Mentoring is the answer to millennial soft skills gap

An open letter to everyone experiencing pain from the generational soft skills gap.

Millennial soft skills gap - the answer

Dear everyone who is Gen X or older,

I know you're tired of dealing with the Millennial, GenZ and A soft skills gap and the problems it causes. It's time consuming and frustrating. I get it. Ready for a solution? Let's try this.

Put the frustrations you have of these behaviors in a Tupperware container. Seal the lid and put the container on a shelf for a little while. You can get it back out and open the box to let those things out any time you want later.

Why do I ask you to do that? Because I know that we can inspire and coach millennials on soft skills. Interpersonal communications and relationship building skills are learnable and millennials love learning. They've been coached for everything their whole lives. Professional development is really important to them. And it’s in our best interest and theirs to take the time to teach millennials strong communication skills.

Complaining about this generation ensures failure of that goal. No one likes to be judged harshly. And no one likes being told they lack basic skills required for success either. That builds more conflict and barriers between generations, so let’s just hold off on that for the time being.

Millennial soft skills gap can be closed - by us

Next, I invite you to consider that every generation since Cain and Abel has rebelled against their parents in some way or another. Baby boomers railed against everything their parents’ generation stood for: music, social mores, military, business…the list goes on. Each generation must find its voice.

The voice of millennials includes key notes of work/life balance, a connected world and making earth a better place. Those are pretty good goals, don’t you think? Why wouldn’t we want to receive the excellent benefits that this generation can offer the world?

Finally, I suggest that we embrace this new generation for who they are. They aren’t going away, so we might as well make the most of having them here, right? Millennial expert, Jack Dorsey explained on the CBS Early Show, how much this generation has to offer. Their tech skills are extremely valuable, they are highly educated and share concerns for making the world a better place. Soft skills can be taught and this generation is quite willing to learn. Let’s coach them so we can all benefit. So, how does that sound?

Sincerely,

Margo

If you'd like some specific steps to help millennials improve their communication skills, download the free Ebook, "6 Actions to Take Now to Teach Millennials Soft Skills".

6 Actions to Take Now to Teach Millennials Soft Skills

Why a Lack of Good Corporate Social Responsibility Is Killing Your Business

Good Corporate Social Responsibility is no longer a nice-to-have. In fact, companies who want to grow MUST practice good Corporate Social Responsibility, aka, CSR. Those brands who don't face losing sales. Driven by millennials who prefer to do business with brands who have ethical and sustainable business standards, the recipe for sales and marketing success changed dramatically. So now, all generations have an increased expectation that companies who want to earn their business must practice sustainability. Is your brand adapting, or dying?

Millennials (and other generations too) are looking for four major qualities in socially responsible companies. Download the checklist here for free.

According to findings from the 2015 Cone Communications Millennial CSR Study, “More than nine-in-10 Millennials would switch brands to one associated with a cause (91% vs. 85% U.S. average). Two-thirds use social media to engage around CSR (66% vs. 53% U.S. average).” Because of these factors, companies not yet engaging in good corporate social responsibility are losing sales.

Practicing Good Corporate Social Responsibility Is Great for Business

In 2015, Nielson published its annual Global Corporate Sustainability Report. It indicated that, globally, 66% of consumers are willing to spend more on a product if it comes from a sustainable brand. 73% of surveyed millennials indicating a similar preference. Additionally, 81% of millennials evexpect their favorite companies to make public declarations of their corporate citizenship."

As John Mackey, the CEO of Whole Foods puts it:

“The whole corporate social responsibility ideal is trying to graft something onto the old profit maximization model. Now more than ever, we need is a transformation [in] the way we think about business, what it’s based on. People want businesses to do good in the world. It’s that simple…. We now need a deeper, fundamental reform in the essence of business.”

So, traditional advertising won’t work with Millennials. Conveying CSR efforts to Millennials requires authenticity, and a unique approach. Since Millennials grew up with the Internet, they want their voices heard. And they expect a two-way, open dialogue with companies and their brands.

Millennials and many of the customers from other generations want to buy from companies who give back.  As a result, brands who want to attract more customers and keep existing ones need to have a good corporate social responsibility program.