Being a Gen-Y Leader

[...] post was originally published at Employee Evolution and is cross-posted in [...]

Wow. If this didnt wake you up from your sofa and cause you to take a look around to notice that there is opportunity and things to do in our lifetime, I dont know what will. Good job Rebecca…let's get it.

awesome rebecca.

have you read any john c maxwell? he wrote the 21 irrefutable laws of leadership and he maintains over and over again that the mark of a great leader is one who teaches others to lead as well and one who utilizes the strengths of all those around him in order to create a kind of super-beast of perfection.

What a great topic to write about for the millennial audience. There are so many aspects of leadership that can help us change not only our own worklives, but the lives of those around us in the workplace. I think there is a lot of talk about our generation seeming entitled, lazy, and demanding, but I believe there is a large segment of our generation that genuinely desires change, and leadership is one of the best ways to effect change. Thanks for highlighting the importance of leadership for our generation. Hopefully, it's a conversation that will keep going and a trend that will take off as we begin to see the power of personal responsibility and self-leadership change our own lives.

@ AB: Thank you!

@ ndv: I have not read John C Maxwell, but it sounds interesting. Do you think that leadership skills can be the same across the board or that Generation Y will have to utilize different skills and behaviors?

@ Tiffany: Thank you. Indeed, I agree leadership is an important topic to discuss. Do you have any examples of when you've used leadership to effect change in your workplace? Do you think that the way Generation Y leads can be abrasive to others or that it helps us?

Terrific writing. Very inspiring. Hope to see more from you.

I think we need to look past all of the generational labeling and stereotyping – because that's what it is – and realize that all of the suggestions for how a gen-Y leader to behave is how great leaders have always behaved. Mentoring, enabling others, delegating, etc. are crucial to running a successful organization. Problem is most organizations are dysfunctional in some way; however, most didn't start out that way. It takes people with egos to lead, and for most, success eventually poisons the best intentions.

There have always been these types of opportunities to work in a collaborative environment. What has changed is loyalty to the job. Companies used to be paternalistic and employees had an expectation that they would be taken care of in exchange for loyalty. Now that expectation doesn't exist.

What I have seen in the comments of most people who identify with gen-Y is lots of youthful enthusiasm for the possibilities. This enthusiasm can change things for the better, but it has to be put to use. How about getting out and voting, for example? However, there doesn't seem to be much historical research into the past to see if things really are different now (IMHO they're not). Lots of people quoting each other's interesting ideas in each other's blogs does not produce truth.

The real value in this article is that the qualities you put forth for gen-Y leaders are true for leaders, period. Take out the generational label and you have something.

@ Justin: Thanks for the encouragement! =)

@ Paul: Thank you for your differing perspective. I just responded to a similar comment on my blog. People lump themselves into categories. If you're a realtor, you identify with realtors and feel pride being part of that group. Likewise, as part of the millennial generation, I feel pride and identify with Gen Y. Does that mean I am encouraging stereotyping and labeling? I don't think so.

However, that doesn't mean that leadership skills cannot be transferable to other generations. And I don't believe these traits are exclusive to Gen Y. However, I do think that taken together they depict a comprehensive picture of what it means to be a Gen Y leader as opposed to another generation. Each group has unique challenges that we face and leaders must respond accordingly.

I most certainly agree that we must take action, and that's a strong tenet to my brand and I think is prevalent in the post as well. Do you know of a leadership skill I've missed that would encourage action among youth more effectively?

Can you expand on your point that it is loyalty that has changed how leadership works, not the collaborative environment? I'd like to hear more on that.

Thanks again for making me think harder.

Just a reminder: You can't lead if no one is folowing.

I admit this is a knee-jerk reeaction to the statement "By making room for other leaders, 'you attract people who aren't followers, who aren't looking for the kind of leader who will save them from the anxiety of responsibility' ". I know it wasn't a dig, but as a lifelong follower, I'm a bit sensitive.

