Developing millennial employees is a growing need for nearly every business. Every size of business, small or big, needs to develop millennials. The future of business is dependent on millennial development within the workplace. However, not all businesses are addressing this issue.
Millennials want to be coached, but each business varies their own level of development and training. Millennials cannot control how their place of work trains or coaches, but they do have control over their development.
Are you one of those millennials who wants more coaching and developing, but your workplace is not providing sufficient training? Here is my encouragement, if so: do not wait on your workplace to provide training. Take action on your own personal development. You will skyrocket past the rest waiting to be developed. Do not leave it in anyone else’s hands; take action with your development.
With that said though, I see some common mistakes millennials make with development and this development is about more than just training and coaching. Below are 8 mistakes millennials make and how they can overcome them in regards to development.
1. Millennials waiting for their employer to assign them a mentor.
Being appointed a mentor is much different than obtaining a mentor. Do not wait for your assigned mentor. Actively pursue the right mentor to further your development. Mentorship is such a powerful ingredient to development that you should not wait for your work to assign you a mentor. You don’t want a poor mentor so be active and choose your own.
2. Millennials needing validation before they continue.
A weakness among millennials is the need for validation. While some validation is necessary, take control of your need for total validation. Most daily tasks do not need validation or recognition before moving on to the next task. Finish a task and keep moving. If you wait for validation, you will slow down you development and depend on others to validate your growth. Learn to give yourself praise and validation to keep moving forward. The less dependent you are on validation, the more opportunity you will have to grow.
3. Millennials relying on others to spark their motivation.
There is a reason most job openings seek self-motivated individuals. Self-motivation is not job specific, but a general need for all employees. Take ownership of your motivation and feed the motivation to keep you pressing all day long. If you rely on outside sources for motivation and inspiration, you will be seen as a burden rather than as a productive professional making things happen. Motivate yourself daily and crush it!
4. Millennials assuming their managers are against them.
In opposition to the media’s catchy headlines, conspiracy theories are not common. Do not see anyone leading you as your enemy. People above you want you to succeed more than they want you to fail. If someone leading you is against you, there are probably many ways to rectify that relationship and get back on the same page. When you have a boss in your corner, your development will grow leaps and bounds. Put time into building the relationship with your manager or leader. The return on investment will grow you, your department, and your workplace. Make it a win-win.
5. Millennials expecting training in all areas they lack knowledge in.
Do not expect to know everything. If you are not skilled in one area, ask for help. However, do not expect to be trained on all areas you might be inexperienced or unskilled in. There are many skills you can learn on your own through time and dedication. Embrace the training you do get and work to improve on the other areas you need to improve on.
6. Millennials rejecting unhelpful advice.
Not all advice is beneficial, but all advice is helpful. When others help you or give you advice, receive the information no matter the value. Sometimes building a relationship is more important for your development than just the knowledgeable advice. Creating a healthy relationship with others could be the key to your development. Those rejecting advice will be seen as a know-it-all and will get a bad rap in the workplace. Don’t be that person.
7. Millennials opposing the developmental strategies laid out by their place of work.
You might not agree with everything your company does with development, but commit to it. Development usually has less to do with the strategy or system than it does the person. Your amount of buy-in will dictate the success of the development, rather than the strategy. You might have a better way, but do not worry about that right now. Just commit and give it your all. You will see the reward in the end.
8. Millennials allowing their development to be dependent on their employer.
Now step outside of your business. Your development will strengthened by accessing resources that go beyond just the options available within your company. Being dependent on a business to develop you into a successful young professional will set yourself up for a fall. Diversify your development and leverage many other outside sources to develop your growth. The odds are set against you staying at the same company for the remainder of your career. So get developing outside of your current place of work.
Featured photo credit: Viktor Hanacek via picjumbo.com
