Mentoring is the answer to millennial soft skills gap
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How do we bring generations together to connect, communicate and collaborate?
Dear everyone who is not a member of the world’s largest generation,
I know you’re tired of dealing with the millennial 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 millennial 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
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