Millennials aren’t lazy, they just need better leaders
Buddy Hobart, 58, didn’t always wear rose-colored glasses when he considered Gen Y — aka millennials — in the workforce.
Instead, the Homestead native was blinded by what he called his “baby boomer prejudice,” believing the younger age group was composed of entitled quitters that job-shopped faster than he could say “turnover.”
Following a conversation with his friend Herb Sendek, coach of the men’s basketball team at Santa Clara University, Mr. Hobart changed his tune and even pivoted the aim of his consulting firm.
Homestead-based Solutions21 has been developing and training “doers” and leaders since 1994 and has offices in Phoenix, Ariz., Kansas City, Mo. and Nashville, Tenn. After the Great Recession in 2008, the company shifted its focus to millennials, who began to outnumber boomers in the workplace.
By 2025, millennials will comprise 75 percent of the workforce, Mr. Hobart wrote in his book, “Gen Y Now,” co-authored by Mr. Sendek and published by Wiley. And not properly guiding or training this generation could be costly.
A recent report conducted by analytics firm Gallup concluded the economy loses $30.5 billion annually because of millennial turnover.
Solutions21’s “Next Leader Now” program was developed around the time of the book’s first edition printing in 2009 to help corporations train new millennial hires and grow them into effective leaders. The aim is to turn high-potential talent into long-term-investment.
Now, in addition to corporate clients, individuals as young as 23 years old are taking initiative to join the program, Mr. Hobart said.
“In our research, we found millennials want real feedback, they don’t want instant gratification,” Mr. Sendak said. “Lazy, spoiled, entitled and [the desire for] participation trophies are all flat myths.”
Over a 15-month period, participants in Solutions21’s Next Leader Now program — which are diversified cohorts spread across various companies and industries — have mentors that guide them through activities that build what Mr. Hobart calls “muscle memory” in leadership.
Specifics on program costs were not provided.
The program gives its trainees personalized feedback on conflict approach, emotional intelligence and leadership competency; involves them in quarterly workshops and ensures they continuously engage with a mentor oneon-one.
In Pittsburgh, the cohorts periodically will meet at the Solutions21 training center in
Homestead.
“They’re not up there power-pointing you to death,” said Ed Palchak, field service coordinator at Equipment & Controls Inc., a Lawrence-based provider of industrial automation and manufacturing tools.
Mr. Palchak, 34 of Cecil, is a graduate of Next Leader Now.
With 10,000 baby boomers retiring each day, the president of his company decided to take a proactive approach to training the next generation of managers, Mr. Palchak said.
“It was a top-to-bottom reorganization,” he said. “From on-boarding to recruiting talent and even our overall mindset. Upper management has bought in.”
He said the program is personalized, with coaches helping participants discern one personality type from another to find the best way to teach them how to lead teams.
It doesn’t matter if you’re 30 years old, Mr. Palchak explained. Through the program, he learned how to manage people much older than him while earning their trust and respect.
Expecting millennials to sit complacently on staff without moving up the job ladder is just not realistic, Mr. Hobart said. That’s a 20th century idea.
Now, careers exist on a lattice, and millennials want to move across it, bringing their skills with them.
“Think of your career platform like a chessboard,” he said “You can move two spaces to the right, you can move three diagonal, one back, one over. You’re the queen.”