You Need to Ditch This If You Want to Be a Better Leader—Here's How
It’s time to get your boss on.
Photo: Create & Cultivate
Millennials are not only taking over the workforce, they’re quickly stepping into more and more leadership roles. In fact, a 2017 study found that the millennial leadership trajectory is as follows:
2.6 years: Entry-level to mid-level
5.3 years: Higher mid-level to senior
6.9 years: Senior level to c-suite
8.4 years: C-suite to CEO
More millennials are moving into leadership roles where they can finally execute on visionary ideas and implement change that they wished those who came before them would. Despite the value millennials bring to the workforce, we’re all a work in progress, and becoming a better leader is necessary for many of the millennials who are new to the role.
Keep these ideas in mind as you grow into your leadership position, which bodes well for your career and the organization. You may find that you garner greater respect and get more done as you learn and develop the skills necessary to manage an organization. Read on to find out what you need to do (and ditch) to become a better leader.
Let Go of Fears
Be better: Stop second-guessing yourself.
Fear of personal failure was the number one fear in a 2016 poll of Americans. And for millennials, this fear is often masked as “imposter syndrome.” Imposter syndrome can be defined as the feeling of being inadequate, despite continued success. A whopping 70% of millennials experience this, in both work and life, but why?
“Millennials might feel impostor syndrome more as they’ve entered the workforce at a time of outrageous technological advancements and constant comparison on social media,” says Breena Kerr of The Hustle.
She continues, “Technology is growing so fast that most of us are learning something new on almost every project we work on. And that can make you feel like you don’t have the expertise you should.”
To be a better millennial leader, you must ditch the fear and find confidence in what you do, and channel that when managing employees and making decisions. Trust your intuition and your skills—this is a requirement for leaders who want to see growth and success in their position.
Strategize Effectively
Be better: Find solutions that are effective—not just fast or easy.
A McKinsey and Company study of 80 organizations around the world, of varying sizes and industries, found that effectiveness was one of the top four attributes of a great leader.
When you focus on being effective, rather than making decisions or problem solving based on what’s easiest or fastest, you become a stronger leader. “Often leaders assume that as long as they have ideas, a vision, and a sense of purpose, that will be enough to lead the way forward,” says David Grossman, CEO of Grossman Group. “If only it were that easy. In truth, good leaders know the importance of planning and clearly spelling out the path ahead.”
Find the best brainstorming style for you and use that to flesh out ideas fully and effectively. A simple pros and cons list may be all you need to shake out the best solutions.
Communicate
Be better: Be authoritative and flexible.
Being a leader requires great communication skills, which can be challenging for some millennials. “The real reason millennial leaders struggle to communicate doesn’t lie in their ability to have reasoned, productive exchanges with other people,” explains Kimberly Fries, a millennial communication and leadership coach. “Instead, it lies in their circumstance, the very style of their leadership, and their personality.”
She breaks it down further, explaining that this struggle with communication comes down to three things:
Their disposition to be diplomatic and non-confrontational
Differences in generational preferences with communication
A credibility problem
To combat these innate issues, focus on communicating clearly and effectively while embracing the strengths of your employees and maintaining your authority. Be flexible and willing to adapt communication skills as employees need, especially when working with a mixed generational team. For example, some employees will do better with emails and chat, while others need more in-person time; adjust for both to be a better millennial leader.
Be Authentic
Be better: Listen attentively.
In a world filled with social media, where we’re surrounded by the perception of who someone is, it’s easy to be inauthentic. Especially in a role of authority, where you want to command the respect that a leadership role commands. Yet, authenticity is critical in business.
When you’re hyper-focused on the image you’re portraying to others, it’s hard to build true and lasting relationships that you need to be successful in business—relationships with mentors, financial advisors, and most importantly, with employees:
“Authenticity—both in business and in networking—is important for establishing reciprocal relationships with others,” says Ted Rollins, entrepreneur and founder of Valeo Groupe. “Long-term, rewarding professional partnerships don’t begin with a selfish attitude.”
When you listen and remain authentic in both your decision-making and interactions with others, you’ll be better at driving the ship.
Start Leading
Keep these ideas in mind as you grow into your role and take steps in your career. Authenticity, effectiveness, communication, and confidence are all critical for all high-level roles—both getting and keeping them. When you work toward becoming a better leader, you boost both your career and your position within your current role.
