Lisa’s Generation Relations Blog

Hi All!

I’m thrilled that my new book, Millennials Into Leadership, is out and already getting 5 Star Reviews on Amazon! I wrote this book for Millennials (aka Gen Y) aspiring to be effective, respected young leaders in the workforce. And, since it is the holiday season, if you’re struggling to find a great gift for the 20-something person in your life (employee or relative), my book may be a good solution

As a sneak peek, here is the actual Introduction from the book to give you a better idea of what it’s about and why grooming young people early in their careers is critical for their success…and their employers success!

INTRODUCTION: “MILLENNIALS INTO LEADERSHIP“

Hello! And welcome to my book. I can’t believe I’m sitting here writing another one so quickly after my first, but I felt this topic and focus was important. You probably didn’t read my first book, Millennials Incorporated: The Big Business of Recruiting, Managing and Retaining the World’s New Generation of Young Professionals. That’s okay – I don’t take it personally. After all, it was about YOU, so it was targeted at companies wanting to understand you as future/current employees, plus I included a lot of tips to help managers and supervisors engage with your generation more effectively.

So, I’ve been on your side for quite some time and helping employers figure you out…all in an effort to recruit and retain your generation as their future leaders. And, I’ve even conducted workshops for Millennial employees to help them acclimate and ramp faster as new professionals in the workforce.

It has been a wild couple of years in my life focused on YOU! I’ve conducted many seminars, workshops and keynotes with audiences full of generations older than you…often watching them spend the first 15-minutes of the presentations looking at me with blank stares. But then, luckily, I see the light bulbs start to appear over their heads as they begin to “get” what I’m sharing about your generation. And then I also witness that look of “Uh-oh” from them as they realize they’re going to have to really step-up their personal leadership and management game to better retain their Millennial employees.

Why? You guys demand a lot from your leaders at work! And, quite honestly, there are a lot of mediocre managers/leaders out there in the workforce, and your generation is requiring them to reassess their personal management and leadership skill set(s). Some of them haven’t had to do this in a long time and they are struggling with it (and/or resent it). But, I think it’s good for them. A little “reality check” for people who have “gotten by” on mediocrity is necessary to improve a company.

Why my new book? It’s rather simple really. From a demographic standpoint, your generation will be moving into leadership roles sooner than many generations before you did. It’s basic math: The Boomers are a massive generation and starting to hit retirement age now, and Gen X (the 30-somethings) are a small generation. And even though Generation Jones (the 40-50-somethings) is a pretty big generation, they’re replacing many Boomers in senior management and leadership roles now. That means in the U.S. we don’t have enough head count to fill the entry level to middle-management roles that are becoming available (there just aren’t enough Gen Xers to do it).

Let me share some quick stats to put this in perspective…but it’s NOT just a U.S. “labor shortage” issue:

1. According to the US Bureau of Statistics: By 2010, U.S. corporations, and small to medium-sized businesses (SMB’s), will be short 10 million workers.

2. The EU’s Labour-Shortage ‘Time Bomb’ (June 22, 2007): In the European Union, a shortage of 300,000 qualified employees in the IT sector alone is forecast for 2010.

3. ‘Japan Stares Into an Economics Abyss’, Masaki, H. (May 14, 2006): In Japan, prospects for skilled labor are so dim that some electronics manufacturers have introduced programs granting their employees leave (time off) to receive fertility treatments.

4. (U.S.) Employment Policy Foundation (EPF): A systematic labor shortage is expected to transform the workplace over the next 25 to 30 years as the gap between Baby Boomers and entrants of college-educated workers widens due to the Boomers’ mass retirements. If the U.S. economy continues to grow at 3% a year – the economy’s consistent average since 1948 – the workforce will have to increase by 58 million employees over the next three decades if the same rate of productivity is maintained. Yet, if the current population trend continues, the number of workers will only increase by 23 million. This trend would cause an overall U.S. labor shortage of 35 million workers. Most of these projected shortages are expected to involve workers having specific skills. My comment: The first “wave” of this U.S. labor shortage was described in stat #1 on this list.

Okay, those are just a few reasons “why” you may find yourself (or have already been) promoted into a management position and leading a team sooner than you expected (probably supervising some employees older than you are).

And while this is “good” news for your career growth, I personally provide one-on-one Leadership & Career Coaching for many Millennials (many of which hire me on their own – not through their employers) who are struggling. They have only been in the professional workforce a short time, maybe 2-5 years, but are finding themselves in positions with a lot of responsibility. So they don’t have a lot of real-world leadership and management experience, let alone experience in their field, and they need help “ramping fast” as leaders within their companies.

So that’s the goal of my book: To give you an overview of what being an effective leader means, help you understand the difference between a manager mindset and a leadership mindset, provide you with effective leadership tips, and help you achieve respect (and confidence) as a young leader at work.

I don’t believe that old saying “leaders are born – not made”. I work with many young professionals who are smart and talented, but need my help to grow quickly in a leadership role.

And one thing to note: Having a leadership mindset, regardless of your current position at work, or even if you’re still in school, will do nothing but help you succeed now, and in the future. Highly successful executives, 2-3 times your age, never stop learning and continually embrace ways to improve their leadership skills. So get started NOW, and give yourself an edge…personally and professionally.

YOU are the future of the workforce (and our world!), and your co-workers, employees, supervisors, and employers, need you to be the best leader you can be…so let’s get started!

Thanks to everyone who has supported me along this journey, and to all of the media who have contacted me for interviews about the book!

Bye for now,

Lisa