The Millennial Leaders Three Daily Challenges

Millennial Leaders are rapidly becoming the new norm. Rising startup CEO’s, corporate America ladder climbers, and small business managers are now predominantly Generation Y(Ages 18-35).

With greater responsibility, comes greater accountability. And to whom we are accountable too is our team and our business. We understand that great leadership will require adaptation to an ever-changing business landscape. And because of that, we must understand what is not set in stone, rather what is a daily ritual to lead a successful team.

Three areas that ALWAYS require daily attention and refinement from great leaders:

1. Empathy — 2. Decision-making — 3. Goal-setting

Empathy

Generally speaking, people want to do a good job, be proud of their work. But humans are human — mistakes are inevitable. What you do when someone around you makes a mistake is what defines empathy. Do you go off the rails, mentally? Do you berate them for screwing up? Are you quick to write them off as someone incompetent?

Great leaders understand: Having empathy is showing gratitude for an honest effort! When someone screws up is the PERFECT opportunity to be a coach and a teacher. First, allow them to explain their thought process that led to the mistake. You will be surprised to find out that they(usually) had great intentions, but were unable to execute or made one small mental error that led to the mistake, big or small.

Then, allow for constructive feedback and discussion about how to correct the error moving forward. One small change can lead to a major correction and a happy team member that will grateful for YOUR positive leadership.

Decision-Making

Leading a team requires constant awareness of how the team is feeling and where they are mentally. “Taking the temperature” or “checking the pulse” of the team is a constant to understand how and when to motivate or dial back the intensity. Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski’s novel, “Leading with the Heart”, details how he was always asking his Senior’s how they were feeling and what he could do to ensure they were ready for the next game.

Did they need a tougher practice after an easy win? Did they need some time off after a tough stretch of road games? Did some guys need to have a lighter practice because it was late in the season and their legs were getting worn down?

To make the best decisions — Always be aware of your team’s CURRENT state to ensure you know how to understand what they ACTUALLY NEED, not what you think they need.

Goal Setting

Simply said, the goals you set as a leader must be equal to commitment level of your team. If they are not, you are not respecting your team’s effort and you must be able to readjust.

Business landscapes, team achievements, and personal agendas are constantly changing. The best know how to balance these while setting measurable and time-specific goals to allow the collective to reach for greater heights that matches the dedication they are willing to put in.

And the pro-tip: Individual, team, and business goals must be written down(documented) and followed up on to ensure proper tracking and accountability.