I recently caught up with Vanessa Van Petten , author of the book You’re Grounded: How to Stop Fighting and Make the Teenage Years Easier for a special interview for the Creating Gen-Y Magic project

Vanessa is such an inspiration, so make sure to read the interview here.

Many thanks to Greg Rollett for inviting me to interview Vanessa…it was a pleasure indeed!

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.

I have watched a bit of AGT over the last few weeks, and I will be shocked if Nuttin But Stringz does not walk away with the title next week.

Amazing!

Maximizing the Millennial
By: Scott Asai

I’ve heard enough stereotypes and complaints about dealing with the younger worker that I could write a book. Maybe a shift in perspective will change your reactive ways to proactive methods. Try these 3 simple steps the next time you are engaged with a worker under the age of 30.

1) Understand: Don’t assume the younger worker knows what you expect of them. They have a different work ethic, goals and communication style. Read into the stereotypes and try to see the world from their perspective. If you put yourself in their shoes, I’m sure things will improve dramatically.

2) Relate: After you have learned what makes a “Millennial” tick, try communicating on topics they actually care about. You’d be surprised how much progress is made relationally when you have reached some common ground. Just like a salesperson tries to speak to a client’s “agenda”, approach the younger worker the same way. Who knows, you might even gain some trust and respect!

3) Motivate: Since the beginning of time, regardless of age, humans have always been more motivated to make an effort towards the things that they want. It’s not as easy as dangling more money in front of them (although it wouldn’t hurt), but be creative based on what you’ve learned from your prior conversations. One example is to play into their desire for “work/life balance.” Simply put, work is a means to support their personal endeavors. Knowing this, reward superior performance with some time off. To a Millennial, this means time off to spend on their hobbies (and a “cool” boss).

Let’s not approach the younger worker with fear or apprehension. Understand who you are working with and change the ways you do things. You may think these suggestions are quite “soft” which is correct, but they are also effective. We all want increased productivity, but the “means” to achieve that have changed with the generations. Stop caring so much about the “how” and be concerned about the ‘bottom line.’ Like it or not, in 5 - 10 years the younger workers will be our managers. The reality is: we need them, more than they need us!

Scott Asai is a Career and Corporate Coach who specifically coaches Generation Y careerists. For more information on “Maximizing the Millennial” contact Scott at (310) 295-0046 or visit his website: www.growingforward.net

The book that took 35 experts 18 months to create is now here! I am honored to have been asked to contribute a chapter on the Masterful Guerrilla Team.

Book Description: Let 35 World Class Guerrilla Marketing Coaches Teach You Their Time-tested Tactics and Strategies for Getting New Customers and Turning Them Into Your Most Enthusiastic Fans! Here is a taste of what you’re going to learn in Guerrilla Marketing on the Front Lines: * Dozens of new high impact strategies for reaching and acquiring new customers…even on a shoestring budget, * Cutting edge online tactics designed to cut through the clutter and dramatically increase your visibility and conversion rates, * The keys to developing high powered Guerrilla partnerships and affiliate programs that will leverage your time and actually make you money while you sleep. Are you ready to turn your own prospects into customers and then into raving fans who will buy from you again, and again, and again? Join us on the Front Lines and get ready to launch your own Guerrilla Marketing Attack!

Pick up a copy today from Amazon.com.

I recently talked with Michael O’Brien with HR Executive Magazine about the new survey, Millennials at Work: Myths vs. Reality, released by New York-based advertising agency JWT.  The study is a great read, so check it out.

O’Brien has written a short article, Misunderstood Millennials that may be of interest to those of you working in the HR field.

“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

I had the honor to be able to interview James Sun three times during 2007-2008 on his views about his success on The Apprentice, leadership and how Generation Y is embracing our world for the opportunities it offers. James is a Gen X, but he really has his finger on the pulse of what Generation Y most needs and wants.

One of the interviews was published as an article by Young Money Magazine in May of 2008, and I hope you enjoy it!

James Sun: The Millionaire Apprentice

Regarding the post from earlier today on the topic of What Generation Y is Looking for in a Leader.

If you are a corporate or business leader, and if you have Generation Y careerists in your organization (which I do hope is the case for you,) the survey results that we will be posting over the next week are simply a starting point for you. If you are serious about addressing Gen Y’s needs (and the needs of all employees in your company,) one of the best ways to start meeting those needs is to conduct a survey inside your organization using some very basic questions. The questions we addressed in this survey include:

1. What leadership traits are you most looking for in the leaders in your workplace? (one or two word response only)

2. What are the biggest turn-offs for you in the leaders in your workplace? (one or two word response only)

3. When you leave a company, what one thing causes you to leave? (one or two word response only)

4. If you stay with a company, what factors cause you to want to stay? (one or two word response only)

5. How can our organization best help you develop your leadership skills? (one or two word response only)

With the responses from earlier today, while these responses are certainly leadership traits that most people want in their leaders, our purpose was to actually go and ask a group of Gen Y careerists what their thoughts were about the topic. If you look at this list and dismiss it as cliche, you may be missing something very important about the leadership in your organization.

I would also encourage you to take the survey responses we are going to be providing you and actually use them in your organization. Use them in a 360 Degree Feedback Survey for your leaders (and get your Gen Y’s in as raters on the surveys,) or use these traits as a starting point for conversation with your young careerists. The best way to begin to lead from a much stronger place is not to assume you know everything about leadership or about what your followers really want…you have to ask them if you really want to know.

And…as I always say…if you are a leader, your followers’ perceptions are your reality. While you may disagree with their perceptions, your followers will determine if you are a great leader and will give you feedback about how you are showing up, but only if you ask them, and only if you really want to hear it.  Without the willingness to hear the feedback and actually address it, the process will not be worth the time or effort.

If you need assistance with this process, please send me an e-mail to bea@millennialleaders.com.