What Millennials Want at Work (It's Not What You Think)

"They keep telling me, "here's what you get in five years, ten years, twenty years...I feel like -- what's that expression -- they are trying to sell me a bridge."-- Gen Y'er

"Not Everyone Gets a Trophy: How to Manage Gen Y" by Bruce Tulgan

What do Millennials want from a job? Not the bosses' job as it turns out. While it's true they are ambitious, their ambition is less about climbing the corporate ladder than making sure they are on the right ladder to learn and grow.

While Boomers and X'ers seek titles (and the responsibility and salary that go with them), Millennials are more likely to respond to increased challenge, unique experiences and recognition. Above all, they seek balance in their lives. 78% of high school students say that 'having close family relationship' is more important than money and fame in defining success.

Boomers and X'ers are prepared to compete and sacrifice to reach their goals. Most Millennials are not. This is often misinterpretted as 'laziness', but in reality reflects a different set of motivations, no less intense than that of Boomers.

From a young age, Millennials were taught group cooperation over individual competition. A colleague related a story to me earlier this week about her 15-year old son's race to be elected freshman class president. He prepared a speech, posters, a platform. But to her Boomer eyes, the degree of cooperation among the candidates was incomprehensible. Her son actually helped rewrite a competitors' speech, without considering that he was giving away a potential advantage. ("But Mom, it was lame!") When Millennials are asked to tackle something new at work, they are less likely to think of it an opportunity to shine individually as they are to wonder who they can involve to insure a better outcome and make it more fun.

Much as been made about the oh-so-Millennial ending of "The Devil Wears Prada". In the book as well as the movie, the protagonist, Andy, works hard to meet the unrelenting demands of her irrational boss. She triumphs, lands the promotion, then declines what appeared to be her goal and her dream job. This ending makes no sense to Boomers, but Gen Y find this ending quite satisfactory. The goal was to not to win, but to have a job you love enough to want to invest your life in. Andy realized early in the movie that the fashion world was not a good fit for her idea of a meaningful life. The only suspense for Gen Y was how she would quit, not whether.

Need data to support that? The percent of young adults answering 'yes' to the question, 'Would you like a job with more responsibility?' declined from 80% in 1992 to just 60% in 2002. That doesn't mean they wouldn't like a challenge, they just don't think their boss' job is 'worth it'.(Families and Work Institute)

What they do want is to make an impact while doing interesting meaningful work, in a job that allows them to lead a balanced life and doesn't box them in to a traditional career path. A survey across thirty-three countries showed that the top priorities were interesting work (29%), meaningful work (18%), and worklife balance (18%). ("Plugged In", Tamara Erickson, p.66)

Deloitte, one of the largest recruiters of top entry level talent, invested heavily in understanding what Gen Y wants from a job. At the Qualitative Research Consultants Association meeting in Chicago early this month, Tracey Scott of Deloitte Canada, shared the results of research conducted to provide strategic direction for their recruiting efforts. The resulting campaign, titled 'Truth', was based on the insight that Millennials have a different 'checklist' to evaluate their first job than those who recruit them. What Millennials want to hear is that 'everyone is willing to help you succeed'. They want to know that they will not be alone and they will have an impact. The Deloitte home page asks, "Will the business change you? Or will you change the business?". The next page challenges job seekers to "Find Yourself Among Our People" by profiling young professionals and telling their story.

While every generation brings a unique perspective, I suspect Millennials will shape the workplace more than the workplace will shape them.

Their attitudes are deeply rooted in the times and ways they were raised and unlikely to change.

Their sheer numbers will make them difficult to ignore for long.

Their propensity to look for greener pastures if they determine their needs aren't being met will cause companies to rethink what they have to offer.

They won't settle for higher salary and they aren't interested in waiting around or 'paying their dues'.

Consequently, the basic work 'contract' is likely to be fundamentally altered to accommodate the question 'what's in this for me?'. Bruce Tulgan, in his book, "Not Everyone Gets a Trophy" provides a the perfect quote:

"They keep telling me, "Here's what you get in five years, ten years, twenty years..." but they expect me to come back to work tomorrow. What do I get tomorrow?

