Is leading Millennials different than the way us 'old' folks know how to lead?

CW5 Jim Steddum — Fri, 12 Jun 2015 10:40:27 -0400

My nephew, a young Sergeant in the Signal Corps, posted a article about leading millennial Soldiers. The Article goes to the heart of what the US Army Warrant Officer Career College tries to convey during its leadership, communications, and culture classes.

The way we have always done things, may not be adequate in today's situation and circumstance. Leading is not forcing the round peg through the square hole. This problem is being mitigated with philosophies like Mission Command--where it is not longer adequate for leaders to tell subordinate leaders and organizations what to do--but get them to think about the objectives and the intent like the commander (shared understanding) so the subordinate is empowered to achieve the desired end state.

Also, the article hints about starting with Why. One of my personal favorite leadership talks is from Simon Sinek, "how great leaders inspire." Now obviously, everything is situation dependent; not all leadership techniques work on all individual at all times. It comes down to knowing your junior leaders and building trust and accountability.

What do you think?

https://medium.com/@tayhadden/dealing-with-millennial-soldiers-d8068a43a909

http://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action?language=en

Dealing with Millennial Soldiers — American Veteran Magazine

Understanding Your Troops to Be a Better Leader

Response by SSG Carlos Madden made Jun 12 at 2015 11:27 AM

SSG Carlos Madden — Fri, 12 Jun 2015 11:27:57 -0400

This is a great topic. Thanks for posting.

Response by SGT Rick Ash made Jun 12 at 2015 12:01 PM

SGT Rick Ash — Fri, 12 Jun 2015 12:01:27 -0400

Millennials just don't seem to care or know anything about anything. It's going to take a lot of adapting to teach THEM anything but it certainly needs to be done. Generation Z is going to end up as a lost generation otherwise. Let me know if I can help, seriously....

Response by SSG Thomas Brousseau made Jun 12 at 2015 12:03 PM

SSG Thomas Brousseau — Fri, 12 Jun 2015 12:03:03 -0400

As far as leadership goes there is no difference between millennials or any other generation. There have always been a mix of squared away motivated Soldiers and problem Soldiers that need motivation. The only difference is the sometimes ridiculous constraints put on leaders to satisify political correctness.

Response by CMSgt Mike Esser made Jun 12 at 2015 12:27 PM

CMSgt Mike Esser — Fri, 12 Jun 2015 12:27:38 -0400

Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

The goal is to get the individual to operate from intrinsic motivation not extrinsic motivation....the tactic will vary by individual, leaders must remain flexible and adapt.

Response by SSG Thomas Brousseau made Jun 12 at 2015 12:53 PM

SSG Thomas Brousseau — Fri, 12 Jun 2015 12:53:10 -0400

Exactly right.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 12 at 2015 1:00 PM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 12 Jun 2015 13:00:22 -0400

Its always changing and I am actually curious to see how long it takes to come full circle and find ourselves where we were at one point. When/If that will happens will they not have a great leadership tool kit available to them with the lessons learned from when those styles were used and learned from in the transitions! It seems we kinda work our way around and back in many things so I would say Leadership is probably one of them too

Response by SGT Bryon Sergent made Jun 12 at 2015 1:34 PM

SGT Bryon Sergent — Fri, 12 Jun 2015 13:34:32 -0400

I like B but C is the obvious choice!

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Jun 12 at 2015 2:00 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Fri, 12 Jun 2015 14:00:41 -0400

I am glad I am retired.

Response by SGT Jeremiah B. made Jun 12 at 2015 2:32 PM

SGT Jeremiah B. — Fri, 12 Jun 2015 14:32:11 -0400

Leadership is always changing. Leading millenials is different from leading Xers is different from leading Boomers is different from leading "the greatest generation." Cultural shifts, perspectives and personal values change from generation to generation and the leader that thinks he or she doesn't have to adapt will either be extremely ineffective or little more than a petty tyrant.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 17 at 2015 12:40 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 17 Jun 2015 12:40:33 -0400

I don't think this article really offers much on the generational differences.

I took a break from college in 2000-2003. And, when I came back to finish my bachelor's degree, the talk in student development centered around the Strauss-Howe Generational Theory:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strauss%E2%80%93Howe_generational_theory

I noticed some pretty distinct differences between Generation X and the Millennial Generation in student government. But, it wasn't quite the "they don't trust authority" line that seems to be recycled over and over again in newspaper and magazine articles.

A lot of trust in institutions of authority was lost when Generation X went through the system. And, that carried over to the Millennial Generation. However, a survey of thoughts and values really doesn't translate that well.

What I've found is that Generation X doesn't respect institutions of authority and that generation is more likely to take concrete steps to rebel. However, even though the Millennial Generation has the same perspective, they're much more likely to just accept things they way they are -- to make some wisecrack and bond with their peers over their lack of respect for authority.

But, they won't take a stand and challenge something. They're much more community-oriented. They'll start a recycling program or work in a soup kitchen, bonding with peers in some fashion and avoiding active confrontation -- at least that's what I've seen.

