As millennials spend more and more time in the workforce, with the eldest part of the contingent already pushing their mid-30s, they will invariably end up in leadership positions. So what are millennial leadership characteristics and traits?
It turns out that millennials have significantly different leadership characteristics and traits than generations prior to them. From knowing how to harness the power of social media to wanting more flex time to needing to hear how they’re doing more frequently, the people becoming bosses today are figuring out how to use these generational traits to their own advantage. Below are eight of the most notable leadership characteristics and traits of the millennial generation.
8 Millennial Leadership Characteristics And Traits
1. Prizing collaboration
Young leaders in the workplace are placing ever-more effort on working together across boundaries. To get a project done well, millennials are disregarding normal boundaries like age, experience, and even job title to get the best result.
2. Wanting meaning out of the workplace
According to one study, a whopping 84% of millennials agree with the statement “knowing I am helping to make a positive difference in the world is more important to me than professional recognition.” For young people, finding meaning in the workplace is not just an added bonus – it’s essential.
3. Seeing value in social media
Over half of millennials said they would rather lose their sense of smell than get rid of their smartphones! Young people not only love their devices, though. They also love and see long-term value in social media. Whether it’s customer service response, building your brand, or even crowd-funding, millennials know how to use social media to accomplish business goals.
4. The need for feed…back
The vast majority of millennials crave a more interactive relationship with management than the clichéd yearly review. They prefer smaller pieces of feedback, delivered more regularly.
5. Systematizing innovation
While many older people see great ideas as lighting in a bottle, one of the primary millennial leadership characteristics is the belief that innovation can be repeated. In a recent survey, 60% of millennials say that innovation can be learned, rather than random.
6. Leading with the heart, not the head
About half of millennials define leadership as “empowering others to succeed” – a far cry from the get-it-done-at-all-costs model that has long predominated in the workplace. The primary reason young people want to become leaders in the workplace is to help others, not to increase their own pay or stature.
7. Flex it!
The much-vaunted “work-life” balance is very important to millennials. But rather than having that discourage them from being leaders, it has instead encouraged them to redefine what being a leader means, in order to fit it into their existing lifestyle. Thus, many young workers prioritize things like flexible work schedules and telecommuting, for both themselves and their subordinates.
8. Hoping to own your own business
No matter what their current situation, most millennials dream of starting their own business – 55% in a recent survey. As they become leaders in the workplace, millennials are capturing that independent spirit both in themselves and in their employees.