Millennials: Not Lazy, Just Misunderstood

Of all the criticisms leveled at Gen Y in the workplace, the one that stings the most is 'lazy'. Overconfident. Ambitious. Entitled. They can live with those criticisms. But Gen Y knows in its overachieving heart it is anything but "lazy".

True, they readily acknowledge they do not want to work 2000 billable hours a year, and this reality has created resentment on both sides of the generational divide. Adrian Dayton, a young attorney I met on Twitter, posted an interesting dialog today in his blog, Marketing Strategy & The Law. It reports a panel discussion among Millennial attorneys and their bosses. This dialog illustrates very well just how wide the gap in understanding can be:

“Generation Y is entitled, lazy, selfish, tech savvy, and incompetent,” is how Scott Greenfield, one of the finest criminal defense attorneys in NY, started off the panel.

“I spent years as an associate, I hit all my metrics- but I didn’t want to become partner. It's no secret that focusing on making as much money as possible ruined many of these older partners’ personal lives.” said Anthony Zana, he is now Corporate Counsel for Intergraph Corporation- where he left behind the billable hour.“I’ve seen too many successful partners on their 3rd and 4th marriage- and I did not want that to be me."

“I think the problem is that they don’t know how to work, our firm has hired 15 attorneys in the last few years from Generation Y, and not one of them is still working for us.” said Moderator, Dan Hull.

“Well, I have had a totally different experience at my firm. As far as I can tell when I give greater flexibility to my Gen-Y attorneys, they are willing to repay it ten-fold, and make the sacrifices that are needed,” said panel member William P. Morelli, General Counsel at Ingram Industries Inc. in Nashville.

“Flexibility? I built this firm, I’m not going to let Gen Y dictate the terms of their employment.” Scott Greenfield fired back. “Generation Y uses this term life-balance as an excuse for their incompetence.”

Moderator Dan Hull agreed, “We have a very clear written policy at our firm, work - life balance is the attorney’s problem, not the firm’s.”

At this point I raised my hand, “If an attorney works 2,000-2,400 billable hours a year, there is not much room left for balance.”

“But the attorney that works over 2,000 hours a years, is going to learn to be a pretty damn good attorney,” replied Dan.

Boomer and X'er bosses view unwillingness to sacrifice as 'laziness'. Yet Gen Y is not willing to concede that just because they seek balance, they are any less committed. According to Adrian, they are just as motivated, but their goal is different. "We are not motivated by money. At least not as much as our parents were. The currency we are most interested in is lifestyle. Some of us are brilliant and hard working, but you have to dangle the right carrot in front of us."

So what is that 'right carrot'? Money? Time Off?

No, it's Voice. And Context.

This week, I've had the pleasure of talking with three hardworking Millennials. Each has agreed to accompany me to The CMO Summit in New York on May 19 and we've been preparing what to say. The panel will discuss "10 Things Millennials Wish They Could Tell Their CMO". Like Adrian Dayton, my panelists (marketers with 4-7 years experience) insist they want their companies to get the best of what they have to offer. They also insist that harnessing their ideas has less to do with hours on the job than it does with adequate opportunities to be heard and contribute.

The Feb Harvard Business Review case, where Gen Y employee, Josh, is compelled circumvent his Gen X boss, Sarah, and speak directly to the CEO to advance his ideas resonates deeply with Millennials. Most have felt that way at some point in their career. Here's how they express it:

"I hate to be shut down without a hearing."

"Why do I have to go to one person before going to the next?"

"It's the difference between 'voice' and 'say'. I don't expect to make decisions, but I do expect to be able to influence the decision with my ideas."

"Pecking orders seem archaic to me. I have an innate respect for senior management, their success and knowledge, but don't understand why I am expected to be afraid to talk to them."

Millennials have lots of ideas, and many are related to being more efficient. Compelling them to trade lifestyle hours for what are seen as unecessarily long work hours is the surest way to frustrate a motivated Gen Y worker. In their view, if something is not working, why not fix it? What's more, why not fix it immediately? Sometimes this is interpretted as 'attitude', but for Millennials, it is common sense. They are more than willing to work hard when necessary. They just want assurance that it is really necessary, and are deeply offended when told to be a 'good soldier' or 'pay their dues'.

