OK don’t get me wrong. Not all millennials – basically people born after about 1984 – are always bad at teamwork. Far from it. There’s plenty of reasons why they have good teamwork skills, for example being tech savvy in a world where apps and web platforms are enhancing a teams’ ability to work together is a bonus.

But there are some very real reasons why overall, the generation can struggle when it comes to teamwork.

They Struggle to Form Meaningful Relationships and Avoid ‘Face to Face’ Time

 

I heard about a family who moved to a new town, and the dad was worried because his children didn’t seem to be making any friends. They never socialized with other kids, weren’t out playing in the street with the neighbours, and spent most of their time up in their rooms and on their computers. When he challenged them about it, they couldn’t understand why he was worried – they’d made hundreds of friends. But all on social media.

Studies like this one by Sandy Pentland and his team at MIT have shown that you still cannot replace or replicate face to face communication and it remains vital to great team performance. Millennials have grown up with a highly addictive barrier – technology, smart phones and social media – that cuts off their desire or willingness to engage in ‘face time’ with other people, meaning they may struggle in a team environment where developing relationships with others, and working face to face, are keys to team success.

I watched an interview my friend Paul Dunn, Chairmain of B1G1, did with Simon Sinek recently where Simon  said:

“We have an entire generation going through adolescence that is entirely reliant on social media or cell phones, to help them cope with the stress they are going through and that connection is becoming hard wired. They are not learning the valuable social skills they need to function in life. They are too afraid to have a confrontation”.

They Lack ‘Grit’. 

 

 The US military academy West Point defines grit as ‘The tendency to work strenuously towards challenges, maintaining effort and interest over years, despite failure, adversity and plateaus in progress’.

Teams need grit, and the commitment and heavy lifting necessary to attain their goals.

My thinking that Millennials may lack grit is twofold: They are driven by a desire and expectation to have purpose and make a difference, whilst existing at a time of huge choice and instant gratification. If these conditions don’t exist for them, then they are quick to give up and go somewhere else.

The grim reality of life in teams is often that it is hard and demands time, commitment and effort. It’s also about personal sacrifice and giving up your own agenda in favour of what is right for the team. You can’t reach the peak of Everest until you have climbed the mountain, and they don’t want to climb the mountain – they want to just be at the peak now.

Millennials Are Purpose & Passion Driven – in the Wrong Direction

 

Cal Newport, author of the book ‘So Good They Can’t Ignore You’  says in this interview,

“This millennial generation is the first generation to grow up hearing the advice ‘follow your passion’ consistently”.

I was born in 1972 and my generation were told that job security and financial stability were the golden egg. I think it’s great that younger people are being told to focus more on things like passion and purpose but I agree with Cal Newport when he says this can be bad advice. Cal again:

“Not only is the cliche flawed—preexisting passions are rare and have little to do with how most people end up loving their work—but it can also be dangerous, leading to anxiety and chronic job hopping”.

It’s important to have purpose and passion at the centre of what you do, but it’s equally important to get this right. I am passionate about rugby but I don’t think it’s the right thing to go off seeking a career as a rugby player! Millennials need to learn how to understand passion and purpose and find the right way of working with that in a team context.

Millennials Are Not Being Honest

 

Before you get your six guns out to shoot me down, let me explain. I am not saying they are being dishonest and liars, what I am saying is they are filtering the reality of their existence. As Simon Sinek says in the interview with Paul Dunn:

“This is an Instagram and Facebook world, where they are very, very good at filtering. They are very good at sharing the world they want you to see. So they sound all tough and they sound all confident but they are not”.

Social media has allowed millennials to portray themselves as always having fun, doing great things, and hiding faults or not admitting if they are just not feeling good. Transparency, honesty and being in a place where we feel safe to admit faults or mistakes is all part of high performance teamwork – and these are behaviours that millennials are not generally familiar with.

Millennials are becoming used to portraying an existence that may not be entirely true. The issue doesn’t just affect their ability to successfully work in teams, but worryingly it also has implications on their susceptibility to anxiety, depression and even suicide – which is the 2^nd leading cause of death amongst 15-34 year olds in the USA according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in the USA.

What To Do About It?

 

This resonates with us all. Another interview with Simon Sinek on Millennials has gone viral. People are nodding heads and realizing this is a very real issue that needs our attention. After all, 75% of the workforce will be Millennials by 2025. This is not going to go away.

So here’s just a few things to think about that can help Millennials be prepared for the realities of teamwork.

If you are a parent:

• Encourage your kids to undertake activities that require disciplined effort, for example learning a musical instrument. This will get them used to practice and effort to reach a goal over a period of time.
• Be honest with them about what the real world is going to be like. Don’t let them think that they will get everything they want, all the time, and that there are no losers.
• Limit their access to computers and social media. Get them out meeting friends face to face.

If you lead millennials:

• Find out what motivates your Millennial teammates. Why are they with you? What can you do to help try to connect the team’s goals with their own?
• Create as much face to face time and experience as you can. Encourage meetings, social gatherings, even simply synchronizing coffee breaks will help them develop the necessary relationships within your team.
• Have regular and frequent one-on-ones with your Millennials. (In fact, good advice for anyone you lead). Listen to them. Thank them. They want to feel appreciated, know that you care and to be heard. You will develop for more commitment and loyalty as a result.

If you are a millennial:

• Working in teams means sacrifice and patience. But you reap what you sow and if you give to your team, the team will give back to you. Be prepared to do some heavy lifting, and accept that things take time.
• Ration your social media time. You don’t have to give it up, but try replacing some of it with real human contact.
• Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable. Admit failure. It’s OK. We are all flawed and make mistakes. You’ll be amazed at the response and support you will get if you take the first steps.