these are my incredible millennial
children Danae Brittany and Weston
Weston 23 years at the time had
announced that he was going to be
attending a premier Global Leadership
Conference and I confess as a leadership
coach I was jazzed
I mean 23 year old premier Leadership
Conference and so when he called me at
the end of the two days to debrief with
me I was on it
hey Weston why did you think about the
conference wasn’t it amazing and his
response was flatlined and I was
confused I mean these were the best of
the best and he didn’t get anything was
he even sleeping paying it too much
attention to his iPhone and that’s when
everything changed
I heard him take a deep breath and the
his his voice had a it had a gravitas
that I hadn’t heard before mom I have a
it was like the air changed it was like
the every cell in my body stood at
attention have you had a time like that
where you just knew you had to pay
attention mom you must prioritize
passing your leadership wisdom and
this was my son
it wasn’t a leadership guru it wasn’t an
executive coach this was my son what was
I supposed to do with a message like
that
what would you do if you’d gotten a
message like that what will you do as I
processed this conversation with him I
realized that this was not just a
message from my son to me but it is in
fact a message from all of our sons and
daughters it’s a message from all of our
employees and colleagues and neighbors
it’s a message from this emerging
generation of leaders to all of us who
are character-based wise seasoned
leaders it’s a cry to us to say stop
complaining and start coaching now the
news has been brutal to this generation
they generate all 83 million of them as
here’s the truth the real news for
Millennials matter we invited a team of
Millennials to review and critique the
entire manuscript anything that popped
into their heads I wanted to know about
it one reviewer put it this way just
because we are born in a certain year
does not mean we’re automatically lazy
stir oh isn’t it here are some real news
in our research we’ve surveyed over 300
leaders and yes 60% of them have said
that there have some concerns in
figuring out how to work with the
generation and they all they all have
been
extremely hopeful asking for help on how
so what are some things that we might be
able to do one of the results that are
one of the comments in our survey that
popped out to me was from Linda and
Linda asked this question how might I
coach and mentor my Millennials and make
it down the no difference well there
were two things that popped out in her
comment the first was coach and mentor
Millennials say 79 percent of
Millennials want a coach or mentor they
don’t want a boss but they want a coach
or a mentor so Linda’s right on track
the next thing she asked about was
Domino difference and I had no idea what
she was asking about she pointed me to
her favorite video you may have seen it
it’s the physicist who’s talking about
the energy of the Domino and that one
Domino could knock over another Domino
one and a half times its size so he
demonstrates that in 29 moves a micro
Domino that’s 5 millimeters high less
than a quarter of an inch not a
professional Domino a tournament Domino
a micro Domino in 29 moves can knock
over another Domino the size of the
Empire State Building that’s amazing
isn’t it so what Linda was really asking
is what are the coaching and mentoring
micro moves that I can make that will
have a major life time Empire State
Building impact on my millennial
and that’s a great question for all of
us to ask isn’t it a great question for
parents grandparents coaches leaders
mentors neighbors employers for all of
us what are the small moves the micro
moves that we can make that will have a
major impact on someone’s life and then
will we do that here’s a couple of ideas
start spotlighting a talent start
coaching your millennial you’ll emerging
leader to use and identify their talents
their core competencies to serve others
why because it’s in serving others that
this talent becomes a strength that can
solve some of the unsurmountable
problems it seems in our world today I
think of Sarah Sarah smart articulate
high character Idol employee and she
calls me upset she wanted the promotion
messed up the interview wants help on
her resume because she knows her career
is over been there so as we sat over
coffee we began to shine the light on
her talents her core competencies those
things that she does well all the time
those things that just ooze out of her
and then we also looked at her core
passions those things that she cares
about all the time and as we synched up
her core competencies and her core
passions she began to get a vision for
her life’s core purpose and she got so
re-energized she decided to go re
interview for the position amazing
huh here’s what one millennial reviewer
said we can get a million likes and
still feel discouraged
we need real affirmations from real
who spotlighted your gifts and talents
who walked alongside you and helped you
to develop those into strengths who’s
the young leader in your life who needs
your light to be able to shine for Sarah
it was a cup of coffee
it’s a mmm five millimeter micro move
Micro moment that can have a huge impact
on the trajectory of someone’s life will