Don't knock us followers too much; We've got your back.

Rebecca,
I loved the statement that it is not a leader's job to save people from the anxiety of responsibility.

I do think, however, it is a leaders job to demonstrate that responsibility is key to success, both as an idividual and as an organization. True responsibiltiy, for those willing to take it, does not breed anxiety, it breeds clarity and confidence. Taking responsibility is the first step to change and improvement – regardless of generation!

I enjoyed your article!
Thanks!
Donna

"Can you expand on your point that it is loyalty that has changed how leadership works, not the collaborative environment?"

I think what Paul meant is that leadership is easily shared in a collaborative environment (perhaps, even, between generations!!).

What the loss of loyalty in a corporation (a company will lay you off in a heartbeat, so why be loyal?) means to leadership is that people now look to the people they work with as the driver of their work and career, not the corporation. A manager today could work for one of his or her employees tomorrow at a different company. A project today taken for "extra credit" could turn into a career change five years from now when the person looking to change contacts others who were on the project.

The loyalty is across, to the other people you work with, not up at that nice corporate hierarchy.

I'd agree with Paul, though, what you write is what an effective leader needs to be regardless of the generation. It's fun being a good leader because of the great people you work with. That stays true regardless of the generation.

Scott did a perfect job of responding to your question – that's exactly what I was getting at.

I think that there is one unmentioned leadership quality that inpires confidence and call to action more than any other – humility. There is nothing like seeing the president of the company roll up their sleeves and get dirty with the rest of the team. When the leader does it, it validates the importance of the job, no matter how seemingly insignificant. Hierarchies will develop out of need for efficiency. Ants, chickens, wolves all do it regardless of how collaborative the environment is at the start. As you and Scott both state, the most effective top dogs know they weren't always and won't always be and act accordingly.

@ Scott M: Hm. I wonder if you're more of a leader than you give yourself credit for. After all, this blog has over 600 readers and I would guess 20-40 people comment. Being one of those people, you are already interacting more than the others. Yes?

@ Donna: Responsibility doesn't breed clarity and confidence to me 24/7- can I join your club? This is a great viewpoint. Thanks for the thoughtful comment.

@ Scot Herrick: I enjoy the viewpoint about loyalty across your co-workers vs. up the ladder. That was a big point of my article is that leaders now have to promote others, because you're right, who knows what the future will be!

@ Paul & Scott H: I'm curious if everyone thinks the leadership qualities stay the same across generations because Gen X and Gen Y have changed the rules of leadership and workplace, or if it has always been this way. My sense is it's the first, and now the Gen Y leadership model makes sense because it responds effectively to the changes Gen X and Gen Y made in the first place. Right?

@ Paul: That's a great point. One of these links goes out to Penelope Trunk's blog where she describes how employees will think you do nothing if you don't do some grunt work. Whether that's describing "humility" or is just good management is a different story. I also agree that there is a need for hierarchy. That's why I always get miffed when I see articles about "leaderless organizations."

"@ Paul & Scott H: I'm curious if everyone thinks the leadership qualities stay the same across generations because Gen X and Gen Y have changed the rules of leadership and workplace, or if it has always been this way. My sense is it's the first, and now the Gen Y leadership model makes sense because it responds effectively to the changes Gen X and Gen Y made in the first place. Right?"

My two cents on this is that the work environment changed; nothing to do with generations. If you go back to the '60's or earlier, everyone had a national economy. The company's business was in their own country, whether the United States or France or wherever.

Then trade started to happen across countries in a large way and that brought into play the need to be competitive across the planet, just as we today need to be the best person for our job for where we are at. As soon as different cost structures came into play with different practices, everyone needed to change how they managed the business. That resulted in lots of layoffs, changed processes — and loyalty to the hierarchy gone.

