I've been in the military for 24 years and have seen a lot of change. If you consider yourself a leader, you will need to understand the new generation to navigate your team to success effectively.
Yes, I used the word leader, not manager or supervisor. Very few consider themselves leaders because it is challenging to care about others—it's easier to micro-manage, deflect, delegate, or avoid.
What is leadership? The old-school Marine Corps definition of leadership is still my favorite. Leadership is the art of influencing others to accomplish a mission. The key word is "influence."
How do you influence others, especially when the work is grueling or not sexy? Building a team is critical to getting people to do unsettling, tedious, or menial tasks. Teams accomplish the mission for the team, not the company.
Let's build a team. You may think building a team nowadays is difficult, especially with everyone primed to quit. Nope, building a strong team of hard-working young adults is easier than ever—the key is unit cohesion.
Unit cohesion is the glue to keep everyone together through thick and thin. However, you don't do it by telling people what to do or sending emails.
You earn unit cohesion by asking about people's families, giving solid and simple life advice, and genuinely caring about their overall welfare.
You also will be able to "connect" people with similar interests and life events. For example, one of your employees may be getting rid of baby clothes and equipment, and another may have a baby on the way.
You can connect these two individuals (who probably work next to each other) because you have taken the time to get to know each of them.
Leading the new generation. It's easier than ever to be a leader if you understand leadership. The new generation has never been led.
Their parents wanted them to grow up in a bubble without hardships. Therefore, they have never overcome anything particularly challenging.
Their teachers and guidance counselors didn't see themselves as mentors. Older adults in the workforce do not train them. They are severely leadership-starved.
People will always gravitate toward leadership; it is natural. People crave knowing what to do and how to accomplish their tasks.
Leadership is not about you; it's about them. Nobody cares about your boring experiences and war stories. You must understand them, their struggles, and their future outlook.
How does leadership look daily? Every day you must greet and ask questions to your staff or team. Ask them about their weekend, their plans, and when they last talked to their parents. Never talk to anyone while looking at your computer screen or phone. Never.
Within a couple of weeks, they will open up to you. Remember, their parents are nowhere to be found. They have never received any kind of advice that meant something.
In fact, this generation follows social media more than their parents. They genuinely don't understand work-life balance or how to save and invest. They are completely lost because nobody takes them seriously. Let's look at some examples.
Personal appearance. Yes, people can dress and look any way they want; however, it may come at a price. When talking to the new generation, ask them about their goals. They may want to climb the corporate ladder of your company.
You can advise them that the "more plain" you are in corporate society, the better. I like to point to Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, and Elon Musk as "plain" people who made it.
I also refer to celebrities like Samuel Jackson, who keep their image clean. He can do his banking commercials because he is a "clean-cut, non-polarizing" actor.
Again, it's not about telling them what to do but letting them know the bigger picture. Don't worry; they have never heard this information before. Their parents told them to dress however they wanted, and the world MUST accept them (bad advice).
Personal finance. You don't need to be a personal finance coach to understand most people are underwater. Your team will come to you because you have your finances together (right?).
Again, it's not about giving them profound financial guidance; just ask simple questions. They may say their car note is $1,000/month. You can ask why they are driving such an expensive car. They probably don't know why.
They seek answers, leadership, and guidance. I am shocked when I talk to these young people. They live in the information age but lack guidance on putting it all together.
Relationships. These poor young folks don't have anyone to guide them with their relationships. Many come from broken homes and crave companionship. However, they don't know where to look.
Just having your personal life together will be a solid influence on your team. If your life is in chaos, chances are theirs will also be crazy. As a leader, everyone observes what you do and how you act—at all times.
I blame the parents; you are the parent now. I blame the parents. Having kids is a lifelong pursuit of learning for the parents. To help your children, you must lead, observe, mentor, and guide your child with as much information as you can obtain.
However, parents still operate on old information that didn't even work for them. The pension and 401K are dead; hustle culture is here to stay until wages meet living standards.
You will take on the pseudo-role of parent to them. You can be honest with them; just do it in question form. "What are your goals and why?" "Why do you want to move to New York, and what is your plan when you get there?"
Show them a bigger world, and they will trust you. Their jobs are a small part of their financial puzzle. They must create content, freelance, and do side hustles to achieve their goals.
You must understand how your pay structure plays into their lives. If they make $30/hour, how can they afford a $2,500/month apartment?
They may feel they deserve to live a particular lifestyle, but nobody has told them overwise. Giving helpful suggestions like getting roommates, downgrading their car, or starting a blog can go a long way.
If they are a vital member of your team, let them know. You may not be able to increase their pay, but there could be other ways to promote stability, healthy competition, and unit comradery. You could buy lunch for the worker of the month, for example.
Conclusion. This may seem like a lot for most people, but you said you wanted to be a leader. Who said leadership was easy? If you take care of your people, they will take care of you.
I have not met one young person who didn't want leadership. There is no more defined corporate ladder anymore.
They may be an associate at one firm, a shift manager at another, and a manager at another. The overall theme is that they don't have anyone to guide them through the process.
Being a successful worker, building a family, and becoming financially independent are all challenging in their own right. We are asking people to try to do all three in one lifetime. Most people will break.
You can be a voice of reason in a chaotic and misinformed world. True work-life balance means your work and family balance will be out of whack at certain times.
I spent 9 of my 17 years of marriage away from my wife. But our work-life balance was outstanding because it was part of our family mission. Now, we will retire at 42. We can achieve work-life balance because there will be no work.
The young generation needs to hear your story in their language and through their struggles. Ask questions, give facts, and care; you will be the most influential person in their lives. Good Luck!
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