How many companies do you work with that have Millennial decision-makers? 

Whatever your answer, it will certainly increase. “Mature Millennials” are in their mid-30’s and are beginning to take on leadership and management roles in their organizations. By 2025 they’ll represent a whopping 75% of the workforce. In just a few years, the majority of business leaders will be Millennials.  

How does this impact you as a broker? How will this generation function as leaders of companies and managers of the generation coming behind them? 

I’m sharing 3 things from my Millennial perspective that you can expect as more and more of us move into leadership roles.

1. Data is critical 

Many stereotypes have been placed on Millennials indicating they’re idealistic, lazy or focused on passions versus goals and hard work. A recent generational business study by Deloitte’s Business Chemistry® challenges that line of thinking. 

“Business Chemistry® uses analytics to reveal how each person reflects four scientifically based patterns of behavior: Pioneers, Drivers, Guardians, and Integrators.”

The study found that 60% of Millennials represent these 2 categories. 

Guardians: prefer concrete reality and are particularly skilled at providing structure and minimizing risk. As such, they can be reluctant to pursue unproven ideas and often deliberate thoroughly before making decisions.

Drivers: are analytical thinkers who are intellectually creative and prefer experimentation over theorization. To them, business is just that: business. As such, they have limited tolerance for small talk and aren’t afraid to ruffle feathers to get their point across.

Interestingly, these same two business types were the lowest among boomers in the same research group. This indicates a definite shift across the generations. 

2. Teamwork and mission are drivers

The Millennial generation grew up with a strong focus on working in groups which is different from preceding generations. Teachers and coaches reinforced teamwork as the best path for group success and personal development, along with accomplishing an overall impact. Millennials believe they can and should be involved in decisions that will affect their work. 

This spills over into the pursuit of a bigger “mission” when it comes to social issues. The increase in corporate philanthropy is a result of the values that millennials are bringing to the table. 

How does this translate to decision-making in the workplace? 

• Millennials will push for collaboration and transparency in the office. 
• Decisions will involve open meetings with more people. 
• Changes will be taken in stride and challenges managed with agility. 
• They will seek to impact the world, not just what’s going on within the walls of their organization. 
• Products/companies with a strong sense of purpose and a culture driven by these values will set themselves apart from their competition. 

As consultants to Millennials, bring your spreadsheets with data, but also your personal stories about what strategies work and why. Remember they’ll be more naturally drawn to personal interactions that help engage, inspire and motivate their employees.

3. Personal interaction is highly valued   

While tech-savvy, Millennials are also invested in personal coaching and mentoring as a means for ongoing growth and development (see my previous article about attracting Millennials to your agency). So, how will this impact their decision-making style?

Traditional business hierarchies of the past will likely be challenged by more informal leader-employee relationships. What might it look like? More one-on-one mentoring with weekly or even daily feedback to build out relationships across generational divides. 

The Millennial generation will most certainly reshape corporations in their image, with less hyper-focus on the bottom-line than Baby Boomers and Gen-Xers. And, brokers who work to engage these new leaders based on their values will be best-positioned for success.

Now it’s your turn! What tips do you have for connecting with the growing population of Millennial leaders? Comment below or email me at adam@freshbenies.com.