About the Author: Jessica Thiefels has been writing for more than 10 years and is currently a full-time writer, content marketing consultant, and business owner. She’s been featured in Forbes and Business Insider and has written for Manta, StartupNation, Glassdoor, Lifehack, and more. Follow her on Twitter @Jlsander07 and connect on LinkedIn.
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This story was published on August 29, 2017, and has since been updated.
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3 Things Millennial Women Can Do Right Now to Set Up an Effective Financial Retirement Plan
Take matters into your own hands by planning ahead.
Photo: Color Joy Stock
Retirement. It’s usually thought of as a life milestone that we all reach at age 65. But recent generations are less prepared for retirement than their parents.
Most of the disadvantages facing millennials are circumstantial due to multiple factors, including changes in the economy, rising healthcare costs, student loan debt, and predictable reductions in social security benefits. These are just some of the reasons why retirement might not be as easy as it once was at the age of 65. Some reports have estimated that the new age for retirement is closer to 73 for millennials.
You can forget the traditional ideas of saving minimally and hoping it lasts while relying on your pension. Instead, take matters into your own hands by planning ahead. Finance expert Ashley M. Fox is the founder and CEO at Empify, a social enterprise with the fundamental mission to educate, empower, and modify the mindset of every individual, inspiring them to achieve career, life, and financial success. Ahead, Fox shares her top three tips on how millennial women can effectively set a financial retirement plant.
1. Pick your financial freedom number.
Most people think retirement is an age when, in reality, retirement is a dollar amount. You need to come up with a number that allows you to live the life you want to feel financially free, and the amount you need to feel freedom from attachment, freedom from the obligation of having to go out and make money, and freedom to live life on your terms.
While it’s great to have an age, the focus needs to be on a dollar amount, because even if you hit a certain age, say 65 or now 70, if you don’t have a specific dollar amount, you will struggle and stress through retirement. Only 40 percent of Americans calculate their retirement needs, so it’s critical to have a destination.
Below are three simple steps to calculate your financial freedom number.
Step 1: Think about how much money you want coming in and have coming in every single month to put you in a position where you are comfortable, and not scared or living in survival mode. Think about what amount of money you need to have to think to yourself, “I'm free, I can think, I have clarity and I can do some of the things I have always dreamt of doing.”
Step 2: Reverse engineer your life. Think about what age you want to start living your dream life with your financial freedom number. Of course, we all want to start living that life today, but you want to think about how much time you will need to have that amount of money coming in. Knowing that the life expectancy of the average person in the U.S. is 80 years old, you are typically in retirement for 20 to 25 years. You want to work backward to see how much money you will need on a monthly basis to live the life you want to live. You have to take your monthly financial freedom number times 12 times the number of years you expect to be in retirement.
Step 3: Create your destination. In order to build a roadmap, you must have a destination. It’s important to determine how much you need and then put in place a clear destination of your retirement path. Once you know your destination, you can create a strategy of the best ways for you to reach your financial freedom number. Everyone’s lifestyle and freedom are unique to them, and it should not be based on the government's standards but on personal goals and standards.
2. Look at what you already have.
It is easy for us to think about all the things we have not done, or how far behind we may be, but it’s important to know how far we have come and how close we are to what we actually need to live our financial freedom life. Look at your company’s retirement plan. Most people never review their company's retirement plans but continue to contribute to it every month. It’s important to know what it consists of and how much is in it. You can do this by contacting your HR department or your HR system, and download your quarterly statements for your retirement plan—whether it’s a 401k, 403b, TSP, 457, etc.
You want to know the type of mutual funds and what investments are in the mutual funds. Analyze the performance of the stocks you are investing in. If your employer offers a matching plan. Also, analyze the performance of the stocks you are investing in. If your employer offers a matching plan, and they match up to five percent, definitely take advantage of that and match it. If you put in less, you are leaving free money on the table! When you decide to leave the company then remember to take that money with you. You can always contact HR to find out if your employer matches your investment.
3. Automate your personal savings and investments.
While it’s great to have a retirement plan with your employer, you want to also consider opening up an account yourself. Consider opening up an IRA account, a brokerage, and an online savings account, and be aware of the investments that will go inside those accounts. While retirement may be in the distant future, it’s so important to have a plan. Typically when we make money, we go and pay everyone else first, and that needs to change.
You should have automatic contributions that are taken out every month in a separate account that is not connected to your checking account. If you have an online account you’re in a position to get a higher interest rate. When you have different buckets of money, they are taxed differently. So when it comes time for you to hit your financial freedom number and retire, you’ll have the funds available to live the life you want to live, on your terms.