Work smarter, not harder is their answer to the charge of 'laziness'. But, if there has to be inefficient busywork, the least they expect is to have a reasonable explanation why. For Millennials, context is almost as important as having a voice. Knowing the reason, helps them keep faith that their work has meaning and purpose. Without context, they are likely to simply check out.

"I can't stand emails that say, 'Can you take care of this? thx.' Take a minute to explain what you need, why you need it, what I can do to make it great."

As I listen to Millennials talk about what motivates and demotivates them, I can't help but wonder if we all wouldn't be better off thinking like Millennials.

Do You Think Like a Millennial? Ten Simple Tests.

In the past week, I've been told I think like a Millennial and that I 'totally get Millennials'. As a Boomer, I am very proud of this accomplishment. It's not easy for people my age to think Millenniall-ly, I had to work at it.

Do you think like a Millennial? Here are some simple tests:

1. Is work something you 'go to' or something you just do? Younger workers view work as something you do -- anywhere, any time. They are experts at time shifting, asynchronous communication, and multi-tasking. They see no reason why they can't use Facebook at work and take work calls at home. It's just life.

2. When faced with a problem, is your first resort to check the manual or just dive right in? Gen Y knows they can find out the answer to anything anytime anywhere. Their first response to a question they don't know is to Google it. Lack of information is never a problem, because they know how to find out.

3. Do you prefer face to face communication or electronic? Gen Y uses all the tools, email, IM, text, Facebook, Twitter, blogs and more. If it can be handled electronically, why should we meet?

4. When you describe Millennials as 'entitled' do you mean it as a criticism or a compliment? What many Boomers think of as unjustified arrogance, Millennials believe is earned.

5. Do you feel loyal to the company or to your co-workers? Millennials have no sense of loyalty to a firm, but they do feel passionate about their team. They are collaborative to a fault.

6. Are you striving to make a mark or to make a difference? Gen Y's core value is to fight for what they believe in. They want to do well by doing good, not wait until they've done well to do good.

7. Do you laugh at or with Ryan Howard on the Office? Ryan is caricature of what Gen X thinks of Millennials -- overly technology laden, surly, and arrogant. Yet Ryan's humor is some of the most subtle on the show (in fact many of the episodes were written by BJ Novak who plays Ryan). Ex: "I miss the days when there was only one office party I didn't want to go to".

8. Do you embrace or distrust the term 'Millennial'? Millennials really hate being labeled at all. They chafe at the expectation that just because they are young, they are totally up on all things 'Millennial'. They prefer not to be thought of as part of a generation, but as an individual.

9. Do you think of a day as 12 hours or 24 hours? Millennials think of time as a resource to be allocated as needed, not by a clock.

10. Is your glass half empty or half full? Millennials are notoriously civic-minded and optimistic. It's no coincidence that Obama and Pepsi both made optimism cornerstones of their brands. No matter that the average Millennial carries $24,000 in college debt and is most likely underemployed. They see a better world coming.

Gen Y to Bosses: You Just Don't Understand

In the Odyssey, Odysseus' talented but immature son, Telemachus, benefits from the advice of a series of mentors, including Athena herself. Great coaching prepares him for the day when Odysseus finally returns to exact revenge on the despicable 'suitors' and reclaim his kingdom.

Three millennia later, modern day Telemachuses, aka, the Millennials, are wondering 'where are our mentors'?

Last September, we conducted online focus groups among professionally-employed Millennials to see the workplace through their eyes. Among other things, they told us they were deeply unhappy with their bosses. They want more -- more responsibility, more say in decisions, more recognition of their abilities, more mentoring. They crave appreciation, but their bosses 'don't get it', and don't give it. (Listen Up! What Millennials wish they could tell their bosses.)

