037: Unleash the Millennials and Save the World, with Dr. Philip Zimmerman

In this Jam Session, I sit with Dr. Philip Zimmerman. Dr. Zimmerman is an expert on culture and passionate about developing the next generation of leaders. His leadership journey includes scaling his first business to multi-million dollars before being acquired by a public traded company, CFO of an eight figure consulting firm, and eventually wanting to pay it forward, he retired and became a high school teacher for over 12 years where he discovered a generational shift and realized companies were in big trouble if they didn't adapt quickly to the radical change in culture. This eventually led to his groundbreaking book Unleash the Millennials: and Save the World.

Key Takeaways:

• Millennials are the most educated generation in human history – digitally prepared and globally connected
• If organizations don’t give them today’s toughest challenges someone else (another organization) will, and that’s how you lose them
• Boomers and millennials think differently. They want the same outcome, but how they get there is just different
• Millennials should be coached, not directed
• Millennials want to know the ‘how’ and ‘why’, not “because the client or manager said so”
• Engage millennials by unleashing them, i.e., unleash them in their development by allowing them to develop their technical skills for the career path that they've chosen. Provide them advancement opportunities, or again, they will do it on their own
• Give them as much work-life balance as they want, because they are the most productive generation ever
• Ensure there’s purpose and meaning to whatever it is that they do

Leadership Resources:

Unleash the Millennials: and Save the World, by Dr. Philip Zimmerman