I want to thank Generation Y business leader Greg Rollett for this thoughtful and inspiring post.

Why Gen-Y Needs Leadership by Greg Rollett

I am a Millennial. I need leadership. I need help in taking me from here to there, wherever there might be. And I need you to help me get there.

In the last few months I have been working with Lee Cockerell, a recently retired Disney Exec VP of Operations. Lee and I met when he was looking to learn more about Social Media and Gen-Y and apply it to the marketing of his book, Creating Magic. Being that high up in an organization like Disney takes not only patience, but a person who displays the ability to lead not just one department or team, but teams of teams, initiate new procedures and take a business further into development.

Lee has shown me time and time again that leadership starts with your core values. Caring for those around you, making sure that everyone matters and noting that everyone on your team is an extension of your brand are fundamentals of his teachings. Taking this into a leadership role is crucial for Gen-Y’s to learn as they enter the workforce and climb ladders in Corporate America, in small organization or in their own businesses.

Personally, this advice has been echoed throughout my start-up marketing agency in the past few weeks. Being a young leader itself is not an easy feat, and without guidance or leadership from someone who has “been there before,” makes is even more difficult. Leaning back on Lee’s advice and the advice in his book has helped us in hiring decisions, event appearances, employee purpose and company direction.

Finding a leader who can share their knowledge, experiences and stories with you may be one of the greatest factors in your personal development as a young leader. Humans generally like to lead by example. Even as times and technology change, we still function as we did hundreds of years ago. Learning from past mistakes, miscues, tragedies and triumphs will help us avoid pitfalls and recreate magic for our clients, customers, employers, fans and family.

Find a leader and let them share their story with you. I am a Millennial and I need leadership to help me lead.

(This guest post was written by Greg Rollett, a Social Media and Gen-Y Marketer from Orlando, FL. Read more from Greg at his personal blog or email him at greg.rollett@endagon.com. The Gen-Y promotion site by Greg and Lee is Creating Gen-Y Magic)

We have two great classes coming next week that I believe you will enjoy immensely.

We will be talking with Gen Y Authors Misti Burmeister and Adair Cates on Monday, September 29 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern about their journey and process around writing their first book before the age of 30!  These women are truly amazing, and you don’t want to miss this call.

Then, on September 30 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern, we will be talking with Chuck Hester of i-Contact on the topic of How to Use Linked-In to Build Your Brand and Create Media  Buzz. 

You can register for both calls here.

“Now that members of Generation Y are graduating from college and entering the workforce, they’re bringing with them a slew of technology demands. In fact, in many cases, they research the technology portfolios of potential employers before agreeing to schedule job interviews.”

The point that stood out for me in this article is that many Millennials are saying they are reluctant to work for employers who are not incorporating Web 2.0 into their daily operations.

Get the full article on Computer World

About Scott Bradley

Great interview (he has had rave reviews today from my network) with Scott Bradley who is an innovative entrepreneur and marketer who has mastered the skill of networking online and offline. He is currently working on helping his friend Mike Michalowicz, who is also an entrepreneur, promote his new book on entrepreneurship titled “The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur”: http://www.ToiletPaperEntrepreneur.com

Blog: http://www.NetworkingEffectively.com

YouTube Channel: http://www.YouTube.com/ScottGBradley

Twitter: http://www.Twitter.com/scottbradley

 

 Scott Bradley Interview [39:37m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

If you have not yet heard, I will be talking tomorrow with Scott Bradley on the topic of how to network effectively use Facebook (effectively is the operative word indeed!)

Wednesday, September 10 at 2:00 Eastern: (Open to the Public)
How to Build a Powerful Network Using Facebook
Web 2.0 Gen Y Networking Guru Scott Bradley and Bea Fields
Register Here

Great interview tonight with Scott Bradley who is an innovative entrepreneur and marketer who has mastered the skill of networking online and offline. He is currently working on helping his friend Mike Michalowicz, who is also an entrepreneur, promote his new book on entrepreneurship titled “The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur”: http://www.ToiletPaperEntrepreneur.com

Blog: http://www.NetworkingEffectively.com

YouTube Channel: http://www.YouTube.com/ScottGBradley

Twitter: http://www.Twitter.com/scottbradley

 

 Standard Podcast [29:36m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

I had a great conversation last night with Matthew O. Brimer of Go Cross Campus . These guys are amazing, and they are bringing a new online social game to colleges and universities across the country. The game has caught my eye, as it teaches a wide variety of leadership and strategic skills (just by playing the game!)  If you have not read the article in the New York Times from earlier in the year, you can read it here:  Storming the Campuses.

If you are interested in your college or university participating, contact Matthew O. Brimer at matt@gocrosscampus.com

About Matthew O. Brimer

Matthew O. Brimer is a sociology and economics major at Yale University. Brimer is Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer of GoCrossCampus (GXC), a massively multiplayer team-based social gaming platform. Brimer currently serves at Vice President & Chief Innovation Officer of Yale Entrepreneurial Society, and has coordinated marketing efforts for Apple Inc., Osborne Recruitment in Ireland, and several on-campus student organizations. Brimer has also helped lead past startups, including an antique furniture procurement, auction and distribution business; an online audio time capsule community; and a centralized database for archiving transitional justice and human rights documents from around the world.

 

 Matthew O Brimer [30:05m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

“The greatest value of online communities is they increase word-of-mouth (35%), increase brand awareness (28%), bring new ideas into the organization faster (24%) and increase customer loyalty (24%), according to a survey of organizations using online communities.”

Get the full article here. 

The below chart is from the blog post Understanding Gartner’s “Generation Virtual” by Jeremiah Owyang. I highly recommend reading the full blog post and the study by Gartner.

Above Image: Gartner’s Generation V Quadrant, found via Marketing Charts.

Thank-you to Tara Kachaturoff for sending this along. Tara is always so in the know on these topics!

“Not long ago, playing digital games at work was considered a violation of company policies. But now many businesses are making it a job requirement.

In an effort to connect with their growing ranks of 20-something workers who practically popped out of the womb wielding a cellphone and laptop, companies around the world are using digital games to train young employees who don’t respond well to traditional methods, such as reading manuals.”

Read the full article by Lisa LaMotta:  Forbes