Response by 1SG Michael Blount made Jun 17 at 2015 1:38 PM

1SG Michael Blount — Wed, 17 Jun 2015 13:38:18 -0400

Up to a point, subordinates must learn discipline. The only way that happens is from the tone set at the top. However, to convey that tone, leaders' styles need to evolve so the people they're leading can relate. Great leaders can get their subordinates to buy in and have ownership. THAT'S the kind of enabling behavior I can get behind. I don't do the other - so, yah, up to a point, subordinates need to come up to my standards, too.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 17 at 2015 2:28 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 17 Jun 2015 14:28:17 -0400

True leadership doesn't change. People are people in every generation and every culture. Every great leader has known that this is all about relationship. If you do not invest in your subordinates, you will never earn their trust and they will never give you their full potential. Great leaders know their subordinates, earn their trust, invest time and energy so that they become leaders themselves.

Response by SrA Edward Vong made Jun 17 at 2015 2:39 PM

SrA Edward Vong — Wed, 17 Jun 2015 14:39:19 -0400

This was actually similar to one of my interview questions for my current position. "How do you deal with a leader, or manager who are set in there ways when you may have better ideas?"

My answer is, "Since I am new and have less experience compared to the leader, I would follow them and understand their process and ideas, when the leader deems me self sufficient and trusts me, I would run my program or department on how I see fit taking into account others ideas."

Response by Capt Brandon Charters made Jun 17 at 2015 3:23 PM

Capt Brandon Charters — Wed, 17 Jun 2015 15:23:04 -0400

Leading effectively requires knowing what motivates each of your troops. It's going to be slightly different for everyone. Leadership should always require a evolving approach.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 17 at 2015 3:52 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 17 Jun 2015 15:52:07 -0400

I believe diverse leaders show adaptability and mental agility which allows them to be versatile to influence their subordinates. Having interpersonal tact and critical thinking skills allows for leaders to seek meaningful relationships that provides deeper purpose and greater understanding of the mission and task and how it ties into the bigger picture. It's simple to me, people will work harder for you if they understand the end-state and truly like you as a person.

Response by CPO Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 17 at 2015 5:31 PM

CPO Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 17 Jun 2015 17:31:59 -0400

A good leader knows his or her people and knows how to listen. The leader will also know the "hot points" with each team member and utilize them accordingly to accomplish the mission all the while helping junior troops/sailors to grow. I agree that leadership is an art form but I also think the issue at hand is when the millennials don't follow specific instructions given to them because a) they think they can do it better or b) they simply disregard instructions. I know that disregarding instructions isn't necessarily only done by millennials but it seems to be more prevalent in that age group. Interestingly, civilian employers are dealing with the same issue as well as a greater sense of entitlement from this group. A good example: recent college grads with minimum work and life experience demanding high salaries for what would normally be expected of a seasoned worker/employee with years of experience.

Response by Maj Mike Sciales made Jun 17 at 2015 6:28 PM

Maj Mike Sciales — Wed, 17 Jun 2015 18:28:35 -0400

In the old days soldiers and conscripts will ignorant, illiterate and undisciplined. In the last 20 years we've seen smarter more tech savvy troops coming up. We don't have a draft and we need to spend a lot of money to train our warrior technicians so they can effectively operate our increasingly complicated equipment. They have to "buy in" to remain in the military or they can shop their training down the street in a heartbeat. This means you have to motivate and respect the troops and not simply grind them down and beat them to death. We need senior leaders who understand this. We don't need dinosaurs harkening back to the old days of SAC and MAC-V, we need intelligent warriors, operators and managers who can work with this new, intelligent breed of warrior.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 17 at 2015 9:19 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 17 Jun 2015 21:19:14 -0400

In general, what makes good leadership can't and won't change. It's always been the case that who we lead must determine how we lead, and a good leader can transition seamlessly between the needed styles. However the current generation is different in a broad sense.

I was presented with this fact very succinctly while in the Master Resilience Trainer course. Most of us students were "old guys and gals". Throughout the course we found that, while the material was some of the best information I've gotten in my 24 years, it was not new to us. We had all grown up with our own version of each concept. When I got back and started teaching it, I found that the "new kids" - about 26 and younger - had never heard of much of the concepts. They're not mysterious, esoteric ideas, they're just ways of thinking positively and taking control of your life. The realization that a 20-year-old has no clue how to remain positive when a few thing suck really floored me. It's caused me to reevaluate my leadership style dramatically.

Response by Lt Col Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 18 at 2015 8:07 PM

Lt Col Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 18 Jun 2015 20:07:51 -0400

Leadership is an evolving discipline as far as styles according to the situation and environment. But I do not think that leadership is any different for millennials than for us older. Leadership is still the act of getting people to do what you need done, even when they may not want to. The world has changed with our flower children of the 60s and 70s. This generation that has grown up has not had the discipline that us older members have had from pulling a switch off the bush, having to play outside and communicating with people in person. While we may need to communicate in different ways we still need our troops to follow orders, know their MOS/AFS, and to complete the mission. While our young people are smart in many things, many of them lack the discipline and commitment that is needed for the military mission.

Response by CPT(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 22 at 2015 8:37 AM

CPT(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 22 Jun 2015 08:37:09 -0400

I once thought the new soldier was soft but that is not the case. This new generation as a whole just looks at the world a bit differently.