We don't need focus groups among Gen X or Boomer managers to know what they think of Millennials in the workplace. In May 2008, there was a very negative 60 Minutes segment, "The Millennials Are Coming". Now we are further enlightened by the Harvard Business Review's featured case, "How I learned to love millennials (and stop worrying about what they were doing with their iPhones)". Each month, HBR describes a fictional situation and asks management experts to provide advice to the protagonists. February's case features Gen X Sarah, new mother of a 4-month old baby, marketing manager for a major film studio and boss to twenty-something, Josh. Josh is brimming with ideas Sarah finds impractical and consequently doesn't champion. Josh is frustrated. Now it's crunch time, and Josh has neglected his regular work analyzing distribution spreadsheets and creating reports in order to devote time to developing his new ideas. Here's the pivotal moment:

Now, Sarah was staring anxiously at the envelope icon in the bottom-right corner of her screen: Where were the numbers she'd asked Josh to generate? Sarah just couldn't afford to stay at the office tonight; every minute she was late to pick up four-month-old Rosie from day care was costing her (financially and psychically), and she had already logged plenty of overtime this week. Sarah was ready to alert her husband that he'd have to handle the pickup, when the Outlook message popped up: "You have new unopened items." It was close to 5:30 PM when Josh's report arrived, and the last couple of case studies looked pretty sketchy, as if he'd thrown them together quickly. But there wasn't enough time to send them back for revision, Sarah decided. She'd work on them further in the morning. Sarah quickly dropped the numbers into her slide deck and was about to log off when she spotted the bright pink "coaching" sticky note slapped on the side of her monitor. A few months ago she and the other frontline managers had gone through a special HR-facilitated training session about integrating the newer, younger hires into the company. "Invest the time," the managers were told. But what many of them heard was "Sugarcoat." Sarah quickly dashed off an e-mail to Josh. "Great job! You're the best." Who was she kidding? He'd done a half-assed job, and he knew it. Like so many of the young people hired by the studio recently, Sarah thought, Josh was far more concerned with getting praise than with earning praise. How else to explain that "look at me" move in the team meeting a few weeks back?

Later, unbeknownst to Sarah, Josh pitches his ideas to her boss in an impromptu elevator speech. The boss is so impressed, he asks Sarah to tell him more. Sarah has her issues, too, but who do you think the reader is siding with in this epic? That's bad enough, but the response of the three HBR 'experts' is even more revealing of Boomer perceptions of Millennials.

Ron Alsop, author of The Trophy Kids Grow Up: How the Millennial Generation Is Shaking Up the Workplace : Like many Gen Yers, Josh doesn't respect the corporate pecking order. His generation has little tolerance for lines of authority and proper protocol. Some corporate managers even call college-age job applicants "student stalkers" because they fire off e-mails to everyone from the CEO on down to try to get the inside track to a job.

Jim Miller, executive vice president of sales and marketing at General Tool & Supply:I'm afraid Josh isn't doing much here to disprove the theories that some people have about Generation Y: a life experienced through machines, no respect for what's gone before, and a constant need for praise, entertainment, and instant gratification.Josh's behavior is wrong on so many levels. He's been hired to do a job, not this other thing that he'd like to do. He has no respect for his boss; that's apparent in his actions. But he is also putting his team's work in jeopardy by not completing, to the very best of his ability, the tasks he was assigned. That's unacceptable.

Millennials strongly relate to Josh, saying this situation happens 'all the time'. One has gone so far as to post an anonymous reply to the article on Google Docs, saying, "It's not the case study that bothered me but the managers' comments. I was shocked to hear the other side of a common scenario." The response is titled, 'An Open Letter to Boomers':

After reading the business case in the Feb 09 Harvard Business Review, I started to see really how big this whole Gen-Y thing is. I underestimated the degree to which I myself was underestimated and disrespected as a Gen-Y and was actually offended by the way we are viewed. It seems managers claim they are seeking out how to deal with this generation of unruly and tech-savvy professionals but really they just want us to shut up, put the cell phone down and keep doing things their way.

In our defense, I thought it might be useful for the last of you Boomers and even some of the older Gen-Xers (like Sarah in the case study) to understand how we see you. I hope you consider this before dismissing us as "kids these days". This document was written on my iPhone, edited on Google docs, and syndicated anonymously via Twitter. I found that the generation gap is much bigger than even we YouTubers thought and even the fact I have to publish this blog anonymously is a testament to how differently we see the world.

