Ranya Nehmeh's Blog - Posts Tagged "inspiration"
Become an inspiring leader to the millennials
Meet Maya. She is 25-years old, bright, a recent graduate from a reputable university in the US. She has recently joined an NGO as a project manager. In fact, she is the type of talent that organisations strive to acquire; ambitious, enthusiastic about working and contributing, a hard worker, and eager to make a difference in the world. Her expectations of the workplace are high. She wants to be heard, to be in an environment where she is encouraged to express her opinions, to be involved in the process and included in decision-making, and above all she wants to be inspired by her leader.
One year later Maya quits. The gap between her expectation and the reality of the workplace is too great and she feels overwhelmed and disillusioned. She had gone from an energetic, excited university graduate to an uninspired employee faster than a viral video.
The problem is, she’s not an isolated case. In fact, this is known as the millennial trap.
Mind the Gap: Millennial Expectations vs. Reality
In my research I surveyed more than 700 millennials worldwide, and one theme that came up over and over again was that of EXPECTATIONS, or rather UNMET EXPECTATIONS. For millennials, dissatisfaction with supervisors and the workplace in general is quite common. We have all been in situations where our expectation fell short of reality, whether in relationships, jobs, travel, or going to the gym. However, it seems that millennials experience this much more often. This might suggest that their expectations are too high, or that reality is delivering them a rotten egg sandwich when they ordered a vegan delight.
As a human resources professional, with years of experience in this field, this phenomena is unfortunately becoming the norm, and the reality is that organisations cannot afford not to motivate or retain their millennial talent. Studies indicate that as of this new decade more than half of the American workforce will consist of millennials. So ultimately, we may or may not agree with these millennial expectations but we certainly can’t ignore them. The real question then is how do we work with them and lead them in a way that benefits everyone?
So What’s the Answer?
Good leadership provides a platform where millennials can feel valued, and employers can tap into the potential of their younger workers. This notion is reinforced in one of the survey questions which asked participants if their leadership expectations were met when they joined the workforce; 62% indicated they were not. This statistic is alarming and suggests that millennials’ leadership expectations are, for the most part, not being met.
So what does an inspiring leader of millennials look like?
The Ideal Leadership traits desired by Millennials
My survey results indicated consistency in terms of what millennials are asking for - a leadership style that is in sync with the times (technology, social media, ethics, respect) that caters to their needs, perspectives and strengths. Nine clear leadership traits emerged. I took the first letter of each trait and came up with the word…CHAMELEON.
Communication
Honesty
Accountability
Motivate
Ethical
Listen
Emotional Intelligence
Overcome Obstacles
Nodal
Leaders who possess the nine CHAMELEON traits would contribute to narrowing the gap between millennial expectations and reality in the workplace Why a chameleon? Because chameleons change colour according to the situation. They are adaptable!
Why Organisations should try harder
There is a vast amount of writing on the subject of leadership. But today's leader looks very different from leaders of past decades. We are living in an age of constantly changing technology, innovation, social media, mass consumerism and instant gratification. The world is moving at such a fast pace that organisations are challenged to keep up; they need to stay competitive, dynamic and change with the times, sometimes letting go of old values and organisation structures. This also means leading the future workforce by utilising an innovative approach that speaks to this specific target group.
Leadership means being adaptable, listening and communicating in a way that your followers will hear. This is an exciting time to be a leader, embrace it!
#FindYourChameleon
The CHAMELEON Leader. Connecting with Millennials is available for purchase on Amazon: http://linktr.ee/ranyanehmeh
One year later Maya quits. The gap between her expectation and the reality of the workplace is too great and she feels overwhelmed and disillusioned. She had gone from an energetic, excited university graduate to an uninspired employee faster than a viral video.
The problem is, she’s not an isolated case. In fact, this is known as the millennial trap.
Mind the Gap: Millennial Expectations vs. Reality
In my research I surveyed more than 700 millennials worldwide, and one theme that came up over and over again was that of EXPECTATIONS, or rather UNMET EXPECTATIONS. For millennials, dissatisfaction with supervisors and the workplace in general is quite common. We have all been in situations where our expectation fell short of reality, whether in relationships, jobs, travel, or going to the gym. However, it seems that millennials experience this much more often. This might suggest that their expectations are too high, or that reality is delivering them a rotten egg sandwich when they ordered a vegan delight.
As a human resources professional, with years of experience in this field, this phenomena is unfortunately becoming the norm, and the reality is that organisations cannot afford not to motivate or retain their millennial talent. Studies indicate that as of this new decade more than half of the American workforce will consist of millennials. So ultimately, we may or may not agree with these millennial expectations but we certainly can’t ignore them. The real question then is how do we work with them and lead them in a way that benefits everyone?
So What’s the Answer?
Good leadership provides a platform where millennials can feel valued, and employers can tap into the potential of their younger workers. This notion is reinforced in one of the survey questions which asked participants if their leadership expectations were met when they joined the workforce; 62% indicated they were not. This statistic is alarming and suggests that millennials’ leadership expectations are, for the most part, not being met.
So what does an inspiring leader of millennials look like?
The Ideal Leadership traits desired by Millennials
My survey results indicated consistency in terms of what millennials are asking for - a leadership style that is in sync with the times (technology, social media, ethics, respect) that caters to their needs, perspectives and strengths. Nine clear leadership traits emerged. I took the first letter of each trait and came up with the word…CHAMELEON.
Communication
Honesty
Accountability
Motivate
Ethical
Listen
Emotional Intelligence
Overcome Obstacles
Nodal
Leaders who possess the nine CHAMELEON traits would contribute to narrowing the gap between millennial expectations and reality in the workplace Why a chameleon? Because chameleons change colour according to the situation. They are adaptable!
Why Organisations should try harder
There is a vast amount of writing on the subject of leadership. But today's leader looks very different from leaders of past decades. We are living in an age of constantly changing technology, innovation, social media, mass consumerism and instant gratification. The world is moving at such a fast pace that organisations are challenged to keep up; they need to stay competitive, dynamic and change with the times, sometimes letting go of old values and organisation structures. This also means leading the future workforce by utilising an innovative approach that speaks to this specific target group.
Leadership means being adaptable, listening and communicating in a way that your followers will hear. This is an exciting time to be a leader, embrace it!
#FindYourChameleon
The CHAMELEON Leader. Connecting with Millennials is available for purchase on Amazon: http://linktr.ee/ranyanehmeh
