Leading Millennials…by a Millennial

By Tyler Haynes Markoff Law LLC

I was born in 1985, and by all accounts, I am a Millennial. I am on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. I look at my cellphone constantly and love a good craft beer while visiting the next trendy restaurant. So, according to voices of previous generations, I am lazy and have no drive to succeed because I do not want to be chained to a desk for 80 hours a week. This could not be a more inaccurate picture of my generation. Millennials are not lazy. Instead, with the emergence of better technology, we work differently. I do not believe in a work-life balance. I believe in just life. A Millennial’s career is webbed into who he or she is as a person. We will respond to emails at 2:00 a.m. and work as efficiently on our couch while typing away on our MacBook Air as we do in a suit and tie at our downtown office.

Recently, I was asked to think about what I want in a career. I believe my thoughts are similar to the thoughts of most individuals of my generation. We want a career that allows us to have purpose and to feel that our work matters. We want to be involved in our employer’s business in order to learn and grow with the company. It is not always necessary to be the “boss.” It is necessary that the “boss” understand our goals and respect our ideas.

According the U.S. Census Bureau, Millennials will surpass the Baby Boomers this year to become the largest share of the United States workforce. At this point in time, one in three workers are now Millennials. In an industry that is historically reluctant to change (i.e. law), how is one to lead such a large percent of the workforce that, on the surface, seems more concerned with our next Instagram post, tweet, or night out with friends?

Benjamin Franklin once said, “tell me and I forget, teach and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” These timeless words define how Millennials work. We do not want to be delegated tasks and handed project after project. The top-down model of leadership does not work with Millennials. It is important to us to be involved in the discussions of WHY we need the task or project. Great leaders work with millennials through collaboration and view them as partners instead of subordinates.

Over the past couple of years, the leaders of the law firm I work for have invited me into discussions on the firm’s goals and what needs to be accomplished to reach them. I now have a better understanding of the intricacies of our practice and am able to help develop the whys and hows of a task or project. Due to this involvement, I was invited to manage a department within our firm. The department consists of several Millennials. Heeding Ben Franklin’s advice, I lead the group from the center by collaborating with each employee and discussing why a project or task needs to done. To date, we have achieved our goals.

Millennials are the leaders of the future. Actually, we are already taking the lead. Understanding how we work and what motivates us will pay dividends for past and future generations!