My 8 Best Pieces of Career Advice for Millennials to Become Great Leaders

Ah, the Millennials. Often maligned and misunderstood, especially in the workplace. Generational differences fascinate me. Each generation brings its unique cocktail of strengths, weaknesses and quirks. Millennials have a reputation of being great team players and collaborators. They want to simultaneously fit in and standout. And these two desires are not mutually exclusive. As a relatively large generation, career focused Millennials have already left their mark and will increasingly influence the evolution of today’s workplace as Baby Boomers retire. This provides an opportunity for more Millennials to take on leadership roles and to guide the path of their organizations.

Great leaders set the tone for their organizations in all facets, whether it be the strategic objectives, workplace culture or recruitment efforts. Organizations ultimately want leaders who can bring new levels of success to the company. Great leaders can draw upon their past experiences from what they have learned on the job. This allows them to tap into the issues that matter and to facilitate solutions. These are well rounded individuals who can effectively tackle a multitude of issues.

So how do you get there? How do you build the right experience to become a great leader?  

I have my 8 (count em!) best pieces of advice to become a great leader right here for you:

Focus on making an impact

Outcome independence is one of the hardest yet most important states of mind necessary to be successful. This is something that took me a while to get to and now that I am there, it has made a tremendous difference in my career progression and overall contentment. Instead of primarily focusing on your ultimate career goals (e.g. I want to be in <insert dream job> by the year 2020), put a greater emphasis on the impact you are making in the here and now. This could be how you bring great results in your current role, the education or additional training you pursue or how you push yourself out of your comfort zone. I think having goals is important, both in the short term and long term. I also believe that most career paths are not a linear, straight line and outcomes are not so predictable, regardless of how it might look like right now. It’s amazing how focusing on making an impact can lead to your intended outcomes. It has for me in my career – my career progression has taken place in times where I was focused on how I could bring my best everyday rather than focusing on where I “should” be in a year or 5 years.

Find a Mentor

What better way to learn lessons than drawing upon experiences of others with more experience than yourself! I am a huge proponent of having at least one mentor in your life. It could be someone you know professionally or personally. The key thing is that you can be vulnerable around a mentor, you can share your hopes and dreams as well as your fears as you navigate your career. Many people enjoy taking someone under their wing who has great aspirations and enthusiasm. I know that this is the case for me; I enjoy taking a call or having a coffee with someone who wants to learn more about my experiences and possibly draw from them.

Be Curious

And this leads to my next piece of advice – be curious. This means not taking everything at face value and being inquisitive. Asking questions to learn more about things you are unfamiliar with will help expand your knowledge. Over time you will also learn how to better ask the right questions at the right time. A good, quick framework I like to use is the Who, What, Where, Why, When and How. In any discussion, you can usually find at least one good question with one of these words to open up the conversation to gain new knowledge.

Travel

I find people pretty divided on this one. Some perceive Millennials’ penchant for travel as a fruitless, self-absorbed endeavor. For the most part, I disagree. Travel is a great opportunity to take a step back and reflect. And great leaders reflect on their experiences to gain those invaluable lessons learned. Not only that, in our increasingly globalized world and culturally diverse workforce, having some travel experience is a great way to connect with people. And a great conversation starter too! Seeing things differently and having a better sense of how culture can influence communication style and perspective are becoming mandatory in today’s business world.

At age 29 I took a gap year to go to Colombia to learn Spanish and experience living abroad. I had the chance to see a number of other countries in South America as well. I followed this up by doing an exchange in Costa Rica during my MBA and seeing parts of Central America. These experiences helped me connect with others better and I recently had the opportunity to practice my Spanish with a group of Chilean clients. Travel has given me more perspective on how to navigate cultural differences and make them a strength when working as a team. It’s also one of the best things I have ever done for myself.

Network

You should not be surprised that I am mentioning networking as a way to become a great leader. I did write an e-book on how you can leverage networking to land your dream job after all! Not only will networking help you meet the people you need to help take your career to the next level, it gives you an excellent opportunity to find a mentor or to simply hear about other people’s experiences and career advice. Whether or not you’ve landed your dream job, you need to continue to hustle and maintain your current network to make new connections.

Surround yourself with people smarter than yourself

If you are the smartest person in the room, you aren’t going to develop nearly as much as if you are surrounded with people who have more knowledge and experience than yourself. I personally relish that in my current role I get to spend great amounts of time with exceptionally smart and capable people. The amount I have learned in under 4 months on the job has been incredible. I’ve found it’s imperative to stay open to who you can draw from in your professional circles. I have learned a lot from younger coworkers in less senior roles. This is something I look forward to continue doing in my role as a Senior Consultant. There is so much to gain by being open about who can teach you.