Overall, diversify your money and have automatic investments set up to ensure you live the retirement you deserve.
“Most people think retirement is an age when, in reality, retirement is a dollar amount.”
—Ashley M. Fox, Founder of Empify
About the Expert: Ashley M. Fox is a former Wall Street analyst based in Philadelphia, PA. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Howard University, receiving her Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance. After helping manage money for millionaires and billionaires during her career on Wall Street, Ashley developed the urge to want to financially empower the women, men, and families that were oftentimes overlooked, and founded Emplify in October 2013. Ashley is a highly-sought-after international speaker who has been featured on empowerment tours, college campuses, and keynote speaking platforms. She was a financial journalist at Black Enterprise Magazine and currently a contributor at Forbes. Ashley has also been featured in various publications which include the Huffington Post, Glamour, and The Street.
About Empify: Founded in 2013 by Ashley M. Fox, Empify has a fundamental mission to educate, empower, and modify the mindset of every individual, inspiring them to achieve career, life, and financial success. There is often a pattern of generational poverty in our communities when instead, there should be a pattern of generational wealth in all communities. Through the creation of life-altering curricula, informative digital content, and interactive events, Empify teaches basic wealth fundamentals to both adults and children by pouring belief into communities through financial education, inspiration, and implementation.
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Exclusive Report: We Polled 400 Working Women & This Is What We Found Out
You'll never guess their #1 priority.
We spend our days around hard-working, motivated women. But we wanted to know how they really felt about their careers, their futures, the state of the world-- all of it.
So with the help of Buzz MG, we surveyed over 400 working women. We talked social, savings, and the every day hustle. One of the biggest takeaways was the 83% of the women surveyed said that they want to own their own business. Entrepreneurship is ON THE RISE (and hey ladies, the highest wave floats all boats).
If this sounds like you, check out our new video series for branding and building your own side hustle.
Here our some of our favorite takeaways. You can download the full report below!
graphic credit: Chloe White
Knowing your audience is key. Deep dive into the full report featuring 5 full pages of stats and info including: work habits, career status, media preferences, wants and goals, saving abilities, and political leanings.
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8 Ways Millennials Are Changing the Face of Parenthood
We're confident that we're good parents.
According to population estimates released last month by the U.S. Census Bureau, Millennials have surpassed the Baby Boomer's as the nation's largest living generation.
We're here and we've taken over, except, we're also waiting longer to have kids than any other generation.
The reason most often cited? Financial stress-- whether it’s low starting pay, the burden of student loans, or the high and rising cost of child care-- is number one.
Still the new generation of working millennial mothers is putting their own brand of mommyhood into the world. From understanding that there’s more than one way to be a good mom to being more forthcoming about their shortcomings. This generation may be doing it later, but we’re doing it our way.
Here are 8 ways we're changing the mom game.
1. We're confident that we're good parents.
All of those trophies and gold stars weren't for naught. There's nothing wrong with a healthy self-esteem and according to a Pew survey, 57 percent of Millennial moms say they're doing a very good job at parenting, compared to 48 percent of Gen Xers and 41 percent of Baby Boomers.
2. We no longer believe we have to keep a perfect home.
That might in part be related to the fact that our pop culture role models are very open about their flaws. And that's a big deal.
It's made us much more willing to not be "perfect" all the time. This is not June Cleaver's version of parenthood. These are women who portrayed a real version of motherhood and who often held their own in two-income families. Claire Huxtable from "The Cosby Show" was a lawyer who showed us an unapologetic strong working mom role model. Aunt Becky from "Full House" was an anchor woman, mom to twins, and had fabulous hair. There are also inspiring women everywhere showing us how mom and boss work together: Tina Fey, Shonda Rhimes, Jessica Alba, Amy Poehler, Bobbi Brown, Maria Jacquemetton, Marissa Mayer, and more. These exemplary powerful women, both fictitious and real, have given us a much different version of "mom" than generations prior. And we seem to be taking notes.
3. We're bringing home the bacon for our fam.
There have been some dramatic shifts that underscore modern mom life. Nearly half of all U.S. mothers are either the primary breadwinner or “on par financially with their significant other,” according to the new study “The Breadwinner PheMOMenon.” According to the study from Ketchum, this shift goes hand-in-hand with the above. “With more breadwinning and less breadmaking, nearly half of moms surveyed no longer have expectations that they should be a ‘domestic goddess,’”says Kelley Skoloda, partner and director of Ketchum’s Global Brand Marketing Practice and author of Too Busy to Shop: Marketing to Multi-Minding Women.
