How to *Actually* Motivate Millennials (By a Millennial)

I was 23 when I started managing my first team. The CEO thought it’d be a great way of redefining the company’s approach to leadership. And it worked.

We quickly became the most productive and engaged team in the business, through a collaborative, people-first approach.

You see, those millennials, who are so often labelled “lazy” and “narcissistic” and “difficult to work with”?

They’re your company’s greatest asset. If you know how to channel them.

As a millennial and a leader, here are my tried-and-tested ways to motivate this generation and the next. Be prepared to throw away the rulebook.

BE A MENTOR, NOT A MANAGER

Anyone who only cares about what an employee can bring to the company is kidding themselves.

It’s all about what *you*, the company, can bring to them. And so it should be.

You need to invest in your team as people, not employees.

Take the time to learn what they want from their careers, both in their current roles and beyond. Reference their long-term career paths, long after their role with you, and actually help them get there with coaching and courses.