What Matters Most to Millennials

The mindset of Millennials is of vital importance to society today. For more information, check out Dr. Izzo's book and read a sample chapter. The Purpose Revolution drjohnizzo.com/the-purpose-re...
Now if there's been one thing the business world has been obsessed about in the last fifteen to twenty years, it has to be the Millennials. Hundreds of books written on the Millennials, at almost every conference there's at least one or several talks about the Millennials
whether it's in marketing or talent, again and again I see businesses obsessed with the question: What do the Millennials really want?
And it makes sense because the Millennials are the largest generation in the world and they
are shaping the consumer and the talent world that we live in. But here's the interesting thing, I think almost no one in business actually understands the Millennials. You see, there's lots of things you hear about the Millennials.
You hear that they're obsessed with work-life balance, you hear that they're overconfident and often overestimate their capacity in terms of their confidence. You hear that they are addicted to growth and learning and they're always leaving to try new things. You hear that they're spoiled and entitled, you hear that technology is what they live and breathe for- and all of these things may be partly true, but it misses the one thing that's most
important for us to understand about the Millennials.
And here it is, the one thing that matters most to the Millennials is the Millennials want to matter. Let me say that one more time- what matters most to the Millennials is that the
Millennials want to matter. More than anything else, this is a generation that doesn't want to be insignificant. They want to feel that they are making the difference in their life and in their work.
Now here's a few facts to think about when it comes to the Millennials. They are indeed a very optimistic generation. They grew up in small family units so their parents have more
time for them, they got gold stars for participation, they watched talent shows in which people overnight went from unknown to being national or international stars. They watched people younger than themselves start companies like Google and Facebook that are now more impactful and more valuable than companies that have been around and run by older people
for a hundred years.
And you see the thing about the Millennials is most of all, they want to know that they matter. That's what matters most to them. Here's a few facts to think about: almost all of the top professions the Millennials say they want to go into are either helping professions or professions related to making a difference. By being an entrepreneur, companies like Google and
Facebook are winning a disproportionate share of talent from the Millennials in part because that those companies' people really feel they're a part of changing the world in some fundamental way.
Sixty-two percent of Millennials say it
matters to them to buy from and work for companies where they get a sense of purpose and meaning. 20 percentage points higher than the next generation, they volunteered twice as often as their older counterparts and a full 50 percent of them say they would gladly take a pay cut to work for a company that gave them
a sense of purpose and mission.
So here's the deal- what matters most to the Millennials is they want to matter and once you understand that, a lot of things begin to make sense. It makes sense that they are over focused on appreciation because they want to be valued for the difference that they make. It makes sense that they're wondering what the next step is coming for them in your company and they're eager because they want to make a difference, they don't just want to be stuck in some job that doesn't mean anything to them. It makes sense that they want to know how their job contributes to the bigger picture. It makes sense that they want to buy from and be connected to the companies whose story excites them, who makes them feel like that the work that they're doing might actually make a difference in the world.
To matter and to connect it to our company and its products and
services and making a great career in this place, let me tell you something, the one thing that matters most of the Millennials is Millennials want to matter and the real question for your business is whether it's as a consumer an investor or as an employee, does your company matter? And is it a place where a Millennial feels they can make a difference to something they care about?