Millennials officially took over as the largest generational group in the workforce in 2015, and by 2020 they’re expected to make up half of the workforce as a whole. While much of the focus up until this point has been on how to lead the millennial workforce, the tides are changing, and millennials are the compassionate leadership masters of the future. This doesn’t mean they don’t still face challenges, and it’s not always easy being the youngest leaders on the totem pole. The top 4 challenges millennials face in leadership, and how to overcome those challenges, are:
1. They’re not fully trusted – As the youngest group of leaders, millennial soulful leadership isn’t always going to be completely trusted. What many find is that they’re facing an uphill battle to have their teams support their judgment and ideas. However, there are simple ways to work to overcome these challenges from team members. True to compassionate leadership principles, young leaders can open up communication lines with their teams and welcome any concerns others may have with ideas. By sharing this dialogue, team members and leaders can get on the same vibration and come away with a stronger foundation of trust.
2. Not perceived as a mentor – A compassionate leader is a great mentor, but the problem millennials face is that all too often their teams don’t perceive them to be in a mentorship position if they view themselves to be older and wiser. That doesn’t mean that millennial leaders cannot be mentors, they just may need to go about earning that position in a more hands-on way. The solution to this problem is simple through action. Rather than talking the talk, millennials must walk the walk and show their capability.
3. Viewed as lacking strategic perspective – Strategic perspective and experience go hand-in-hand no matter what industry you’re in. Unfortunately, millennial compassionate leaders will not have the same perspective as someone who has been in the industry for 20 or 30 years. However, this doesn’t mean millennials cannot learn and learn quickly. By practicing humility and recognizing the need to learn, young leaders can gain their perspective and respect at the same time.
4. Viewed as unable to be sensitive to others’ needs – The needs of a person under 30 or 35 are going to be different than the needs of a person who is above 45 with a family at home, and millennial leaders are often viewed as lacking sensitivity to this difference. While they may be able to work a 60 hour workweek on short notice to get a goal met, others might not have the same time flexibility. To fix this challenge, millennial compassionate leaders should keep lines of communication open, and keep tabs on the needs and feelings of their team. By remaining amply empathetic, they can better understand a good middle point that keeps the whole team happy.
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