Millennials today have become the generation of the century, and they boldly change the structure of society – the requirements for products and services, employers and directors. By 2025, 75% of the global workforce will consist of people born between 1981 and 2005 (Harrison, 2017). This prediction means that employers and higher management should invest resources into leadership cultivation in millennial workers if they want to stay competitive.
One uncommon aspect of millennials is that they do not need managers or supervisors. Instead, they want to see mentors and leaders within their workspace and network. One best practice suggests that higher management should cultivate leadership by promoting mentorship programs within the organization (Harrison, 2017). Another recommendation from scholars is that, since millennials are generally technologically confident, employee development programs should be delivered online (Harrison, 2017). The most challenging thing, however, is communicating these needs to higher management.
Managers should understand why there is an urgent need for millennial leaders. This need can be explained by giving the precise number of millennial employees and the percentage of millennials by 2025. Efficacy of mentorship programs can be claimed by the fact that each prospective leader will be approached individually. Mentorship can be considered as a type of transformational leadership, and as scholars suggest, transformational leadership is a very effective kind of leadership (Northouse, 2017). Information should be summarized in a presentation and exhibited to management.
Millennials are already causing a significant shift in the corporate world, and the shift’s magnitude will only rise. Managers often heed the millennial voices and replace the decades-old approaches to personnel management. Companies should consider teaching their millennial employees leadership skills because they are the ones that will make up the majority of the workforce. If companies choose not to invest, they will lose their prospective talent.
References
Harrison, A. E. (2017). Exploring millennial leadership development: An evidence assessment of information communication technology and reverse mentoring competencies. Case Studies in Business and Management, 4(1), 25-48.
Northouse, P. G. (2017). Introduction to leadership: Concepts and practice. New York, NY: Sage Publications.