I been really impressed by the number of newspaper and internet editors bashing millennials since the incident at the University of Missouri, where a football boycott lead to the resignation of the University President. Article after article appeared complaining about how millennials are cuddled by helicopter parents and how they are not prepared for the world.
It causes me to smile inside as being a baby boomer, myself, in the Vietnam, Civil Rights era many in the older generation at that time had some choice words for us. Now some baby boomers having not learned the lesson and are repeating the error.
As leaders in the supply chain, no matter what your title, you can not be caught in such negative thinking. If your employee shows promise but might be deficit in a particular area, invest your time in the appropriate training and mentoring. Older members of the work force who will soon be leaving it, are responsible for passing on the positive aspects of the organizations culture. It is a legacy you can leave.
Two short stories to end this post. Jeff Silver of Coyette Logistics which hires a lot of people out of college has said he is impressed with the quality of people he is getting.
One of the criticism of millennials is their short attention span and lack of oral communication skills. Kevin Wilson, the coach of Indiana University’s football team says he had train his players to talk because communication is essential to be successful in a team sport. And as they have learned these skills, he talks how enjoyable it is to coach them. So being supportive can make your job more satisfying and successful.