Improve Your Leadership Skills
As a millennial, you have a unique perspective on what it means to be a leader. You understand the value of collaboration and enabling others to succeed. And you know that in order to succeed yourself as an individual, you need to develop your leadership skills. You aren’t alone. The millennial generation is one of the most collaborative and self-aware in history. Thanks to social media and mobile technology, millennials are constantly connected with one another and their values are consequently influencing corporate culture across industries everywhere. In this article, we’ll discuss ways you can improve your leadership skills as a millennial by tapping into your strengths and challenging yourself to grow as an individual within the scope of your role as a leader.
1. Communicate Clearly
Communication is the foundation of every relationship, whether personal or professional. As a millennial leader, you want to first and foremost be a great communicator. Whether it is in-person or on a digital platform, leaders who can effectively communicate their ideas and goals are trusted by their teams and are more likely to succeed.
For millennials, the best way to communicate clear and concisely is by embracing technology in a way that makes sense for the work you do. In an office setting, this could mean having a communication tool like Slack or Microsoft Teams that allows you and your team to communicate seamlessly across different communication modalities. In a remote setting, you will want to make sure that you have a clear and concise communication strategy in place, including clear guidelines on when and how to communicate with your colleagues.
2. Be a Mentor
As a millennial leader, you are also a member of a team, and this means mentoring others on the path to success. As a millennial, you might feel that you are too young to be a mentor. However, when you look at the core values that drew you to this career, you can see that they match up perfectly with those of a mentor. As a mentor, you are someone who has seen both sides of the equation and who wants to help others reach their highest potential by sharing your knowledge. This could mean leading your team through a challenging project, sharing your expertise in an area of the company or providing career guidance to younger members of your team.
3. Use Feedback
Being a millennial leader means that you are also a leader in receiving feedback. And while receiving feedback can be challenging at times, it can be extremely valuable in helping you to grow as an individual leader. By receiving and taking action on feedback, you are creating a sustainable action plan for growth that can help you to be a stronger leader. In the workplace, you will likely receive feedback from a variety of sources. This could be your manager, colleagues or even members of your team. You will also likely be giving feedback to your team members and colleagues at various points. It is important to remember that feedback is a gift, and it is something that we should all be open to receiving and giving in healthy ways.
4. Be an Equal-opportunity Trainer
A big part of being a millennial leader is the fact that you have a unique generation that you are leading. Millennials are the generation that has worked side-by-side with technology since they were in their formative years, meaning that they bring a different set of skills to the table. This is both a blessing and a challenge for leaders. It is a blessing because technology skills are becoming increasingly important in the workplace and are something that new hires are not necessarily bringing with them.
It is a challenge because it creates a dynamic where millennial leaders and non-millennial leaders need to learn from each other. As an equal-opportunity trainer, you are able to effectively bridge the gap between generations by knowing both sides of the equation. This can be as simple as knowing what your non-millennial colleagues are trying to teach you and understanding how to best apply it in your own work.
5. Don’t be afraid to shake things up
As a millennial leader, you have the opportunity to bring some fresh air to the workplace. Millennial leaders are notorious for challenging the status quo and asking the hard questions, like “Does this make sense?” or “What can we do better?”. When it comes to shaking things up within a company, that typically means being transparent about how your team operates and being open to feedback on how you operate. This is not to say that you should be disruptive for the sake of being disruptive. Rather, it means that there is no place for secrets in the modern workplace.
6. Take care of yourself and your team
As a millennial leader, it is important that you take care of yourself first and foremost. This means setting healthy boundaries, getting enough sleep, and creating an environment where you are supported to be the best version of yourself. This also means that you need to be a leader in supporting your team members. When it comes to supporting your team, there are many ways that you can make a difference. This could mean providing ample time and space for your team members to recharge, setting clear and concise expectations that apply to both you and your team, and creating an environment where everyone’s ideas are valued.
Summary
As a millennial leader, you have a unique perspective on what it means to be a leader. You understand the value of collaboration and enabling others to succeed. And you know that in order to succeed yourself as an individual, you need to develop your leadership skills. Communication is the foundation of every relationship, whether personal or professional.
As a millennial leader, you want to first and foremost be a great communicator. As a millennial, you are also a member of a team, and this means mentoring others on the path to success. As a millennial, you might feel that you are too young to be a mentor. However, when you look at the core values that drew you to this career, you can see that they match up perfectly with those of a mentor. Lastly, as a millennial leader, you have the opportunity to bring some fresh air to the workplace by shaking things up by being transparent about how your team operates and being open to feedback on how you operate.