4. Everybody's working for the weekend, but our jobs aren't just about money.
Gasp! Are we happy about our jobs?! According to The Working Mother Research Institute's "Mothers and Daughters: The Working Mother Generations Report" Millennials are more fulfilled by career prospects and compensation than Baby Boomers or Gen Xers. The most "optimistic" generation in the survey, 47 percent of Millennials said they would prefer to work even if they did not have to financially vs. 37 percent of Gen Xers 36% of Boomers.
5. Being a good parent is more important than a good marriage.
According to a Pew Research Center study, 52 percent of Millennials put a premium on being a good parent, while only 30 percent said having a good marriage is one of the most important things in life.
6. Independent, but social, is part of our nature.
We have fewer attachments to traditional political and religious institutions, but are more connected to personalized networks of friends, colleagues and affinity groups through social and digital media.
7. We waited to have kids.
The Urban Institute found that Millennial women are the slowest to have kids of any generation in U.S. history. According to the Pew Research Center, highly-educated moms are waiting until their 30s to have children. Among women ages 40 to 50, the median age at which those with a master’s degree or more first became mothers now stands at 30.
8. If knowledge is power, this bunch is going to be pretty powerful.
A record share of new millennial mothers have a college degree, more so than any other previous generation of young adults, according to the White House Council of Economic Advisers. The picture is even more dramatic for graduate school: While 2.8 percent of young adults had a grad degree in 1995, 3.8 percent received one in 2010, which amounts to a 35 percent increase. If knowledge is power, we have some of the most powerful moms out there.
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6 Things You Should Do If You Seriously Want To Buy A House in Two Years
Like, seriously though.
Photo credit: Brittany Ambridge for Surf Shack
Fact. Millennials represent the largest generational group of homebuyers, according to the National Association of Realtors 2017 Trends report. So if you’ve got #Homegoals and aspire to join the club of homeowners in the foreseeable future, it’s definitely within your reach but not without having a strategic plan to get you there. Here are six things you should do right now if you’re seriously looking to buy a house in the next couple of years.
1. Get your credit score right:
When it’s time to shop for a home loan, the best interest rates will go to those with the highest credit score. Make sure your credit score is in its best shape and review your credit report to make sure nothing looks out of the ordinary. When you’re closer to shopping for a home loan, avoid making any huge purchases (ie. buying a new car or new furniture for your dream house) that could affect your score at a pivotal time.
2. Get preapproved:
The first step in the process is getting an honest look at what you can really afford. That starts with meeting with a lender and getting pre-approved for a home loan. You can start talking to a lender a year out from when you you’re ready to buy to start understanding what you’ll need to provide to qualify for a loan. I’d recommend talking to at least three lenders and shop around to compare each rate they offer. Researching a lender is just as important if not more important than researching the type of house you want. In a competitive market like we’re in today, most sellers won’t even look at an offer without a buyer’s pre-approval letter attached. The better prepared and researched you are to understand what you can actually afford, the more leverage you’ll have as a buyer.
3. Get smart about your finances:
If you’re seriously committed to buying a home in the next couple of years, it’s time to get smart about your spending. Start a special savings account just for your down payment fund and set it on auto to contribute monthly to it. Having money saved for a down payment and closing costs is typically the largest barrier to entry in buying a home and most people don’t know that there are over 400+ Down Payment Assistance Programs in California that they can easily apply for and essentially get free money. Start researching and see if you qualify.
Photo credit: Brittany Ambridge for Surf Shack
4. Be realistic
You may not get everything on your wish list so it’s important to prioritize your list of can’t-live-withouts. Most people are drawn to homes that are completely move-in ready but sometimes there are gems to be found with homes that need a little fixing that you can really make uniquely yours. Don’t max out your budget and spend every dollar of your savings on your dream home. With homeownership comes closing costs, added bills, and maintenance expenses that you want to make sure you have money leftover in savings.
5. Have an open mind
Searching for the perfect home in your perfect neighborhood in your ideal price point can get tricky, so it’s good to have an open mind throughout the search process. Work with a real estate agent that’s local to the area and well connected who might introduce you to a nearby area you may not have thought to look in. Try to look past things that can be easily changed or renovated over time like fixtures, paint color and even floorplan and consider those factors that you can’t change like location, school district and lot size when making your decision.
