he exudes and it inspires them to participate.

It’s such a simple lesson, yet one that’s often overlooked. If we model the behaviour we expect from those around us, we’re more likely to see that behaviour reflected back to us. We often hear leaders talk about the values or expectations they have of people in their organizations (such as being transparent and communicating openly) but leaders rarely exemplify those ideals personally. It’s really quite simple: be like Morgan and embody the behaviours you want in those around you.

5. Soft skills are what makes you stand out

None of what Morgan does every morning requires any particular technical or intellectual ability. What makes Morgan such an exceptional assistant principal, and as a result such an exceptional leader at his school, are his soft skills. His personality, his listening, his communication skills, his interpersonal skills, his ability to manage people (in one interview he talks about how he calls parents out for being late and how they’re on time from then on) and his ability to lead the kids are why this is such an incredible story.

The best leaders out there, the most memorable ones, are the leaders that have high emotional intelligence (EI) — the soft skills that aren’t quantifiable. Developing your emotional intelligence is a process, it’s ongoing and it’s never-ending. The stronger our soft skills, the more we stand out as a leader and as Morgan proves, the more likely people are to follow you.