Simon Sinek’s viral video rant on millennials in the workplace is interesting from beginning to end. Perhaps a bit condescending to millennials in many parts, but important in how it captures perceptions of millennials and challenges in our technology-driven world.
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There are three aspects of this video that I think procurement professionals need to pay attention to:
- The culture in which millennials have grown up. Without an understanding of today’s culture, it can be impossible to lead a procurement team and millennials well.
- How a leader that cares about the employee can be a corporate advantage. I refuse to accept that “companies only care about the numbers, not the people.” A good leader can make employees feel cared about and, often, that motivates better performance for the benefit of the company.
- The etiquette of smart phones in conference rooms. I don’t think that spending more time on one’s phone is a millennial-specific problem. There are plenty of Gen X’ers who also pay too much attention to their phones in business, social, and social business settings. I think that there should be leader-driven guidelines on phone use in meetings. I don’t think we are policing ourselves well enough.
I won’t give too much more of the video away if you haven’t watched it. Instead, I encourage you to watch it and form your own opinions on what Sinek has to say.