Whither the Y2K consultant? Remember 1999 and all the doomsday scenarios about what will happen with the change of the year? Perhaps they have all put out their shingles as experts on either “millennials” or social media sales. Both have similarly low barriers to entry. There are differences between the generations, but broad generalizations are no substitute for individual data, especially when it comes to hiring and managing.
It has become a stale dogma about all the differences with “millennials these days.” When this comes up in meetings I attend or talks I give, the millennial representatives almost universally roll their eyes. They know (as those older should as well) that the issue of people is messy and complex. We do not hire or manage entire generations any more than we hire or manage entire ethnic groups. We hire and manage individuals.
As leaders we are trained to look for facts (evidence in the environment) and beware dogma (easy but likely mistaken shortcuts from logic) that affect our decision-making. If you are one of the 60% of organizations that use assessment data when hiring, then an obvious source of individual data will be in your assessment database. (If you do not use assessments in hiring then you are missing out on a valuable tool and data source.) Use that data to be more informed. Make sure your managers use it too. Granular data on engagement factors, communication preferences, development desires, strengths and actual skills gaps is incredibly more valuable than leaps in the dark based on stereotypes.
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