University of Minnesota - UMN Executive Leadership Insights
Together Is Better
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Together Is Better

Simon Sinek
RSA, 2016
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Editorial Rating

7

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  • Applicable

Recommendation

Millennials get a bad rap, but it’s not entirely their fault, says leadership consultant Simon Sinek, who explains the factors that influenced their development. Sinek’s 2016 RSA talk describes why millennials had a hard time in hierarchal corporate cultures. However, since he made this presentation, experts (including Sinek) have found that they can’t paint any age cohort with a broad brush, generational lines have softened and corporate culture has changed, particularly under the pandemic’s influence. They now teach – as he said, in large part, at the time – that corporate culture should emphasize collegiality, individual growth, teamwork, and mentorship up and down generational lines.

Summary

Millennials who have seemingly entitled attitudes frustrate corporate managers.

To help this cohort develop, employers must strive to understand the context in which they grew up. Millennials, those born between roughly 1984 and 2004, have amassed an unfavorable reputation in the workplace. Some older colleagues may view them as unleadable and egocentric, with a strong sense of entitlement.

Yet the circumstances of millennials’ development aren’t their own doing. Thus, those interested in leading millennials to success must use empathy to develop this cohort of employees. The factors that have shaped the attitudes of millennial employees include their upbringing, exposure to technology and outdated management strategies.

Millennials’ parents constantly praised and rewarded their children.

As...

About the Speaker

Leadership and management consultant Simon Sinek is the author of Start with Why and Leaders Eat Last.

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