6. Think about the future
When making the step to buy a home, do think about your future plans and whether you see yourself living in that home for at least the next two years. After living in a home as your primary residence for a minimum of two years, you’ll be able to take advantage of the capital gains exemption which lets you deduct up to $250,000 of your capital gains from tax (up to $500,000 for married couples) when you are ready to sell. Most people don’t live in one house all their life so as you make renovations or updates to your home, it’s good to keep the future resale value of your home in the back of your mind when making design choices. A good practice is to keep track of how much you’ve spent on renovations and improvements over time which could all be deductible to your home’s original cost basis when it’s time to move on and sell.
(and p.s. editor's note: if you're stressing that you can't afford to decor your home-- yes, we just made that a verb-- please check out C&C fave Emily Henderson's post on how to do Cali-casual look on a budget. She breaks down the realness here.)
Audrey Leoncio is a Los Angeles real estate agent with Compass who’s lived all over LA’s east, west and downtown neighborhoods. Have #homegoals or questions about buying a home? Email me at audrey.leoncio@compass.com
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The One Design Hurdle That’s Got 66% of Millennials Down
Big City dwellers, this one’s for you.
photo by @taylorsterling
As active participants of social media, we are frequently bombarded with images of perfect-looking homes that feel so far out of reach. Perfect herringbone hardwood floors, custom fireplaces, antique crown molding, it’s all beautifully overwhelming because we want what we can’t have.
With roughly one-third of millennials certified home-owners, renting is an unavoidable epidemic that most of us are dealing with (or suffering through… well, at least we’re in this together).
One of the biggest woes about renting is the inability to make any drastic design decisions. Whether it’s updating appliances, new light fixtures, or the biggest of them all….. carpet *gasp*. We dislike carpet just as much as the next renter, but sometimes we’re stuck with it. And what do bosses like us do when we’re stuck? We work through it, because we’re bad ass like that.
To help you tackle this major design woe, we tapped three “cool-girl” interior designers for their tips on how to design around that dingy carpet (without compromising your style).
Meet The Designers
Claire Zinnecker, of Claire Zinnecker Design, a boutique interior design group based in Austin, TX.
Kirsten Grove, the leading lady behind Simply Grove, a creative outlet turned full-time interior design business.
Ginny MacDonald, a designer and stylist, based in LA (though, she hails originally from England) whose extensive work can be seen here.
photo by @FromTheGroundUp
LESSON ONE: Rugs are Your Friend
CZ: Layering the space with a bright patterned area rug will take away from your carpet woes. The color and texture draws the attention to it and pulls together the space. You won't even notice the carpet.
KG: When you are using throw rugs on carpet, try layering them to create a textured look that will take away from the first layer of carpet. You can play off of the color of the carpet by incorporating it in the colors of the rug.
GM: If the carpet has a crazy pattern to it then go for something solid and tonal that works with the colours in the carpet. If the carpet is light and neutral then you have the option to overlay something bright and colourful or go with something more tonal (i.e if you have cream carpet, you could overlay a sisal or jute in a slightly darker tone, this would also give more texture). Not all rugs work on top of carpet though. Low pile rugs don't sit well on top of thicker pile carpet and end up moving around so try to use a rug and a carpet with the same pile thickness and it should stay snug. You could also use a rug pad or carpet tape to make it stick even better.
photo by @simplygrove
LESSON TWO: Pull Focus To The Walls
CZ: Distract with paint. Adding paint as an accent wall or even a pop of color on the ceiling can change the feel of the entire space. It creates a fun distraction and gives your space personality.
KG: Carpet can easily disappear when you focus on other aspects of the room. Creating a gallery wall with a variety of colors and textures can force the eye up instead of down.
GM: As well as adding a rug to your space you could also paint the walls in a brighter tone so that it helps to detract away from the carpet. A lot of rentals are painted in the contractors fave "swiss coffee" but painting it in a white or neutral grey will help a space feel more fresh and happy.
photo by @chrislovesjulia
LESSON THREE: Add Surrounding Textures
CZ: Bringing in textures through rugs, blankets, natural wood, etc. makes your home feel cozy and fresh. The carpet will practically disappear when you liven it up with a variety of textures.
GM: Layer accent furniture on top of the carpet like fun colourful poufs, baskets for extra blankets and planters. This not only hides the hideous rug but also brings some life, texture and layering to a room.