To be successful in this new environment, leaders needed to change from being the "authority" to one where collaboration and letting others lead became more of the standard — because one can't lead someone in India or China or on the east coast when the leader is on the west coast; one has to have the skill sets right so people can be good leaders where they are working. Collaboration has to take place to be successful because people can't be physically working in the same place anymore.

So Gen Y may embrace this model; the other generations had to change to this model.

This is, of course, a huge simplification, but I hope it gets across that the business needs around leadership changed because we moved to a global economy.

I don't think at this point that Gen X and Gen Y changed the rules; rather they adapted to the new workplace. In addition to the global economy point Scott made, the the '80s and '90s were a time of brutal change. Corporations began looting their own pension plans to fatten officer's wallets and embark or crazy ventures/mergers/whatever; in some cases to adjust to the global economy, but in many cases, just because they could. This unfettered corporate greed eventually culminated in Enron-type scandals, but the seeds of these scandals were planted much earlier. Employees learned not to trust.

Now, as these generations are older, wiser and in many cases beginning to call the shots, a kinder, gentler version of capitalism will hopefully emerge, in contrast to the Gordon Gecko winner-take-all environment of the 80's.

It's really too early to ask the question. 10 years from now, we will know if Gen-Y changed the rules, or became the people they didn't want to be. Big mortgages, children, car payments, keeping up with the Joneses take a lot of passion out of a person.

If Gen-Y really wants to change things, a good start would be through better corporate governance, such as truly independent boards and ethical behavior. Idealism is rarely lost in a single moment; it is eroded away, a decision at a time. You have to do the right thing every single day. This kind of change requires a whole generation to be better humans first. It's a tall order, and one I hope Gen-Y is willing to fill.

A provocative post and many great comments. I am cheering you on! In my candor and authenticity ( and longer perspective), I add some comments:

Leaders have to have followers, by definition. But leaders and followers can switch roles, and that is what should happen in a collaborative and inclusive workplace and world. Yes, competitors are partnering, and that's good. And yes, the lines are being blurred.

Rebecca – you have set out an ideal vision to aspire to that is not yet at all the norm for Generation Y or any generation. Some of what you set out in your article sounds a lot like the Baby Boomers when they were young. This is not so surprising since for the most part the Boomers are Gen Y's parents, and they brought you up to be independent-minded and seek change.(I am one and I remember it well.) The Baby Boomers were all about changing the rules and creating a new world. To some extent they did (and to some extent some of those rules are coming back to bite them.)

I welcome change. And I hope you succeed in being the kind of leaders you aspire to be.
Phyllis http://www.pdcounsel.com

@ Scot and Paul- You make great arguments, but alas, I still believe Generation Y leadership is unique – call it youthful idealism; I'm glad to hang onto it as long as possible. I don't think it's fully the change in the global business environment, because small and local businesses are often the first to take on innovative leadership and management models. Although, certainly, there's no mistaking that this is a contributor to the change.

I find it very interesting that a lot of the conversation about leadership has focused around trust and ethics – that's something that I feel as well. It's very hard to trust anyone; I've learned this first-hand in business. And if that's the main motivator to change, it makes sense that a lot of the other trends would grow from that. I.e., entrepreneurship – self reliance, teamwork/collaboration – no one person is responsible, enabling leaders – trying to prove your good intentions. In that sense, I'm not sure it's a good thing, this new leadership model, since it allows us to skid around the issue of trusting one another by creating processes to avoid it. Thoughts?

@ Phyllis: Thank you for the encouragement. It's always interesting to hear from a Baby Boomer- although you sound like you have quite a bit of idealism still left. If the model isn't the norm, and it should be, what can we do to spread it? How do new leaders emerge? What can we do to encourage leaders?

Terrific article, but as Paul and Scott Herrick make clear, it would be a mistake to think of these characteristics as uniquely GenY. I've known many effective, empowering leaders like this whom I'm constantly trying to decode and emulate, and almost all of them are older (sometimes much older) than GenY. Sensitive management of smart, dedicated, and invested people can't be boiled down to a "generational thing"; in fact, suggesting that it can be may create mistrust between generations that might otherwise not have been there.

