Last summer I coined a term to describe those who are chronologically, but not psychologically, Millennials; I called them aMillennials and there are more around then you might think.
Today I saw a great story about two aMillennials who showed their leadership by taking the initiative and convincing their university to provide comparable classes at a prison.
Four years ago, in fact, Wesleyan balked at a proposal to install such a program.
Two students, Russell Perkins and Molly Birnbaum, who had volunteered in prisons as students, revived the idea last year when they were seniors and figured out a way to finance it.
…a …read more

I want to share a series of email with you today because they show up a very important point and apply to employees at all levels. The emails are from ‘Brian’, an aMillennial, who writes me on and off when he wants a sounding board or, at times, advice.
Before I had time to respond to the first one, the next two had arrived.
Hey Miki, I just want your opinion on this…
I had just finished a large project that had been assigned to me by my boss’s boss.  I had completed it last week, doubled up on my work, went over …read more

Hypocrisy has had a high profile on my blog this summer, especially as it relates to the emerging attitudes of young people.
One of the current hypocrisy poster boys is Senator John Ensign, who really drove home what is acceptable and not acceptable in the prevailing attitudes of those who claim the moral high ground.
The Senator, who roundly condemned then-President Clinton’s sexual peccadillo and subsequent lying to a grand jury, said, “I haven’t done anything legally wrong.” (My emphasis.)
Which mean that if Clinton had admitted screwing around with Monica Lewinsky it would have made it a “distraction” (Ensign’s term for what …read more

Millennials and those who study them love to position them as demanding different things from the workplace than their predecessors.
The latest is a list from LeaderTalk that describes Millennials’ Five Leadership Truths:
Truth #1 – Leadership development begins with self development; it’s about the individual; what is the first question most people want to ask a new leader?
Truth #2 – You can’t do it alone
Truth #3 – The foundation of Leadership is Credibility
Truth #4 – You either lead by example or you don’t lead at all.
Truth #5 – Being forward-looking most differentiates leaders.
Nearly two years ago Success Television listed Gen Y’s …read more

Here’s the Millennial solution for new grads who can’t find jobs: sue your alma mater.
That’s what Trina Thompson is doing to the tune of $72000; $2000 of which is compensation for the stress engendered by an unsuccessful three month job search; she graduated in April with a bachelor of business administration degree in information technology.
I’m not sure what planet Thompson is on, but she seems to think that her attendance record combined with a 2.7 GPA makes her a great find for any company.
Thompson finds major fault with the Monroe College Career Center…
“They’re supposed to say, ‘I got this student, …read more

As most of you know I write a series on Thursday called Leadership’s Future that looks at education, parenting, kids, Millennials, etc. In the course of my reading I see a articles that would be of interest, but I can’t fit them all in, so I thought that today I’d offer up some of the good ones that I haven’t had time to feature.
Assuming you live on this planet you’re aware that there’s a recession going on, so what’s happening in the world of youth and parents?
Business Week had a great article on Growing Up In A Recession, while the …read more

The problem with generational labels is that one size never fits all—they are merely convenient designations.
As with any large group, negative attitudes and actions often get more attention and press than positive ones and I’m no exception.
Leadership’s Future is often about Millennials—their sense of entitlement, expectations, impatience, and the parental intervention that fuels it.
My Millennial friends kid me that I’m ignoring a large number of their demographic, although even they don’t claim that it’s anywhere near a majority.
But they do have a point, so I’m offering up a new term to designate those who are chronologically, but not psychologically, Millennials.
aMillennial, …read more

I’m old enough to remember when maturity was something to strive for; when living with your parents post 18 made you a loser; when being cool also meant being independent and paying for your own place was a badge of honor.
But that was then and this is now.
Andrew Gordon sent me a link to a Washington Post article discussing how thirty-something is the new twenty-something (the comments are well worth reading, too).
In other words, people are “coming of age” far later in life than ever before.
Maybe this isn’t surprising, since people aren’t aging the way they did.
In books and films …read more

Are you looking for a good way to make your company or group more innovative? To move it from where it is to where you want it to be?
A good place to start is by encouraging your people to question the fundamentals (QF) of the company.
QF is one of the best ways to overcome the “…but we’ve always done it that way” school of thought and foes a long way to overturning “not invented here” syndrome; both are major stumbling blocks to innovation, productivity, retention and a host of other positives moves.
QF also goes a long way to attracting Millennials …read more

Steady readers of Leadership’s Future know that I am thoroughly alarmed and dismayed by the Millennial MAP (mindset, attitude, philosophy™) regarding such mundane stuff as accountability, honesty and entitlement along with the No Child Left Behind fiasco and its focus on grades-for-funding.
Two articles caught my eye this week, both on a very positive note.
Education
The first is an overview discussing what Arne Duncan, the new education secretary, did in Chicago and wants to do nationally. It’s not perfect, but it’s a lot more than we’ve seen in years. Not only that, but the price tag per school isn’t that outrageous considering …read more