Are there other design roadblocks you are experiencing as a renter? Let us know in the comments below!
Millennial Women Are Burning Out Faster Than Ever
Where has all your motivation gone? (Paula Cole voice.)
Millennial women are burning out. They are also leaving their jobs at a faster rate than their male counterparts. This has nothing to do with babies. So what’s happening?
Here are four common reasons and what we can do about it.
THE REASON: SOCIETAL EXPECTATIONS
Even though women are starting companies and bringing home the bacon more than ever, there is still gender bias that exists in both the workplace and at home. In 2013 the US Census released data showing that 40% of household breadwinners were women. Still, the pressure to perform gender roles at home and smash through them at work is exhausting.
WHAT CAN WE DO: BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF THE FUTURE!
This is a tough one because this is something that will (fingers-crossed) work out over time. The rate of men staying home to raise the kids is not congruous to the number of women in the workplace. And women have been starting businesses at a faster rate than men for the last twenty years. Research has shown that women will create over half of the 9.72 million new small business jobs expected to be created by 2018.
So, we keep fighting for parity, in all areas of our lives. And we look to the future generations. Specifically, Gen Z, who, research has shown will be the least judgmental of all generations. They are less likely to ascribe to gender norms or put people in boxes.
"We keep fighting for parity, in all areas of our lives. And we look to the future generations."
Tweet this.
Which means expectations will change-- for both genders-- and ideally, the pressure to be all things to all people will subside.
THE REASON: UBER-CONNECTED WORKPLACES
Technology, you Medusa. Your snakes have slithered into every moment of our lives and it’s turning us to stone. Or ash, since we’re talking about #burnout.
Our parents never had to deal with this! They’ll never understand the reality of working round-the-clock and having an employer that can contact us at all hours of the day. I once had a boss who, if he wasn’t in the office, Facetimed me almost every morning to make sure I was staying on track. It became exhausting to see his face. Sometimes I was in the bathroom. Other times, I’d miss the call because I was refilling my coffee. If I missed it, I was reamed. And I burnt out 100% and left that job.
WHAT CAN WE DO: SWITCH OFF, WITHIN REASON
Easier said than done. A black screen is our worst nightmare, but we are creating an abyss more ominous than any black screen: our professional burnout before 30.
"Technology, you Medusa. Your snakes have slithered into every moment of our lives."
Tweet this.
You need to set boundaries with your job. There is no reason that you need to be answering emails at midnight or checking your phone FIRST thing upon waking. The healthiest mind is a balanced one. How many times do we have to say it before it sticks?
Start somewhere small-- because small changes create bigger boundaries and better habits. Aside from the obvious dangers of texting while driving, make a pact with yourself to NEVER answer a single work email or text while you are driving because it will help set a boundary. It will not only save your life or others’, but driving is a 100% legitimate reason to not answer a frantic text/email from a boss or colleague. Tell your boss you’ll no longer be answering texts or emails from the car. As long as you make it to work on time, this is healthy place to start.
THE REASON: UNCLEAR CAREER PATHS
We hear about women who are fired and find themselves.
We hear about women who boldly quit and find themselves.
We hear about women who make the transition from “job” to “career.”
Very rarely do we hear about women who stayed the course and found themselves within their current position. Guess what? It happens! This should excite you even though career means something very different than it did 20 years ago. The shifting technological landscape and startup world mean everything is moving at warp speed. It’s hard to know what a tenured career will look like when you can’t see two years from now. It's hard to think about the fact that maybe our generation will never really retire!
WHAT WE CAN DO: BE THE CARTOGRAPHER OF YOUR OWN CAREER
If you feel lost within your current position, write down the goals of where you want to go. You can take the freelance backroad or you can hop on the corporate interstate but goal-mapping is important and journaling is the enemy of confusion.
This is completely on you. It’s not up to your employer or boss to create your path. If you want to move forward within the company, make it known. Talk to you supervisor about what your options are. Don’t quit because you can’t see the forest through the trees. Wipe the sweat from your brow and refocus.
THE REASON: IT’S NOT YOUR PASSION
It doesn’t help that social media features lots of influencers who have “quit” their day jobs and refused to pursue passion in the margins. Some people say that if it’s not your passion, you will burn out. But other millennial women are using this as an excuse to bounce from their obligations.