you be that Domino difference here’s
set the cell phone aside turned the
technology connect with people face to
face people matter
Millennials matter I think of one of my
sales managers at Xerox Corporation Don
when I had a sales coaching meeting with
Don I knew I knew that I was the most
important on the planet at that time he
said all the reports aside all the
papers he zeroed in he asked questions
he listened he was intentional I
mattered when was the last time you had
a conversation like that were you knew
that you mattered
here’s how one of our millennial
reviewers said it when I feel listened
to and respected
I will flourish in the workplace and in
life this is a tough one for us isn’t it
this is my family at the Minnesota State
Fair we are on a family event and we’re
all tethered to our technology as
anybody else had that experience this is
a tough one for all of us isn’t it and
yet we are the leaders we are the
managers we are the coaches we are the
mentors we are the educators we can do
this we can set down our cell phones we
can turn the technology aside we can
connect with people it’s a five
millimeter mic removed micro moment that
could have a major impact on someone’s
life it was about six six weeks or so
after my initial conversation with
Weston and I gave him a call because I
needed I needed his advice you see it
I’d been bouncing this millennial idea
around of my colleagues I’ve been
getting quite a bit of pushback one said
well Donita let’s be real you are an
aging baby boomer yes they told me that
another one said well didn’t you die you
know you’re really nice and you’re
talented but be real in a world of
what are you doing that Westen listened
he pondered and then he said your
colleagues are right mom 24/7 we can
access brilliant Talking Heads but
that’s not what we need what we need are
people who love us who care us who know
us who will walk alongside us
we need coaches and mentors that’s what
we need not Millennials matter this is
not just a call from my son Weston to me
this is a cry from this generation of
emerging leaders to all of us begging us
to stop complaining and to start
coaching to start mentoring to start
spotlighting their talents so that they
can turn those into strengths and
address the real world problems to start
setting aside the technology and
connecting human to human to let them
know that they matter these are five
millimeter micro moves micro moments
we can make the Domino difference will
you I trust that on behalf of this
generation of Millennials and for the
sake of our world that you will take up
the challenge thank you
[Applause] [Music]
children Danae Brittany and Weston
Weston 23 years at the time had
announced that he was going to be
attending a premier Global Leadership
Conference and I confess as a leadership
coach I was jazzed
I mean 23 year old premier Leadership
Conference and so when he called me at
the end of the two days to debrief with
me I was on it
hey Weston why did you think about the
conference wasn’t it amazing and his
response was flatlined and I was
confused I mean these were the best of
the best and he didn’t get anything was
he even sleeping paying it too much
attention to his iPhone and that’s when
everything changed
I heard him take a deep breath and the
his his voice had a it had a gravitas
that I hadn’t heard before mom I have a
it was like the air changed it was like
the every cell in my body stood at
attention have you had a time like that
where you just knew you had to pay
attention mom you must prioritize
passing your leadership wisdom and
this was my son
it wasn’t a leadership guru it wasn’t an
executive coach this was my son what was
I supposed to do with a message like
that
what would you do if you’d gotten a
message like that what will you do as I
processed this conversation with him I
realized that this was not just a
message from my son to me but it is in
fact a message from all of our sons and
daughters it’s a message from all of our
employees and colleagues and neighbors
it’s a message from this emerging
generation of leaders to all of us who
are character-based wise seasoned
leaders it’s a cry to us to say stop
complaining and start coaching now the
news has been brutal to this generation
they generate all 83 million of them as
here’s the truth the real news for
Millennials matter we invited a team of
Millennials to review and critique the
entire manuscript anything that popped
into their heads I wanted to know about
it one reviewer put it this way just
because we are born in a certain year
does not mean we’re automatically lazy
stir oh isn’t it here are some real news
in our research we’ve surveyed over 300
leaders and yes 60% of them have said
that there have some concerns in
figuring out how to work with the
generation and they all they all have
been
extremely hopeful asking for help on how
so what are some things that we might be
able to do one of the results that are
one of the comments in our survey that
popped out to me was from Linda and
Linda asked this question how might I
coach and mentor my Millennials and make
it down the no difference well there
were two things that popped out in her
comment the first was coach and mentor
Millennials say 79 percent of
Millennials want a coach or mentor they
