I’m a millennial and I’m about to be your boss
Ahhh – the millennial generation. We’ve been getting a bad rep lately. I was reflecting for a moment on how much we have been through. We’ve seen several wars, including the one on drugs, September 11, a global financial market crash and an actual pandemic. We remember the days of Napster, MSN Messenger and Clippy. We’ve been in the professional workforce for about as long as the iPhone. We’ve been accused of being “narcissistic, self-interested, unfocused, lazy and entitled”. And I’m not even 40 yet.
The world is fucked and we want a holiday.
We may not want to be the boss, but now it’s our time to step up to the plate. And the outlook isn’t totally bleak. Unlike the generations before us, our worldly views and tech savviness bring a new perspective to the notion of management. We place our values in communities and collective wisdom. We accept that we don’t have all the answers, but we know how to surround ourselves with those who do. We’ve lost trust in systems, but we haven’t lost trust in people.
So, if I am going to be the boss, then perhaps it’s best you understand a little about how I think. Here are ten things that I give a shit about:
I am open and adaptive to change
Just because something has always been done a specific way, it doesn’t mean it’s the right way. I know the world today is very different to what it was 18 months ago, and therefore will be even more different in 18 months from now
I demand transparency
That’s right, that big corner office you spent most of your career coveting for, well guess what, I don’t want it. I want to be out on the floor, rubbing elbows with the interns. I believe that great ideas come from everywhere, and I want to be amongst them
I am passionate about learning
And I don’t just mean that in a token way. I see mastery as an asymptote, an endless quest. I am already highly educated, but if I’m not learning something new, then frankly, I’m bored.
My attention span is less than a goldfish
That doesn’t mean that I won’t engage with your amazing ideas, but you need to meet me on my terms. Between my quest to find my life partner on Tinder, my Tik Tok stalking and a literal tsunami of emails and meetings, I don’t have time. Give me something relevant and useful, and make it snappy.
I will work on my terms
Just because you worked 9-5, doesn’t mean I want to. I am not a morning person. In fact, I hate them. I stayed up until 2am last night binging on Bridgerton, and you expect me to haul my arse into the virtual office for that standup you scheduled at 8:45am to check I was at my desk. No thankyou, sir.
Leadership is not about how smart you are
Real Leadership is a whole body thing. I plan to lead from my head, my heart, my body and my soul. I pay for Down Dog, Headspace and Noom, and I use all of them regularly. I’m in check with myself, and I expect others to be too.
I am happy to get my hands dirty
And I don’t mean that in the physical sense. I learn from doing. You can throw 1000 different theoretical frameworks at me, but I don’t really care. I grew up with the internet. I am bombarded with information. Teach me how to fish.
Technology is a human game
When it comes to tech, magic is normal. I could literally snap my fingers and have a drone drop a pizza on my doorstep. But that doesn’t mean my life is complete. The world might be changing faster than we can fathom, but my basic needs are the same as the generation before me, and the one before that.
I am empathetic
If nothing else, this world has taught me to listen to others, and celebrate diversity. At times I may be vulnerable, but I also expect others around me to be the same. This influences not only the way I work, but also the way I plan to lead your organisation in a few years from now.
I believe your opinion is as important as mine
I celebrate diversity, and I love to be challenged. Other millennials out there, what have I missed? What would you add to this list? Share it with me in the comments below.
Oh, and if you think we are bad, just wait for Gen Z…