For the other side of the argument, see the Harvard Business Review. For advice on how to mentor Millennial like Athena, the third HBR commenter, Pamela Nicholson, President and COO, Enterprise Rent-A-Car offers sound advice:

"Sarah doesn't have time to get angry. She needs to familiarize herself with Josh's idea and make sure all the supporting data are there. Given the CEO's enthusiasm for Josh's marketing proposal, I think Sarah should actually commend, rather than criticize, her young report for taking initiative. She should invite Josh to accompany her to the meeting. But she should remind him that he needs to keep her informed so she can manage the details of the project and the expectations of the CEO."

I wholeheartedly agree. For more mentoring advice from our Millennials research see an earlier blog post, " You're Doing Great! Keeping Millennials Happy at Work."

Career Advice for Millennials from Daniel Pink

Career Advice '08

View more presentations from garr. (tags: career advice)

Here is a great example of how to talk to Millennials. This presentation, while long, can be viewed in 5 minutes or less and speaks right to the anxieties we hear among Millennials about their career paths. Namely, the fear that there is no path. This presentation, created by Garr Reynolds, provides some solid advice in an entertaining, Millennial-friendly way. The content is based on Daniel Pink's new book, The Adventures of Johnny Bunko, the Last Career Guide You'll Ever Need, 'with some other stuff thrown in'. (FYI, the book itself is written in Manga.) Bravo.

Millennials Seek Government Jobs

My 15-year old son recently informed me he is considering becoming a diplomat. He is right on trend. When times are tough, the government may be the job of first, rather than last, resort.

Last year, every single branch of the U.S. armed forces from Marines to National Guard hit or exceeded its recruiting goals. Now Yahoo reports that the hottest recruiting sessions at MBA schools are those sponsored by the government (MBA's: Uncle Sam Wants You , 2.18.09).

Career services directors predict that government and nonprofit hiring will increase this year, though it's too early to say by how much. According to recently released data from the Career Services Council, 35% of schools reported an increase in recruiting activity for government and 12% reported an increase in the nonprofit sector, even as overall recruiting activity was level or down at 75% of schools.

The Federal job site, USAjobs.gov lists 39,500 jobs. A search for 'marketing chicago' yielded nearly 468 results, many of which pay $67K or more. While government and non-profit jobs may lack glamour or high salaries, they offer two things of value to Millennials: steady employment and the opportunity to make a difference. The yearning to make a difference in their job, not just volunteer work is a theme we hear repeatedly in our focus groups with young working Millennials. In an ideal world they would forgo the money for the chance to make an impact. Here's a sample exchange from a group last summer:

Moderator: What is your IDEAL career?

Mike G: I want to be a Fireman, but I can't benchpress enough.

Mary A: I would want a career where i made a real difference in someones life. Working for non profit maybe The barrier for me is experience in that area and a degree in non profit.

Mike G: Kidding.

Katie H: haha mike.. eventually i want to go non-profit but I want to get good business experience now to make the most of that job.

Mike G: The truth is almost just as silly. I work professionally as an actor, but it's very difficult to devote myself full-time to it because I've got to eat and pay rent. In an ideal world, I'd perform and not have to worry about money.

Moderator: Do you all think a nonprofit is the best way to make a difference? or can you see yourself making a difference in the world through a corporation?

Katie H: i don't think its the only way but its the way I want to do it

John C: The barrier to obtaining it is the need for a large income to provide for a family.

Katie H: there are many corporations that do a lot to make a difference.

Mike G: The last company I worked for went down to New Orleans to help with the Katrina clean-up effort.I know people really enjoyed that.

Katie H: the company i work for now does a lot with Habitat Moderator Carolyn: do you see a trade off between making a difference in the world and making a lot of money?

John C: Yes. Plenty of non-for-profits that would be fun to work for that make a difference but you can't earn the same there.

Mary A: I lead the company in a fund raiser for a battered women's shelter, something small but makes a difference.

Mike G: In fairness, taking time out to do some good -- while great -- is a lot different than being in a career where each and every day you're supporting a cause or a purpose you believe in.

Justin D: Making a ton of money should not go hand in hand with making a difference, most of the time.

With the choice increasingly between a job that makes a difference and no job, it's not a surprise that Millennials may be turning their attention to what they perceive as 'worthy' pursuits.