WHAT CAN WE DO: FIND THE PASSION IN YOUR CURRENT JOB
The pairing of job and/or career and passion is not a perfect one. If you are looking for complete satisfaction out of a career, boy will you will be looking for a long time! Even the people you meet who love their career, still don’t like them sometimes. It’s like marriage-- some days it’s love, some days it’s work.
Everything worth having is hard work-- that includes passion. No relationship and no job will completely satisfy you; it’s the reason why we have more than one friend. Unfortunately it’s much harder to have more than one job. So work to find the passion in the work you are doing and you might end up finding your true calling. Or falling for the job you already have.
And then think back to point #2 and map out your career goals.
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Tina Wells Started a Company in Her Teens, Today It's an Award-Winning Agency
How this marketing guru has survived twenty years, with aplomb.
When you start your company at 16, there’s a decent chance you won't be doing the same thing by the time you graduate high school, let alone two decades later. Yet Tina Wells, founder of Buzz Marketing Group, defied that decent chance and remains CEO, founder and captain of the marketing company she started in her teens.
It wasn’t her intention. She didn’t set out to run a company. Rather, the goal was to be a fashion writer, ideally at a Hearst publication. “Seventeen was the dream,” she says.
“Never in a million years did I think I’d run a company or that twenty years later I’d be doing the same thing.” Like the start of many companies, her foray into marketing came from a place a need. As a fashion and beauty loving teen with five younger siblings she knew her parents weren't going to be able to buy her the newest trends. "My parents," she says, "were working their butts off to get us into private school and I knew I needed to come up with a way to make money. That's all it was. I figured out that I could review product and then wear it."
It is a resourcefulness that followed her through high school graduation, into college, and helped her grow BuzzMG's buzzSpotters-- a network of trendspotters that was cast to be a research network. It's a group of those in-the-know "and now and always looking around the next corner." In the beginning the buzzSpotters consisted of Tina and her ten friends. “I remember when we got to 200 people I thought it was too much," she says. There are now 37,000 people worldwide. "Consumers know what they want and want to be part of the process," she says. “That’s something I recognized as a 16 year old. I knew that if my friends and I wanted to be a part of the process of a company making something for us, then other people had to want it too."
"Consumers know what they want and want to be part of the process."
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It's a thought that has paid off. It was during Tina's freshman year at Hood University when someone said to her, “I just paid someone $25,000 to do market research and what you’ve done is ten times better.”
It was perfect timing. When this conversation occurred Tina was taking an Intro to Business class with the head of the Business Department. She went to visit that professor during office hours and told her what she’d been up to the last two years. That professor told Tina to take independent study with her to figure out how to make it a viable business. She did. “That was the launch pad,” she says. “It wasn’t me saying, ‘I have a great idea for a business,’ rather I was being told I was doing something really interesting that could be a business.”
Today, Buzz Marketing Group is an award-winning media communications agency that focuses on Millennials, moms, and multicultural consumers. They deliver data and strategies that drive the marketing approach for clients. “I’ve been doing this so long,” Tina says, “that back when I started it was youth marketing. There weren’t Millennials and there certainly wasn’t the idea of Millennial marketing.”
"So long," gives Tina and her team a certain edge-- even though the technologic landscape around her has moved seismically. “I still reference the business plan I developed with my professor 18 years ago,” she explains. In addition to running her company Tina is the current Academic Director of Wharton's Leadership in the Business World program and is teaching a summer program based on the principles set forth in that business plan. "The basics of building a business are still the same." she says. Adding, "You still need to answer those ten questions every business owner has to answer." (Check back, we'll be sharing those next week!)
What has changed are the tools. She jokes that if she had launched her business now she would have scaled in three months “Technology tools empower us to be better at our jobs every day.” It's technology that allows Buzz to survey people in their network better and provide better results for clients.
“Technology has the ability to do the unbelievable, but my business is built in a very brick-and-mortar way," a foundation she insists has the ability to withstand any tech wave or crunch. "I realized early on build a great business and let the tools empower you. But don’t be so focussed on creating a business for a particular tool."
"Build a great business and let the tools empower you."
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BuzzMG is built in a way that's evergreen-- they are, says Tina, "research first, not creative first, and we're very honest with our clients about that." They develop marketing strategies based on data from consumers of all ages and internally develop original research for the client. "We’ll go to our network of buzzSpotters, conduct an internal survey, and go back to the client with an audit of where their brand is, where it need to be, and what we will do to get to achieve that goal.”
