The CMO Club May Summit, NYC: “10 Things Millenials in Marketing Wish They Could Tell Their CMOs”

This panel, led by Carol Phillips of Brand Amplitude, features Justin Degraff of Unilever, Adrienne Waldo of Ask a Millennial, and Brian Rosenberg with Prophet

We saw the activist power of the Millenial generation in the last election, and now we’re feeling their impact in the workplace.

Top 10 Insights:
1) Context matters. Include millenials and help them feel the bigger picture. They want to become smart on what they’re asked to work on, so bring them in early.

2) Access is the key. Give them a voice and make it possible for them to be heard.

3) Inspire. Awe them with what you know and lead by example. Let them see what you’re doing on a day-to-day basis, in meetings with clients, etc.

4) Provide a reason. Help them keep the faith by explaining the rationale for things. Millenials are trained to believe there’s a reason for doing everything, and “it’s just the way we do it” is not going to be enough for them.

5) Thrive does not equal Survive. Help them grow. If they’re not learning they’re going to leave.

6) Be Direct. Don’t sugarcoat a situation. Tell them what you want and why.

7) Efficiency. They want to get things done, and they don’t want to work on in an inefficient system. If something isn’t working, it’s best to fix it.

8) Coach. Help them read between the lines, especially when it comes to office politics, which they don’t understand yet.

9) Advocate. Take their side and make sure their ideas get a chance. If they feel you believe in them they will want to live up to that.Be Flexible. Life-balance is critical to them, which is something a lot of managers misunderstand as a lack of dedication. But trust that they will get it done, since they time-shift. Often times they will work at all hours from anywhere.

10) Be Flexible. Life-balance is critical to them, which is something a lot of managers misunderstand as a lack of dedication. But trust that they will get it done, since they time-shift. Often times they will work at all hours from anywhere.