Generations and the Media: The rising power of the Millenials

Had a very thought provoking conversation today regarding generations and their influence on business. We discussed the Millenials (ages 5-24) and their attitudes.
Web = OXYGEN
Community = Virtual
Perspective = Global
Career = Multiple Reinventions
Loyalty = Group
Authority = Respectful of Parents

To Millenials, everyone has a say, word of mouth marketing rules, leaders manage agreement rather than dictate. Interesting that nearly half say they are making friends all the time, one if 5 have friends they’ve never met in person, one in 3 say the internet is a great way to meet people.

The mobile phone is the center of the universe for the Millenials. They are the lifelines for Millenials. 85% of Millenials use mobile phones, 81% “can’t live without it”. 32% text message “a lot”, 18% take photos “a lot”- these are the killer apps for Millenials. They need to share and do so in real time. Millenials want to be relevant to their community, they want to express themselves. They view themselves as mini-celebrities. They aren’t influenced by big brands and real celebrities. They value authenticity and “keep it real”. Entertainment is constant communication and sharing personal content. Being connected is extremely important. Sharing is the Millenial way. Product Development question: What is the next “sharable” content? How can you get in the value chain of communication?


Millenials in the workplace

As leaders, you need to tell Millenials how their work fits into the future scheme of the company. Training Millenials with their multi-tasking skills and tech savvy will push training to new levels of technology. Millenials will respond well to experiential learning where they are allowed to come up with their own solutions.

Millenials want to learn: with technology, with each other, online, in their time, in their place, doing things that matter. Learning more closely resembles Nintendo, a trial and error approach to solving problems. Doing is more important than knowing. Communication, suggestions, feedback – positive and negative – need to travel in both directions.

Challenges Millenials will face include: lack of work ethic, patience with the time it takes to get things done. Understanding their relative unimportance to the “big picture” of a business. Developing true skills when changing jobs often.

Work atmosphere: Millenials expect to work and have fun at the same time… they expect work to be fun. Employers need to instill a sense of ufn in the atmosphere and create community. It helps morale and helps employees get to know each other better. Millenials will create a new culture of work, characterized by more independence in the workforce. Many of them will become entrepreneurs.

Motivating Millenials
They expect and need praise. They will mistake silence for disapproval. Expect feedback. Want lots of freedom on how, when, and where to do their jobs. Want to learn continuously. Changing jobs should be part of their daily routine.