"Because we’re research driven we never go into any situation assuming how a conversation is going to go." It also helps Buzz create campaigns that are likewise evergreen. One of the things Buzz is known for are their lists. They help build the inspiring Levo100 List, which was first released in 2015 and is still being shared today. They worked with American Eagle Outfitters on the aerie beauty and body line, leveraging their proprietary database of influencers to create and educate a curated in-market ambassador program of over 150 ambassadors in every state with an aerie store. Upon re-launch, aerie performed 500% better than projected, generating over $250 million in sales for AE.
It’s an approach Tina believes (and has the results to prove it) gives her a great advantage because her team is always looking at what the consumer will tell them. "We make decisions by looking at all sides. Culture is changing, it’s moving so quickly-- how we’ve survived for twenty years is by sticking to the solid principles of marketing."
“I never want to get caught in hype.” she says. “There are people who say 'this is dead,' 'that is dead,' 'blogging is dead', 'influencer is dead.' 'No.' I’ve said to clients, 'Print is not dead, bad print is dead.' And it should be."
"Print is not dead, bad print is dead. And it should be."
“A great brand is always a great brand," she says. "It’s just the tools that change.”
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What Do Millennials Really Want From Work
Hint: it's not ping pong tables
Credit: Laura Dee Photography
Everyone knows some lucky Millennial working at a Bay Area tech company where free food, massages, and dry cleaning are industry standard perks. Due to some major workplace jealousy, every Millennial is guilty of day dreaming about working somewhere where sneaking off to find a nap pod is encouraged. But despite what employers may think, these untraditional perks are not what most Millennials are looking for in a place of employment. In 2015 Millennials surpassed Baby Boomers as the majority of the U.S. workforce at 53.5% and as such it is time to take what they want at work seriously. And their needs are much more serious than one might think.
FLEXIBILITY
Millennials are starting to devote more time and money than ever on experiences. More than 3 in 4 Millennials (78%) would choose to spend money on a desirable experience or event over buying something desirable. Millennials’ desire for more flexibility with their work hours goes hand in hand with this spending trend. As it turns out, Millennials are not happy working your average 9 to 5 job. 81% would appreciate being able to make their own hours at work, 77% believe that flexible work hours would make them more productive at work overall and 43% would switch jobs if given greater flexibility in work hours elsewhere. The freedom to design their own work hours is so valuable to workers of any age that 2 out of 5 are even willing to forfeit a portion of their salary if it meant increasing their position’s flexibility. If Millennials were able to introduce more flexibility into their current posts, 64% would favor sometimes working from home and 66% would appreciate an adjustment in their hours.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Despite having a reputation for being self-centered, 84% of Millennials say that helping to make a positive difference in the world is more important to them than professional recognition. To feel fulfilled at work, Millennials need to feel as if their work matters. 60% of Millennials cite “a sense of purpose” as part of the reason they work for their current employer. Watch out Baby Boomers, Millennials were found to care much more about making a difference through their work than other generations. When surveyed 35% of Millennials found it important to have a job with a positive social impact, compared with just 19% of employed Americans overall.
"60% of Millennials cite a 'sense of purpose' as a reason they work for their current employer."
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TRADITIONAL VALUES
While ping pong tables, bringing your dog to work and riding around the office on scooters are all fun perks, what Millennials are actually looking for at work is not that different than previous generations of workers. Essentially employees of each recent generation share the same reason for changing jobs: more money and a more creative workplace. This sentiment was expressed by 42% of Millennials, 42% of Baby Boomers and 47% of Generation Xers. When gauging what makes an employer attractive, Millennials placed career advancement opportunities at the top of their list followed by competitive wages/other financial incentives and then excellent training/development programs.
CREATIVITY
Creativity is key for Millennials, with 31% placing value on working with creative people. Millennials are not the only generation craving more creativity at work, 36% of employed U.S. adults report that they want to leave their current job to pursue a career that allows them to be more creative. The American workforce values creativity so much that almost 41 million employed U.S. adults, are willing to take a pay cut for a job that allowed them to be more creative. Allowing Millennials to think outside the box is key to retaining Millennial talent. If they don’t, employers risk losing employees to the more creative and less restrictive path of being an entrepreneur. 67% of Millennial employees surveyed said they would leave their traditional jobs for a more creative self-employed track if they believed they could pay their bills by working for themselves.
Written by: Jacqueline DeMarco is a freelance writer with experience in editorial and news writing.
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