As a professor, millennials intrigued me. I see them as engagement ready - plug-n-play if you will. They want to contribute in the classroom, the workplace and to society.

As a professor, millennials intrigued me. I see them as engagement ready - plug-n-play if you will. They want to contribute in the classroom, the workplace and to society.

Millennials want to find meaning in their work, and they want to make a difference. They want to be listened to. They want you to understand that they fuse life and work. They want to have a say about how they do their work. They want to be rewarded. They want to be recognized. They want a good relationship with their boss. They want to learn. But most of all, they want to succeed. They want to have fun!

Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones wrote a great piece in Harvard Business Review titled "Managing Authenticity." In it, they argue that establishing authenticity as a leader is a two-part challenge: "First, you have to ensure that your words are consistent with your deeds; otherwise, followers will never accept you as authentic. The second challenge of authentic leadership is finding common ground with the people you seek to recruit as followers.

Millennials are an easy group to identify in terms of their appearance and are therefore highly subject to being stereotyped. When a negative stereotype about a group is relevant to performance on a specific task, it is referred to as "stereotype threat." Individuals who are highly identified with a particular group may experience increased susceptibility to stereotype threat.Understanding perceptions and why they may exist helps to explain and demystify tension and conflict that surfaces as a result of generational discord.

Authenticity is not an innate quality - that is, you are not born with it. Being an authentic leader is not something you can say about yourself; it must be attributed to you.

We must treat others as if they matter, as if they are worthy of care and attention.