Generational issues kept coming up in my discussions with executives over the past two weeks. One organization actually asked me to give a talk with the title being “Knowing the Threat!” Their concern – as communications break down between their baby bombers and millennials – was they fear the “brain drain” because boomers are retiring and have given up on training and developing the millennials.
Interesting note: I was talking to a judge this week. He had an interesting perspective from the legal profession. He said we used to think that knowledge was power, then we grew into the belief that the use of knowledge was power. Today with technology, he said millennials need to learn to discern knowledge, determine what knowledge is good or bad, decide whether it is useful or un-useful, and do it very quickly due to the volume of information that is literally at their fingertips.
Helpful hint: When giving millennials feedback (and they need it often), remember to tell them why they need to change not just what they need to change. Why, not what.
Human Relations principle: “Let the other person save face.” ~ Dale Carnegie
Onward!
John Rodgers