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Well said about Gen-Yer's. I have been a healthcare administrator for 5 years now right out of college managing between 60-120 employees and have defined my leadership style as "servant leadership". It is defined as "encouraging leaders to serve others while staying focused on achieving results in line with the organization's values and integrity." I think more of us Gen-Yer's grew up playing on every type of team so naturally we like working with others and not by ourselves and want the team to win, not the individual. I did have a female employee of another generation tell me that she believes women have a hard time working with each other because they grew up watching individual sports like figure-skating and beauty pagents. I don't think that is the case with femal gen-Yer's.

I'm very late in responding to this article, but I thought I would contribute anyway. I think I exhibit the "why don't we all just get along" mentality of Gen-Y that many of you hate. I'm somewhat younger than the writer of this article, (I was born early '85), and I'm not an office-type worker, I'm a student of English. This all adds up to a great excuse for you to all think I'm completely full of nonsense and to disrespect me completely, and wish I could be more ready for it.

I like what Ms. Thorman has to say about how we delegate leadership. I want my leaders to be certified leaders by greater leaders, and also hopefully to be elected leaders by citizen non-leaders. I wish our democratic process worked better. I want to be an American, but I have a hard time fully investing my faith. I'm young and relatively uneducated, so if I come off as a fool, you may be righteous in accusing me.

As someone who considers himself Gen-Y, I wish we had more absolutes and more givens, some things to believe in whole-heartedly. We aspire to glory like our "Greatest Generation" grandparents, and aspire to sociopolitical change like our own parents, and I'm not a sell-out by any means but I certainly wish I had more to belong to. It's difficult to be an American patriot in the post-9-11 world.

We are tools. But the laziness stereotype has to go, we're not lazy! A lot of white young-adult Gen-Y are overprivileged and associated with professions and lifestyles that promote or are associated with laziness, but there are a silent majority of blue-collar Gen-Y who are not at all lazy, nor did we ever want to be or was it ever encouraged. Many boomer parents gave us a little too much and we kind of hold it against them in a way. Why didn't you put us in our place when we deserved it? We know we had it too easy. Esp. because they talk shit on the internet about it, and they'd better believe we understand the internet. If nothing else.

Our idealism isn't dead, but it's closer to being so. One thing I think we can be proud of is that we're very un-sexist and relatively non-racist. I've grown up with feminism being the accepted norm and I don't think I'm going to be exerting any glass ceiling on any ladies my age anytime soon. At least not on purpose; I can't speak for a true young woman on that. It's almost as difficult to act like a man in the 21st century as it is to act like an American patriot. A dying breed. For better? Or worse? I don't want to oppress anybody, nor do I want to compromise myself.

One thing about people my age– there are a lot of us. I hope we can leave a positive impression on the world. It seems unlikely, but it's not impossible.

[...] Employee Evolution is a blog I came across tonight focusing on the millennial generation and the workplace, great thoughts, especially here [...]

I agree with Sean's commnets and feel that the ability to bridge generational gaps is an art. Often times generations feel reluctant or put off by those not in their generation. Much like an ex-wife loathes the new, younger wife of her former husband & meanwhile the new wife is unsure of how to act around the ex-wife.
So while i agree there are generational differences b/c – if we're being honest, how you were raised & the environment of the world around you truely does effect who you are- i feel that the best thing a Gen Y'er can do is to effectively bridge the gap b/t generations. More importantly show the older generations, we're not the enemy – we're their key to retirment
If you're able to bridge the gap b/t generations, especially with those in leadership, you will be perceived to be a leader, b/c as i previously stated – building these bridges is an art.

i really have fun reading comments of other people on my posts..good or bad, well, it goes to show that they have indeed read ‘em. but i’m also guilty of not leaving comments on other blogs as well.