You're Doing Great! Keeping Millennials Happy at Work

On Wednesday I gave a speech on Millennials to an audience of advertising professionals and students in McAllen, TX in the Rio Grande Valley. The topic that sparked the most conversation by far was intergenerational conflict in the workplace. Younger and older audience members both nodded in enthusiastic agreement when I described Millennials as less time-bound, needing more feedback, more flexibility and more frequent rewards. But they disagreed on whether or not this was something the workplace was really ready -- or willing -- to provide.

As a parent and a college professor, I can offer some perspective on why young people come to the workplace with such different expectations. High school learning, and grades, are based on highly structured learning approaches. Educators call this 'duality' -- a student's job is to learn what teachers know. It's about getting the 'right' answer in the right format. Think of students as teacups with teachers pouring the tea and you will understand duality. One of the earliest transitions college students need to make is to a more 'relativistic' learning approach, where students collaborate more in the learning experience and there is less clarity about one right answer or format. I have often watched students struggle when I am unable to tell them there is a right answer, and right number of pages for their essay, a correct format. The final phase is 'commitment' - they understand that some answers are more right than others but it is important to remain open to other possibilities. Being sure is a sure sign you are probably not on sure ground. By the time they get to the workplace, Millennials are masters of all three modes of learning. They are good at figuring out the rules so they can get it right (dualistic) but also sense that they may have a righter answer than their boss.

So what does that mean for bridging the generation gap at work? There is a lot written on this very topic and I won't reiterate it here. But the heart of it all is structure and feedback. Millennials want to know what it takes to be successful, and where they stand at all times. Detailed guidance on job performance standards with frequent helpings of feedback along the way -- not just in a 6 month review -- are the surest way to keep Gen Y workers happy. The Wall Street Journal, "Employers Rethink How They Give Feedback", Oct 13, reports:

"In a recent survey, 65% of "Generation Y" workers at Ernst & Young said "providing detailed guidance in daily work" was moderately or extremely important, compared with 39% of Baby Boomers. An overwhelming 85% of Gen Y employees said their age-group peers want "frequent and candid performance feedback," while only half of Boomers agreed.There's a difference between the generations in how to provide feedback," says Ben Rosen, a professor of organizational behavior/strategy at the University of North Carolina who worked on E&Y's survey. "Gen Y wanted a lot of feedback -- from their immediate bosses and anyone else." These younger workers "grew up where everyone gets a trophy," Mr. Rosen says. Managers say younger workers don't mind criticism, as long as they hear something. "I've never had any trouble giving feedback to Gen Y folks," says Billie Williamson, a partner who oversees diversity and inclusiveness efforts for E&Y."

The article describes how E&Y is adapting to this need for feedback:

Ernst & Young LLP a few years ago launched an online "Feedback Zone," where employees can request or submit feedback at any time. The system prompts employees twice a year to request feedback. The accounting and consulting firm assigns every employee a mentor and offers training for supervisors who routinely give feedback. Lisa Nussbaum, 23, frequently requests feedback and advice from managers and colleagues. Ms. Nussbaum, an associate project manager in E&Y's New York office, confers weekly with her career counselor about her schedule and to request feedback.She says the frequent discussions prompt others to make suggestions. One colleague suggested Ms. Nussbaum try to improve her writing skills. Ms. Nussbaum enrolled in a business-writing course. Six months later, she says, the colleague remarked that her writing had improved."

According to the article, International Business Machines Corp. and Accenture also now offer training to hone managers' critiquing skills. Feedback has always been an important managerial tool. With Millennials, it may be critical.

Millennials at Work: Striking the Balance

One of the more notable differences between Millennials and other generations are their equivocal feelings about work. While they (and their parents) are anxious to get a good job and begin establishing their adult lives as functioning members of the modern economy, they are also vaguely uneasy about the place of work in their lives. They expect they will need to make serious compromises to land and keep a job.

