The Development of Millennial Leaders

It is expected that over the next couple of years, more millennials will be holding leadership positions in companies. Needles to say, they need to be guided on how to effectively lead not just their own generation, but the older and more experienced ones who are likely to have different ideas from them.

So what skills does a millennial need to possess in order to be a successful leader? Studies show that the following skills are essential to the success of a millennial leader:

1. Ability to solve problems not in the easiest or fastest way, but in the most effective way

A great leader is someone who has the ability to plan strategies and execute them. Many leaders, especially the younger ones, think that having a vision and ideas is enough. They don’t realize that having ideas means nothing if those ideas are not turned into reality. It’s important for young leaders to know how to plan and execute their plans.

2. Being focused on results

Leaders must be productive, efficient, and must prioritize work that has the highest value. This also means that a leader must begin any kind of planning by outlining the business outcome first. They should know what outcome they are expecting. Effective leaders know very well which actions are needed to achieve the goals of the organization.

3. Willingness to seek various perspectives

A good leader knows that everyone has a need to lead. Being a leader is not only about managing people and making people do things. More importantly, a leader has to help their subordinates become good leaders as well. This means a leader should monitor trends in the workplace, encourage employees to contribute ideas or opinions, and urge everyone to join the decision-making process.

4. Belief in the importance of supporting others

Having genuine concern for the people on the team, taking time to know each of them, and learning what motivates each member can help leaders in a huge way in accomplishing their goals. Great leaders know that their team members have to be aware of where they fit in so that they could know the direction they should go to.

5. Commitment to inspiring their team members

Leadership is about inspiring others. The best leaders in the world serve as an inspiration to many. If you can’t get your team members to do something by following your lead, it means you are not able to inspire them. Being an inspirational leader takes a lot of hard-work and conscious effort on the part of the leader, but it’s definitely worth it.

Millennials have a huge potential to become great leaders. They are young, fresh, idealistic and energetic. But they definitely need guidance to develop their leadership skills, which is what they can learn in an executive coaching program.