The people born after Generation X that is from the early 80’s till the end of the century are commonly termed as Generation Y, aka Millennials. Thought by many as the rowdiest generation till date, millennials have posed a drastically different sort of employee for the average leader, who is now scrambling to adjust their views to match the expectations of this radical new sort of consumer/employee. The percentage of Millennials has recently surpassed that of Baby Boomers in the U.S.; with such a large portion of their consumer being Millennials, businesses are right to be worried.

In order to benefit the most from what Generation Y has to offer, it is important for leaders to know how to understand them. Gen Yers come from a time where there was global financial crisis but also when technology was at its peak. Thus, their mindset is far better equipped to handle with machinery and tech than the basic rules of a work room. Increase your patience with them and take the time to explain things like office protocol and how to present oneself professionally. Simple things like business meeting etiquette may be completely unfamiliar to them; don’t take risks and at first explain the concepts before you let millennials take control of the reins.

Millennials are able to learn new processes swiftly and can pick up on patterns within seconds. However, this also makes them a little unpredictable and when it comes to switching jobs they are more likely to do so. Millennials are always searching for the “right job” something which they love doing. If your office doesn’t resonate with them, then they won’t be staying long. It’s best to give them work which they excel at and are proficient at doing.

For example, put a techie in programming and a writer in publications; both employees will be happy and more likely to stay.

Millennials are the most productive bunch of employees you can hope for – you just have to let them do it in their own style. These teenagers and young adults spent their childhood blogging, instant messaging and playing video games as recreation. They are constantly looking for new software and apps to increase efficiency and productivity. Your Millennials will end up teaching you a new way to work that may change your life forever. Let them run things for a day and you may very well be surprised.

Generation Y are also your risk takers. They are the ideal entrepreneurs because none of them are afraid of failure. A good advantage of video games is that they teach you to try again and try harder in a different way to succeed. For Millennials that is precisely why failure is not that big an issue: the learning of the skill itself matters more. Look towards your younger employees when struggling to make a decision and take their opinions into consideration. Who knows, a radical new line of thought may be just what you need.

Despite what some people may say, the employees of Gen Y can contribute a great deal at the office. It is up to the boss to seek out the best ways to make their presence the most beneficial. We are all diverse in some way. Learning to take time to understand the needs and expectations of others can help you meet your employees where they are at. In doing so, you can build mutual respect and leverage what each person has to offer. Most people will do the minimum of what is expected for a paycheck. However, learning to navigate your leadership style to meet the needs of those you lead can take your team, production, creativity, and innovation to new levels.

Listening with an open mind can be one of the best tools a leader has in today’s competitive workplaces. Being a leader means supporting employee’s needs and setting each of them up for success.

Make good choices and have a great day! Only you get to choose how you feel about it!

Thanks so much for reading! Please share this with someone you care about and like the article if you agree with it!

Dr. Paul Gerhardt is a skilled leadership and diversity trainer who builds customized workshops online or at your workplace. He is a tenured professor of management and a diversity and leadership well-respected and trusted trainer who helps organizations get amazing returns on their training investment. Consider inviting Dr. Paul Gerhardt to do customized leadership or diversity training at your organization. Most organizations find that diversity and leadership training by the right trainer yields a significant instant return on investment.

You can get your FREE COPY of the Leadership Handbook by clicking this link: http://bit.ly/LeadershipHandbook

GET THIS NOW: Diversity, Cultural Competence, and Emotional Intelligence Training online here: http://www.leadership.do

There isn’t any definitive list of positive characteristics that gives a clear idea of the behavioral traits that an effective leader must possess. Even if such a list exists, it would be an over-generalization of what should be a very specific issue in relation to the type of organization and how it is run. For examples a leader of an educational institution needs a different set attributes from one of a military division, or that the head of a business organization should not be put in charge of an administration that governs the industry in which the company operates. Just because a leader is effective in any particular organization, it does not mean the same person will be equally effective in another.

 In spite of all that, it is not impossible to compile a simple guide on how leaders should conduct themselves; think of the following list as an assortment of requirements an effective leader is expected to meet.

 1.      Provides a sense of safety and demonstrates strong ethics

 Together those two attributes build the bridge to create a work environment filled with trust and comfort. Employees or subordinates feel and realize that they can rely on each other in almost all situations without sacrificing professionalism. In other words, a leader holds a crucial role to make the workplace feel like home where everyone has the peace of mind in collaboration and cooperation. High ethical standards ensure a safe environment for social engagement that encourages everyone to honor the role of each other and respect organizational rules. Safe professional environments have the power to invoke people’s capacity to develop ideas, share opinions, take criticism, and essentially work to their full potential.

 2.      Empowers and inspires others to perform proper self-management

 As important as a leader is to an organization, there is no way a single person can do everything without help from others. What a leader can do is to lead others in the journey to become more capable of self-management. Employees of all positions need direction to perform day-to-day organizational tasks, but put in mind that this is not synonymous with providing instructions (sometime repetitive ones) on daily basis. Proper distribution of power throughout the organization is crucial to bring about smooth operation despite various challenges. While employees rely on a leader to make decisions in difficult circumstances, empowered teams have the confidence to be more proactive. Employees are the people closest to the actions, and so they need their leader’s trust to make decisions as well from time to time.

 3.      Develops connections and a sense of belonging

 Humans are a social species. Everyone wants to communicate, get along, and sometimes develop relationships. People want to have the sense of belonging somewhere with others. From the perspective of evolutionary science, social species feel safer together and living in a pack improves the odds of survival in the face of challenges. Not only does the sense of connection induce emotional well-being, but it also has positive impact on productivity. The good thing is that developing good social relationship in a workplace is not really that difficult; a leader who smiles, calls employees by first name, and remembers their family members have better chances of developing good relationships with everyone. More importantly leaders have to communicate openly and let employees speak freely. Bear in mind that emotions are contagious. Unpleasant interactions with one employee can affect the emotions (and therefore productivity) of others.

 Of course, there are plenty more positive characteristics leaders can develop for example: openness to ideas or criticisms, willingness to learn something new, intention to mentor employees to become the next leader, and so on. At the end of the day, all leaders must be able to lead by example. If they want employees to deliver, they too must demonstrate the power to deliver and live up to expectations.

 Make good choices and have a great day! Only you get to choose how you feel about it!

Thanks so much for reading! Please share this with someone you care about and like the article if you agree with it!

Dr. Paul Gerhardt is a skilled leadership and diversity trainer who builds customized workshops online or at your workplace. He is a tenured professor of management and a diversity and leadership well-respected and trusted trainer who helps organizations get amazing returns on their training investment. Visit www.SupervisionEssentials.com for more great free articles and to learn more about leadership effectiveness. Dr. Gerhardt is the author of several publications available on Amazon.com, including Diversity at Work, The Diversity King; Leadership Lucy and the Leadership Handbook. Consider inviting Dr. Paul Gerhardt to do customized leadership or diversity training at your organization. Most organizations find that diversity and leadership training by the right trainer yields a significant instant return on investment.

You can get your FREE COPY of the Leadership Handbook by clicking this link: http://bit.ly/LeadershipHandbook

GET THIS NOW: Diversity, Cultural Competence, and Emotional Intelligence Training online here: http://www.leadership.do