We identified some of these anxieties in focus groups last spring among young professionals at major companies. Last week, Ad Age featured our findings in an article, "The Inside Scoop on What Spurs Millennial Hires" (9.22.08) Nealy everyone we talked with was concerned with two issues: 'work-life balance' and 'making a difference'. These two concerns were sometimes related, particularly if their job was not seen as offering much opportunity to 'give back'. No doubt the recent financial shocks are causing Millennials to give even greater thought - and worry - to what the work world will mean for their lives. Shrinking job markets make for fewer chances to ask for concessions on vacation time, education perks, and other incentives dear to the hearts of Millennials. This week, in her GenNext blog, Sarah Ewing frankly discusses the tradeoffs she considered in taking a more 'strategic' job with fewer perks. Alex Kniess's posting is titled, "Your Career Should Be Part of Your Life (Not the Other Way Around)". And in his GenNext blog entry this week, Michael Girts, a new AAE at Leo Burnett in Chicago, posted a wonderful video, ""Music and Life" that neatly encapsulates Gen Y's fears about the potential lack of fulfillment they face by continuing to chase workplace succcess. The 1-minute video (you'll be glad you watched it) pairs an Alan Watts voiceover with adorable animation to capture the angst many young workers feel about the school - career -- success trajectory. "Then when you wake up one day when you are about 40 years old and you say 'My God! I'm here, I've arrived. I'm there'. But you don't feel any different than you've always felt... you've missed the point." Are you sensing a theme here?

In our research, this translated into a desire to tell their bosses, "This job is not my life" or "“This job is not my life!” Or as another put it, “My job isn’t life or death – I’m not saving lives, I work in marketing – sometimes people forget that.”

I'm not exactly sure how this insight to the psyche of Millennials relates to marketing, but I think it's important; they are unsure whether to be motivated by the same incentives as the rest of us -- or at least up until this latest economic crisis.

Meet Two Millennials: Sarah and Mike

This week, Ad Age launched a new blogging feature called "GenNext". I am thrilled to report that two of my favorite former Notre Dame MBA students (now grads) are featured bloggers. Sarah Ewing and Michael Girts were both standout students, and are now about to be stars in the blogosphere. Since I nominated them for this gig, I am confident you will find their musings of interest. Here are some excerpts from each of their initial blog entries. I've included links to their Ad Age bios as well. BTW, Both Sarah and Mike are currently in the hunt for marketing jobs.

Sarah Ewing Ad Age Blogger Bio

Top talent seeks a long-term relationship and will partner with companies whose manners reflect a soulmate, like online retailer Zappos.com. In my interview experience with them, the only prices discussed were potential media buys. Our date included an all-expenses paid trip to Vegas, a trip to the "Soul Doctor" (Zappos' personal onsite psychologist and career therapist) and a Polaroid for my personal scrapbook. In the end, I didn't get the job because they were looking for someone with more experience, but had things worked out, I could easily see myself growing old(er) with them (as can other swooning potential employees). To attract top talent, I recommend these behaviors: 1. Don't make me go Dutch. Please pay for interview travel. It indicates financial stability and employee value. 2. Don't speed date. This is a courtship. Get to know me beyond a rote questionnaire. 3. Break up via phone, not silence. Quickly tell me that we are through rather than dragging it out in ambiguity. 4. Value me for me. As an MBA, I know what I'm worth. Although advertising agencies are notorious for paying under industry average, please do not immediately lowball my desired salary. Treat me like a potential partner. Partners require negotiation. Remember: Any company can find employees. But a charming company who uses these manners will almost always get the most striking partners in the employment pool—and keep them, too. Which do you want to be?

Michael Girts Ad Age Blogger Bio

As I write this, I'm 12 weeks into the 10-week internship [with Leo Burnett]. In other words, they've asked me to stick around. I'm thrilled about it. I've worked hard all summer long. I like the people I'm working with, and I'm interested in the work I'm doing. Early in my internship, I asked my supervisor if I could take a shot at writing a case study for an upcoming new business pitch. Rather than wait for someone to teach me the best way to write a case, I asked if I could try it myself and schedule time with her the next day to review and improve the case--or scrap it if need be. Well, I did it well enough that we used the case, and she asked me to write another. And another. And another and eventually, I was the go-to-guy for new case studies. I was meeting one of the business-development team's real needs. And before the internship was over, I had put myself in a position where it was much easier to keep me on, rather than find some new way to replace me. The interns that are still around are the same interns that seemed happiest all summer long. For all the talk about the perks and the freebies, it seems that what people really want out of their internship is real responsibility and legitimate work experience. Those people who sought the opportunity for real work--and subsequently seized that opportunity--are the ones who enjoyed their internships the most. They're also the ones who are still here.

