Here are 60 Keys, Issues and Areas to be aware of and Focused in on as it relates to the Next Generation of Leaders, primarily those currently in their 20's and 30's.
1. Value connection to a/the community. Friendships matter, relationships are important, and will move towards a family atmosphere. Relationships matter.
2. Find tremendous power in storytelling.
3. Has to be authentic- don't trust things that seem to polished or perfect. Constantly have BS sniffers on high. Authentic wins.
4. Value in the small and entrepreneurial, compared to the large, corporate and powerful. Don't automatically trust an institution or brand because it's well known.
5. Connection over networking.
6. Community over individual. Community matters deeply. Relationships win.
7. Collaboration and partnership are crucial- will have Chief Partnership Officers soon in most companies because of the importance of working with other organizations.
8. Free agency is in. Long careers with the same organization are phasing out.
9. Global mindset- boundaries and travel no longer a barrier. See the world as attainable.
10. All about the experience.
11. Want the true authentic experience and are willing to pay more for that.
12. All things are social. Social is the foundation for life and leadership. Everything is social, and social media dominates, along with social justice, social innovation, and social clubs.
13. Deeper purpose and meaning must be evident.
14. Triple bottom line matters. Has to be more to the organization than just making money and providing bonuses.
15. Stay in hostels or airbnb compared to big hotel chains.
16. Value new, danger, and risky, compared to safety, comfort and familiar.
17. Overwhelmed by advertising, and will only buy something because of the story and meaning and connection to a higher purpose. Don't just buy something because it's number 1 or the most known option.
18. Strong connection to the unique and local community- connect to farmers who are local, vs the big powerful food companies. Also value the entrepreneur. Food co-ops and farmers markets are in vogue.
19. Unfinished, raw and original valued way higher than smooth, slick and polished.
20. DIY- do it yourself has never been more popular and on the radar.
21. Not willing to wait- want to lead and influence now. 20 somethings won't stand in line or wait their turn. Waiting to lead is no longer an option, whether 20 or 30 or 40. Stepping in to major roles of leadership earlier than any other generation before them.
22. Want to be part of the ideation and decision making process. If you want them to be bought in, they must be brought in. Allow young leaders to be part of building it.
23. Vision must be global and local. Glocal. big enough to inspire, small enough to connect personally. big with vision, small with target.
24. Life is on display- everything is public because lives and experiences are broadcasted via social media for all to see.
25. Trust and honesty is incredibly important because so many things are fake. Transparency truly matters. Want to know something is the real thing and that i'm seeing through the facade and veneer to get the real view and perspective.
26. Sustainability and local artisans and local empowered owners and merchants.
27. Incubator mentality, meaning that everything is part of the education process, and the entire community is part of learning. Many ideas are being constantly cooked up at once.
28. Focus on excellence. Because of so many choices and options, the best will truly rise to the top.
29. Custom design and custom experience is crucial- think Uber. netflix. spotify. On demand is vogue. Now there is a dating website for Un of Kentucky fans. So went from meeting people in a bar, to meeting online, to meeting certain kinds of people online.
30. No middleman. Want to control the process, and the message, and the voice. Players Tribune in pro sports, Airbnb in hotel industry, Amazon in books and merchandise, the demise of travel agents, etc.
31. Makers are in vogue. Authentic do it yourself made at home or vintage is totally in.
32. Formal press releases are a thing of the past- now you release the info on twitter or instagram or Facebook or linkedin.
33. City and metro compared to rural and farm- younger moving to the cities to live, and vacationing to the farm.
34. Flat management structure. Hierarchy is out. Holocracy is in. Accountability now rests at every level and continues to be pushed to the lowest and furthest parts of the organization.
35. Instant feedback is not just expected, it's required. Feedback and communication is expected to be frequent, faster and app enabled and driven.
36. The annual review is going away. New economy of leaders expects instant and constant feedback.
37. Expect their leader to be besides the team, not in front. Leaders must be in the trenches with the team, not in the ivory tower espousing wisdom.
38. Leadership is direct to customer. The middleman in many industries has been removed. Think Uber, Warby Parke, Harry's, and Amazon
39. Shift from product based economy to subscription based economy. move from product to community.
40. Focus on the future vs focusing on the past. Vision, meetings and reviews are more about looking forward than looking back. Hope in the future instead of judgement of the past.
41. Instead of command and control, today's leadership looks more like developing, mentoring, coaching, connection and inspiration.
42. Coaching and counseling is expected from leaders today instead of a boss mentality. Being a brother compared to being a boss.
43. Collaboration is crucial, and popular. Want to build bridges, not walls. More about what we have in common compared to what we disagree on.
44. Not tremendously tied to partisan politics. Don't naturally connect to a political party just because of history, family, or religious affiliation, but instead connect to a person or values of that person. Don't just vote party lines anymore.
45. Life is holistic. Life is work, and work is life.
46. Constantly in pursuit of connecting calling and vocation.
47. Power in the people- the tribe rules and leads. The tribe, network and community are now in control. The rise of the tribe means that the leader is now a shepherd, instead of a dictator and general.
48. Honesty, transparency, self awareness and vulnerability are required characteristics of leaders that are leading the next generation. Share your own story constantly, with all of its flaws and mistakes.
49. Content is a commodity, so conversations must be a part of the equation, not just talking.
51. Reverse mentoring now occurs consistently, with young leaders mentoring older leaders. This is the first generation that "knows" more than the generation before them.
52. Free agent nation. This is the free agent generation, with more and more young leaders "project based" instead of full time.
53. Self employed reality is now creating greater accountability for individuals, as it's no longer easy to simply be lost in an organization.
54. Succession, legacy and transition are happening earlier and often as entrepreneurial ventures must be handed off quickly in order to start the next venture.
55. Mobile mentality as can Work from anywhere- life, leadership and career are mobile. The office is now wherever you have a plug in and wireless connection.
56. Influence is everywhere. Everyone has influence, and the 25 year old blogger at home in the basement can now impact more people arguably than the 30 year veteran writer and speaker who has been plowing for decades.
57. Move towards FREE- everything flows towards free today. Open source is commonplace, and free is expected, especially online.
58. Connection to a cause. Must focus on the why as much as the what. Want to connect to a larger and greater story.
59. Inspire them, don't just manage them. Listen to them. They want to be heard. Give value to their voice. Amplify their message.
60. Paint a vision and a picture of the future that is large and includes room for them to participate, inclusive of a brush for them to help paint it with you.
**BONUS: Don't refer to the next generation as "Millenials." It's not necessarily a badge of honor and courage.
