I am concerned that Millennials are stressed out. They have a higher suicide rate than other generations at their same age. They have the highest diagnosis of depression at their age than other generations. I think we have raised a generation that does not know how to be sad. They are programmed for success and the threat of failure is devastating.
Chip EspinozaPeople change, mature, and develop their values, attitudes, and preferences as a function of age. It is actually a strategy deployed by many organizations. The idea is that once Millennials grow up -get a mortgage, family- they will start acting like us and sharing our values. Personally, I would not make that bet. Even if it were to happen, Millennials are putting off seven or more years what other generations have done. Waiting for Millennials to "grow up" is risky when it comes to knowledge transfer, talent development, and competitive advantage.
Chip EspinozaKey relationships can become threatened when you start exploring your own path. This is true when it comes to relationships with parents, mentors, and bosses. It's not always true, but many times these important people in our lives feel threatened in some way by our independence from them. There is an inner conflict that comes with exploring your own voice.
Chip EspinozaDignity is different from respect in that it is not based on how people perform, what they can do for us, or their likability. Dignity is a feeling of inherent value and worth.
Chip EspinozaAs 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.
Chip EspinozaI think the best value to leaders is understanding the generations for the purpose of integrating a younger workforce and transferring knowledge from an experienced workforce. I also think smaller companies may not have the resources for management training or recruiting and therefore there is not a lot of margin for error.
Chip Espinoza