Stay humble

And this brings me to my next point – stay humble. No one likes arrogance or a closed mind. The ability to collaborate and draw the most you can from your colleagues will make or break you as a leader. Everyone has their own set of strengths and talents. By being curious and taking a humble approach, the sky is the limit for your progression.

Never stop learning

Last, and certainly not least, keep learning. Never stop. This could be taking formal education and training; doing a side project outside of work; collaborating with those around you or keeping up with the latest news in your field. Take an approach that works for you and run with it. You can never be too relevant in today’s ever changing workplace.

Want to learn more about how to take the next step in your career? Check out my free e-book on the power of networking to land your dream job!

Do you have any tips for how to become a great leader? Or any questions for that matter? Leave your comment below and let’s start the conversation!

5 reasons why you should always take a promotion

I was recently asked by a colleague of mine about a promotion she was offered when her manager jumped ship to another firm. She told me that the prospect of the promotion excited her and, at the same time, she was terrified!

Who wouldn’t be?

It’s not unusual to feel a bit of trepidation (perhaps terrified?) of a promotion. It’s actually, to some degree, a good feeling to experience. It shows you care – you want to do the organization well. You want to prove that you were the right candidate to select to take on more responsibility and leadership within the organization.

While it might be your first instinct to run away from opportunity out of fear. There are plenty of good reasons why you should take a leap of faith and take the promotion. Today I am going to highlight 5 of them:

You know more than you think you know

Organizations that make profits year-over-year do so for a reason – they make shrewd decisions that allow them to get the better of their competitors. They are counting on you to be one of many good decisions they make this year to help exceed expectations and profitability. And you know what? They are anticipating that they are investing in the right person. Why? Because, contrary to what you may believe, you know more than you think you know.

This piece of sage advice was given to me way back during my first year at UBC by a classmate when I was feeling apprehensive about an exam I was about to take. He was right about my situation and this quote is right about yours as well. One thing to keep in mind is your own cognitive bias. The Dunning–Kruger effect explains that, paradoxically, it is those who are the most capable who underestimate or play down their own abilities. Keep this in mind the next time you find yourself with a bout of self-doubt.

Also keep in mind that your knowledge of the organization, its processes and culture position you tremendously well to excel in your new role. Don’t underestimate that. Sure, there could be more “qualified” candidates in terms of experience outside the organization but it shows that the organization puts emphasis on what you have picked up and, just as importantly, what you have proven so far. This is also a sign of a great organization to build your career.

You may never get this chance again

I am writing from experience. I was offered a leadership position within five months of joining an organization in an entry level position. When I expressed concerns about whether I could take it on and mentioned to my manager I had to give it further thought, he was a bit surprised. When I thought about it more that night, I realized this was my golden opportunity to prove I could take on more responsibility and projects – it was an opportunity that might not come around again! The next day I swiftly took the position and never looked back. When it came to my next promotion, I did not hesitate at all. I knew, once again, that this was an opportunity that might not be offered to me again.

Even if you fail, it’s a success

Failure is a bitter medicine. No one likes it. At the same time, it can make you better and move your career forward. No, that was no typo: failure can make you better. If you take a position and it doesn’t work out, the world is not going to come to an end. Neither is your career. By simply taking initiative and having the courage to take on a new role with bigger challenges, you win and you move your career forward.

You are stronger than you will ever know

This is something I heard a few years ago when I did hot yoga (now I’m more of a gym and Tough Mudder guy). I was in the middle of a pose that was absolutely incinerating my legs. The only thing I wanted to do was to surrender into Shavasana. Right when I was reaching my breaking point (or so I thought), our instructor said to us “You are stronger than you will ever know.” That one statement carried me through that pose and the rest of the session. It’s true because we as humans tend to set self-imposed limitations. This goes beyond the yoga studio; it’s the same reality in the workplace. You are stronger than you will ever know. Take on that new challenge and prove it to yourself.

Your work-life balance will rebalance

This is a big consideration, especially for those with family. A promotion and its challenges can seem daunting. No doubt, at first you will be swamped and have to put in extra time to keep your head above water. This might intimate you. Remind yourself: this is a normal transition to a new position. Over time, you will learn and adapt. You will find you will start on time and end not so late. Nothing great comes without sacrifice, yet over the mountain there is a land of prosperity that awaits – climb that mountain! You will enjoy the view after all your hard work.

Tell me about your experience accepting a promotion. Was there anything that held you back? Comment below!