Millennials Offended by Unflattering Generational Image

Last November, CBS aired an unflattering Millennial portrait with its "The Millennials Are Coming" report. The generation was criticized for its coddled upbringing, lazy work habits, and unrealistic expectations. Here's a sample:

"It's a perfect storm we have created to put these people in a position where they suddenly have to perform as professionals and haven’t been trained," Mary Crane [former White House chef who trains Millennials] says. Basic training, like how to eat with a knife and fork, or indeed how to work. Today, fewer and fewer middle class kids hold summer jobs because mowing lawns does not get you into Harvard. They have climbed Mount Everest. They've been down to Machu Picchu to help excavate it. But they've never punched a time clock. They have no idea what it's like to actually be in an office at nine o'clock, with people handing them work. You now have a generation coming into the workplace that has grown up with the expectation that they will automatically win, and they'll always be rewarded, even for just showing up."

Ouch. Little wonder Millennials were offended. However, the picture doesn't have to be this negative for them to take offense. When I first published an article in Ad Age last November about what my students DON'T know about Marketing, I was surprised how offended they were. Here's a sample of the response:

"I pity all the people (including the author of this article) who so severely underestimate us. I think those who assume we will curl up in a ball crying every time we don't get handed a cookie for good behavior are in for a big surprise in the years to come." -New York, NY

This 3 minute spoof of the 60 Minutes piece on YouTube provides a mocking view of what older generations think of Millennials. The piece includes a hilarious interviews with a Millennial in his native habitat, 'his parent's basement' who has no idea what the earnest interviewer is talking about. It also features an interview with Millennial expert, Dr. Alan So, author of "Generation Why Not Call Them Millennials?". Dr. So patiently explains that Millennials are not equipped to communicate in person because with all their technology 'they've never had to'. This generation is well aware of their flaws. A recent survey (see earlier post, How Gen Y Sees Itself) revealed that Millennials are just as critical of themselves as anything their elders say about them. However, they understandably don't want those flaws pointed out. Who can blame them?

Are Millennials Less Decisive?

I attended a Junior Achievement dinner this week honoring the Michiana area's best and brightest. Bill Rancic, entrepreneur, author and winner of the first season's Apprentice, was the speaker. After an entertaining and thoughtful look at his own journey from JA to motivational speaker (with a detour into Donald Trump's empire) he offered that young people today need programs like JA because they are less comfortable making decisions. Fear of 'getting it wrong' causes them to be shy of making decisions at all. Could this be true?

Possibly.

Personal experience suggests that a theory of low decisiveness has some merit. My 14 year old son has instant buyer's remorse each time he purchases a new pair of $90 shoes.

May 1 is the deadline for incoming freshmen to inform their choice of college of their decision. My 17 year old daughter was paralyzed by the fear of 'getting it wrong' even though both of her admitted schools are world class and no wrong decision was possible. She chose GWU at the 11th hour but still has doubts whether Notre Dame might not have been a better choice.

I don't think my kids are unique. Each year I require my sophomore Marketing students to select a publicly traded company that manufactures products to analyze as their semester project. I give them two weeks to make a selection. Most wait until the very end, agonizing over this very simple choice.

Apparently, Bill Rancic and I are not the only ones to ponder this question. Even the American military has its doubts about whether the highly tolerant, tech savvy Millennials have what it takes to command decisively. Booz Allen writes:

"The next generation of soldier: tech savvy, open-minded, multitasking, and perhaps unprepared for command-and-control. (Military of Millennials, 3/10/08) http://www.strategy-business.com/resiliencereport/resilience/rr00056?gko=6681b-4284843-26726738

If true, lack of decisiveness has important implications for marketing, especially for big ticket items like college educations, careers and automobiles. Marketers need to be aware that Millennials will consider every aspect of the decision, and even then have trouble simply deciding. The key will be to make them comfortable enough in the outcome that they can let the alternatives go. Perhaps this explains the popularity of online customization options and automobile 'configurators'; they make it next to impossible to make a wrong choice since you selected each and every detail yourself.