Blog Post: The Networked Voter

1) Vision - "Where there is no vision, the people perish." Millennials embrace a strong, clear vision. "Change" and "Country First" were the two slogans used by Obama and McCain. Millennials want to be led and it is a leader's vision that they will follow. Vision provides direction. Vision is like the GPS of leadership. If you have problems with your younger worker's performance, take a step back and evaluate the vision you have laid out. People can't follow if they don't know where to go...  

2) Relate - If you listen to most interviews prior to the election, younger voters spoke about the candidate they felt they could most relate to. Managers can learn a lot from this. Millennials want to have a relationship with their supervisors and management. People loyalty is much stronger than company loyalty. "People don't care about how much you know until they know how much you care." God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason. Want to "relate" better to your workers? Next time try asking them a question, sit back and listen...

3) Viral Marketing - Regardless who you voted for, when it came to marketing, Obama was more innovative. From the video game ads to the media blitz, his campaign targeted the younger voter and met them where they are. Today's younger worker is always socially connected. Want to know one of the most effective ways to recruit young talent? Tell your younger workers to refer their friends. Think about it...the same way a restaurant lives and dies on customer referrals, the same can be said about today's companies. Count up all the time spent on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc...imagine how much positive publicity they could be spreading about your company to their friends!  

Agreeing with is not as vital as understanding the Millennial worker. Companies that embrace the younger worker will rise amidst the economy and thrive.