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Ryan Healy is a recent college graduate. He is a founder of 
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New here? Employee Evolution is a blog written by Ryan Healy. Ryan is a Co-Founder of Brazen Careerist, the webs #1 social network for young professionals. Ryan speaks with organizations on best practices for recruiting and retaining Generation Y and how to effectively use social media to reach your target market. To contact Ryan, please visit our contact page.
There’s not much opportunity to lead when you’re a recent college grad working for a big (or small) company. That’s because leadership opportunities typically come only with age and seniority. That makes sense. But the smartest companies know that learning to be a leader is a key desire for most ambitious Millennials, so they create leadership opportunities even for their entry-level workers.
I recently spoke with a woman who was appalled at the fact that her newest 22-year old recruit was interested in what types of leadership opportunities were available at the company. The woman didn’t understand what a 22-year old could possibly lead. I thought it was a perfectly acceptable request. But if you’re in a company that doesn’t have “Gen Y leaders,” it’s up to you to use everyday situations as your leadership training ground.
Here are four things you can do to practice for your future role as leader of the free world.
Make a decision
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve talked in circles with friends about where we should eat dinner. Typically I will ask someone where they want to go for dinner, then he will respond asking where I want to go, and the conversation will eventually end with no decision made.
But leaders make decisions. They make much more difficult decisions than where to eat dinner. And they often have to make decisions with less than perfect information available. So the next time you’re in a conversation where no one will choose, tell the group exactly where you want to go for dinner.
Try new things
I hate trying new things. I hate it until I do it, of course. Before I gave a speech, I hated public speaking– I was terrified. But I also knew that I usually end up enjoying things that I think I hate. So I wrote on my blog bio that “I speak with companies about recruiting and retaining Generation Y.”
And when I spoke with my first audience on this subject, I was terrified. But I also had a blast and I learned a ton about people and about myself–because I tried something new. Being comfortable and competent in unfamiliar situations is a sign of true leadership ability. So whenever you have the opportunity to do something new, try it!
Surround yourself with people smarter than you
If you’re going to lead any successful company, group or team, you must be able to lead people who are smarter than you. Successful teams are made up of successful people, and successful people are usually pretty smart. So befriend people who you consider smart and successful and make them part of your team.
This doesn’t mean you need to take control and “lead” these smart friends to any particular destination. Just interacting with smart people and learning to hold your own in complex or thoughtful conversations is great practice for managing your smart team at your next job as CEO. If you’re at the top of an organization there will always be someone you manage who knows more about something than you do, so you must be comfortable in this situation and able to evaluate what they know, even if it’s a little over your head.
Embrace alone time
They say it’s lonely at the top. I wouldn’t know. But for one reason or another I have a feeling “they” are right. Leaders have to make the final decision, and inevitably not everyone will like the decision they made. Leaders must be comfortable being alone.
Also, there is something kind of refreshing about spending time alone. Once you get comfortable with it, you can step back and take an introspective look at your life and your goals and learn a little about yourself. And knowing yourself is the defining characteristic of a good leader, because before you can lead others, you must first figure out who you really are as a person and what type of leader you want to become.
I think your “make a decision” point is key. I’ve had plenty of personal experience with the kind of stalemate you mention. An especially interesting example is in a volunteer/community service type situation when there is no defined leader. It can be a great relief to everyone if you step up and say, let’s start with this. But whatever the situation, work, social, whatever it might be you can be a leader by enforcing decision making. You don’t have to be bossy, just keep people moving along to a decision.
Another thought on the ‘make a decision’ topic.
People find it easier to make a decision when they have a few choices to choose from. So if you are uncomfortable with making the decision for everyone, you can simply narrow it down to 2 or 3 choices to help the process along.
I use this technique all the time in meetings to get people to make a decision and move along, even when I’m the least senior person in the room.
My question is: If everyone is out to be a leader, who are they leading?
Ryan,
I think you have some very good points here. Each one is distinctly a positive trait a leader needs to posses.
I think a very important lesson that Gen-Y needs to understand, if they want to be a leader, is ‘Leadership’ is not found in a title. Leadership is found in your actions. If you want to be a leader at your company, you should practice being a leader without a title. That is the quickest way to earn a leadership role. Even at a very young age.
I am currently writing a book called The Modern Leader: 8 Rules for Tomorrow’s Top Leaders. It is written to the Millennial Generation to help ‘Leaders’ find their voice of influence. The main premise that it stresses is, “True leaders do not need a title to be a leader.”
Keep up the good writing.
Ryan,
This is a great article. Thanks.
Currently I’m considering the possibility of accepting my first managerial/supervisory position. I’ll be totally honest and say that the thought is pretty intimidating, but I’ve always been more of a leader than a follower and the first one has to happen eventually, right?
Thanks for bringing up some great points to keep in mind as I make my decision.
Ryan, solid insight here, and I happen to agree with all four of these points. But I can’t help noticing how distinctly “old school” they seem. I thought the Millenial version of leadership relied on flat organizations and collaborative decision-making, but some of your points seem to offer starkly opposite advice:
Point one: But leaders make decisions. They make much more difficult decisions than where to eat dinner. And they often have to make decisions with less than perfect information available. So the next time you’re in a conversation where no one will choose, tell the group exactly where you want to go for dinner.
Point four: Leaders have to make the final decision, and inevitably not everyone will like the decision they made. Leaders must be comfortable being alone.
Is the Millenial version of leadership beginning to evolve? Perhaps decision by committee (or even by democracy) doesn’t always work in a system where some participants have more to offer or more at stake than other participants?
To speak to JRandon’s question: even though every Millenial thinks of himself or herself as a leader, I think Ryan’s right, and that in real life, a few individuals will bubble to the top, even in a supposedly flat organization. Those individuals offer wisdom and they offer value–to the company and to the employees–regardless of age or even their relative experience, and others will gravitate to them.
Thanks for the comments, all.
Scott, great point about providing a couple of choices. It definitely makes the decision easier, but I would argue that the person who provides the options is the true leader in the group.
James, Leadership is certainly not found in a title. It’s found inside of you. In fact, the people who are most concerned with titles are probably not the best leaders.
Sean, interesting observation, some of these probably are old school, but no one ever said they got everything wrong in the past! Millennials do like flat organizations, but we also know that some type of hierarchy is necessary. Decisions should be discussed by committee, but ultimately someone has to make the final call.
-Ryan
I really enjoy your point about surrounding oneself with people who are smarter than them. I think a lot of people believe that in order to be a leader you have to know everything and that is most definitely not true.
“I recently spoke with a woman who was appalled at the fact that her newest 22-year old recruit was interested in what types of leadership opportunities were available at the company. The woman didn’t understand what a 22-year old could possibly lead.”
I hope that women is reading this because she needs to get ‘her head out of the sand’.
I am working with a recent graduate at the moment. She is just 22 and approached me as she is interested in ‘leading’.
I found her a role where she is leading a team of 25 IT personnel and she is better than many of the ‘leaders’ around with far much experience and much, much older.
It’s about confidence, attitude and the will to learn.