don’t want a boss but they want a coach
or a mentor so Linda’s right on track
the next thing she asked about was
Domino difference and I had no idea what
she was asking about she pointed me to
her favorite video you may have seen it
it’s the physicist who’s talking about
the energy of the Domino and that one
Domino could knock over another Domino
one and a half times its size so he
demonstrates that in 29 moves a micro
Domino that’s 5 millimeters high less
than a quarter of an inch not a
professional Domino a tournament Domino
a micro Domino in 29 moves can knock
over another Domino the size of the
Empire State Building that’s amazing
isn’t it so what Linda was really asking
is what are the coaching and mentoring
micro moves that I can make that will
have a major life time Empire State
Building impact on my millennial
and that’s a great question for all of
us to ask isn’t it a great question for
parents grandparents coaches leaders
mentors neighbors employers for all of
us what are the small moves the micro
moves that we can make that will have a
major impact on someone’s life and then
will we do that here’s a couple of ideas
start spotlighting a talent start
coaching your millennial you’ll emerging
leader to use and identify their talents
their core competencies to serve others
why because it’s in serving others that
this talent becomes a strength that can
solve some of the unsurmountable
problems it seems in our world today I
think of Sarah Sarah smart articulate
high character Idol employee and she
calls me upset she wanted the promotion
messed up the interview wants help on
her resume because she knows her career
is over been there so as we sat over
coffee we began to shine the light on
her talents her core competencies those
things that she does well all the time
those things that just ooze out of her
and then we also looked at her core
passions those things that she cares
about all the time and as we synched up
her core competencies and her core
passions she began to get a vision for
her life’s core purpose and she got so
re-energized she decided to go re
interview for the position amazing
huh here’s what one millennial reviewer
said we can get a million likes and
still feel discouraged
we need real affirmations from real
who spotlighted your gifts and talents
who walked alongside you and helped you
to develop those into strengths who’s
the young leader in your life who needs
your light to be able to shine for Sarah
it was a cup of coffee
it’s a mmm five millimeter micro move
Micro moment that can have a huge impact
on the trajectory of someone’s life will
you be that Domino difference here’s
set the cell phone aside turned the
technology connect with people face to
face people matter
Millennials matter I think of one of my
sales managers at Xerox Corporation Don
when I had a sales coaching meeting with
Don I knew I knew that I was the most
important on the planet at that time he
said all the reports aside all the
papers he zeroed in he asked questions
he listened he was intentional I
mattered when was the last time you had
a conversation like that were you knew
that you mattered
here’s how one of our millennial
reviewers said it when I feel listened
to and respected
I will flourish in the workplace and in
life this is a tough one for us isn’t it
this is my family at the Minnesota State
Fair we are on a family event and we’re
all tethered to our technology as
anybody else had that experience this is
a tough one for all of us isn’t it and
yet we are the leaders we are the
managers we are the coaches we are the
mentors we are the educators we can do
this we can set down our cell phones we
can turn the technology aside we can
connect with people it’s a five
millimeter mic removed micro moment that
could have a major impact on someone’s
life it was about six six weeks or so
after my initial conversation with
Weston and I gave him a call because I
needed I needed his advice you see it
I’d been bouncing this millennial idea
around of my colleagues I’ve been
getting quite a bit of pushback one said
well Donita let’s be real you are an
aging baby boomer yes they told me that
another one said well didn’t you die you
know you’re really nice and you’re
talented but be real in a world of
what are you doing that Westen listened
he pondered and then he said your
colleagues are right mom 24/7 we can
access brilliant Talking Heads but
that’s not what we need what we need are
people who love us who care us who know
us who will walk alongside us
we need coaches and mentors that’s what
we need not Millennials matter this is
not just a call from my son Weston to me
this is a cry from this generation of
emerging leaders to all of us begging us
to stop complaining and to start
coaching to start mentoring to start
spotlighting their talents so that they
can turn those into strengths and
address the real world problems to start
setting aside the technology and
connecting human to human to let them
know that they matter these are five
millimeter micro moves micro moments
we can make the Domino difference will
you I trust that on behalf of this
generation of Millennials and for the
sake of our world that you will take up
the challenge thank you
[Applause] [Music]
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