Simon Sinek on Millennials in the Workplace

I agree with Simon’s assessment of Millennials for the most part. Millennials, like everyone else, want to be successful in life, to have a beneficial impact on society, and to be recognized for it. Their difficulty is that they lack patience in their money-making endeavor. They aim to build Rome in a single day, or, as Simon put it, to reach the mountain’s summit without having to climb it. They know what they want and what they can do to get there but they do not want to encounter the huddles, ups and downs and challenges that life offers. Many successful businessmen have a story of their failures and how they kept trying and trying until they got a breakthrough. However, the Millennials do not want to keep trying and failing. They want to get there in the first instance. Why is that the case? I do agree with Simon that they have been brought up in a generation that has never had to do anything for themselves. They get everything they want when they ask for it and with the vast technology today including the Internet, globalization, social media and mobile devices they get everything they want online.

It is too late to change their attitudes character and behavior as they are already out there in the job market today, seeking to build a bright future. Organizational managers cannot deny that these Millennials are our future. They are the new blood and innovativeness that the organisations require today therefore the best thing to do is change the old culture of the work place in order to accommodate the Millennials and tap into their new and refreshed energy and ideas. I do agree that the social media and cell phones should be balanced but I do not agree that the youth should not be exposed to them at an early age. They can utilize them to carry out job processes shorter and more effective. When they are involved like that they will notice in time that they cannot accomplish their goals in a short time. That they can only get instant gratification in short term activities but it is persistence and hard work that will grant them confidence and make them successful in future.

In my opinion, the Millennials should still be made to feel special, because they are. Each of them has a talent, skill set and ideas that they can bring to the organization. What they should not be given, is anything they have not earned. The organization still needs to meet its bottom line, make profits, grow and develop. Managers should motivate them by giving them the digital tools that entice them to be creative and to work effectively. Communication with them does not always have to be E-mail or face to face, they can be through communication Apps like Instagram. They can be rewarded by online publicity maybe on the company website, Facebook and on official group chats to feel recognized and given bonuses alongside their remuneration. The digital environment is what they need as opposed to multiple meetings, clapping for high performers, old school reporting and E-mails. I do not agree with Simon that cell phones and tablets should not be allowed in conference rooms. They should be used to take notes and access reading material for the meeting other than old school printing material and going to write notes with a pen. Digitalizing processes and communication in the organization should ideally accommodate the Millennials effectively.