Understanding Millennials

President Pat McLaughlin is flanked by Jeff Kortes (left) and Randy Wilinkski

 

 

Ah, millennials.  Those rude, self-absorbed, entitlement-minded, socially awkward folks who spend their days texting and engrossed in social media. Right?

 

Well, not so fast, as we learned on Aug. 10. Jeff Kortes, president of Human Asset Management LLC in Franklin, Wis., and Randy Wilinski shared fascinating insight during their "Making Millennials Great" presentation.

 

Generally defined as those born between 1980 and 1993, Millennials bring certain a certain philosophy to the workplace. Employers gain when they understand the needs of Millennials and manage accordingly.

 

Kortes and Wilinski offered three key suggestions to help mold Millennial employees.

 

1. Create a Vision. "Without a vision the people will perish," they say. A vision, especially one in alignment with the employee, will inspire and engage the person.

 

2. Provide opportunity for growth: 52% of millennials polled said growth within a company was more important then money. Companies need to focus on mentoring and training programs. Kortes helps businesses create a formal system.

 

3. Provide feedback: We've created a society where there are no winners or losers, Kortes says, just participation awards. The result is a sense of entitlement causing greed and a drop in self worth. Feedback, both positive and negative, is important. But also engage those Millennial employees in problem solving. Everyone should be asking, What is the solution?