Millennials are looking for ways to acculturate outside of their family into the greater tribe. As leaders we are charged with connecting them, and building the trust needed to create an enviornment of success.
Millennial Acculturation
Millennials are looking for ways to acculturate outside of their family into the greater tribe. I attended a talk where Seth Godin was the keynote speaker, and he touched on the thought of tribes. Godin’s definition of a tribe during that talk was “a group of people that care about each other, their goals, and their culture”. As this new generation of workers and leaders matriculate into society, they are struggling to find a means to connect to a group or organization because, in many cases, they can’t identify the culture of the group they are joining. The evolution of the corporate structure will need to start moving to one that attempts to connect passion and purpose to this new generation of leaders.
Corporations are finding out that, as Godin points out, “you can’t be a tribe of everyone”. Defining what matters to the company, and synthesizing that into a connection with this new generation will start to form the tribe that they are seeking to acculturate into.
As an employer, and more specifically a leader, you are going to have to work to create the enviornment of trust that these young leaders and employees have become accustomed to through their families and social groups. Building trust is a key pillar in any relationship. This trust at its most basic level allows any employee to know that if they accomplish their goals or do their part for the greater good, then their counterparts will do the same so that the overall goal can be achieved. That trust must be a tenant of the culture of your organization for Millennials to acculturate into your organization. Previous generations were more prone to sticking with the “job” despite a lack of trust, whereas this new generation is more likely to simply leave for a better situation.
This weeks tip is to build a culture of trust to grow your tribe.
Thank You,
Chris Cano
Principal
JLH Leadership Solutions
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