ACCELERATING

THE PATH TO
AUTHENTICITY
FOR MILLENNIALS

{ perspectives } LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

© 2017 Harvard Business School Publishing. All rights reserved. Harvard Business Publishing is an affiliate of Harvard Business School.
ACCELERATING THE PATH TO
AUTHENTICITY FOR MILLENNIALS
Millennials are stepping into leadership roles at organizations around
the world. Yet they lack some of the life experience needed to lead
authentically. But there are steps millennials can take—and help L&D
teams can provide—to embrace their authentic selves.
BY KERRY CROCE AND MARISA PLOWMAN

MILLENNIALS MATTER. Within the next decade, members Sienna Zampino suggest that millennials are restlessly
of the millennial generation will account for more than searching for organizations with cultures that encourage
three-quarters of the workforce as boomers transition into and enable them to express their authentic selves.
retirement. Some millennials have already begun taking Just as authentic organizations have had an edge in talent
on senior leadership roles. In the years ahead, more and retention, authentic leaders instill loyalty and inspire
more senior leaders will be millennials. Given the sheer engagement in their team members.
size of their generational cohort, millennials will have a
There are multiple perspectives on authenticity. For
massive impact on their organizations.
example, in her 2015 Harvard Business Review article
What characterizes millennials? They want to build mean- “The Authenticity Paradox,” Herminia Ibarra warns that
ingful work relationships and form positive connections a “simplistic understanding” of authenticity can actually
with colleagues. They adapt well to change, are savvy about interfere with leaders’ growth and limit their impact. She
technology, and crave continuous innovation. notes, for example, that advocates of authentic leadership
Current research shows that millennials are more likely urge us to be true to ourselves. But “we have many selves,
than other generations to leave their current employers and depending on the different roles that we play in life,” says
look for something better. Writing in Forbes (“Authenticity: Ibarra. “We evolve and even transform ourselves with
The Way to the Millennial’s Heart”), Karl Moore and experience in new roles.”

Within the next decade, members of the millennial generation

will account for more than three-quarters of the workforce as
boomers transition into retirement.

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But Bill George, who brought the concept of authenticity Unfortunately, organizations no longer have the luxury
to the forefront of leadership discussions with his 2003 of time. The pace of change in today’s VUCA business
book Authentic Leadership, notes that interpreting climate means that millennials are taking on leadership
“authentic” to mean “rigid” or “unchanging” would be roles now—without necessarily having had the same
a serious mistake. “This is the antithesis of authentic opportunities, successes, and failures that leaders of
leaders, who are constantly developing themselves to previous generations had to find and define their true
increase self-awareness and improve relationships with selves over many years. How can millennials expedite the
others,” writes George in a recent blog post. Instead, journey to finding their authentic selves? Millennials and
authentic leaders undergo a lifelong development process leadership and development (L&D) professionals need
during which they acknowledge their shortcomings and to work together to accelerate millennials’ journey to
discover their capacity for self-improvement. And that becoming authentic leaders so that they can do an effective
includes gaining a deeper understanding of themselves job of helping their companies reach strategic goals.
through new experiences, situations, and opportunities While there are no shortcuts on the path to authenticity,
rather than a devotion to one static “true self.” we believe there are valuable actions that millennials can
The challenge for millennials—and the companies that take to move toward authenticity, all of which focus on
depend on them to drive value in leadership roles—is an openness to learning. Similarly, there are actions that
that it can take time to develop a deep awareness and L&D professionals can take to assist millennials along
understanding of one’s self and one’s values. the way and help them succeed.

5 Ways Millennials Can Accelerate Their

Journey to Becoming Authentic Leaders

1 Develop both self-awareness and awareness of others

Authentic leaders are honest with themselves about setbacks.” Goleman also notes that leaders who learn
their strengths and skills, as well as areas where to focus their attention both internally and externally
they should focus to improve relationships and simultaneously strengthen their emotional intelligence.
performance. They not only excel at managing their It takes time and effort to find the balance between
own emotions, but they also are adept at recognizing authenticity and cognitive control.
and understanding their colleagues’ emotions, which
helps them manage relationships and build trust. TIPS
Authentic leaders exercise their duties with humility. TAKE TIME TO PAUSE AND REFLECT
They take the time to understand the people around Ask yourself, “What am I feeling? What is driving me
them, displaying not just tolerance and understanding but right now? What outcome am I trying to achieve?
What is the ripple effect of my actions on others?”
also making an effort to empathize with others. In “The
Focused Leader” (Harvard Business Review, December BE INQUISITIVE
2013), Daniel Goleman draws the link between self- Ask questions to truly understand others. Learn about
how they think, feel, and experience life. Ask about
awareness and cognitive control, which he says “enables their background and what makes them unique.
executives to pursue a goal despite distractions and

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 2 Pay close attention to physical presence
In some ways, millennials are highly skilled at You need to match your energy to the situation. For
communication. They have grown up in a world filled instance, if you smile too encouragingly at an employee
with emails, texts, tweets, and video chats. Yet these presenting a new idea, she might wonder if you’re taking
skills are a double-edged sword—many millennials are her seriously.”
so immersed in the digital world that their in-person
communication skills have taken a back seat. A good TIPS
communicator practices active listening, provides BE COGNIZANT OF YOUR PRESENCE
feedback, and ensures that the conversational flow How do you typically sit, stand, and engage with
includes give and take from all sides. Communication others? Do you regularly make eye contact? When
in doubt, record yourself or ask for feedback from a
has both verbal and nonverbal components. Muriel trusted peer or mentor.
Wilkins, coauthor of Own the Room, says that good
communicators know how to manage their energy levels. ALIGN YOUR ONLINE AND OFF-LINE SELVES
Your efforts to present yourself as a credible and
In an interview for Harvard ManageMentor®, Wilkins told mature leader could be compromised if your public
us, “It’s not as easy as remembering to stand up straight Facebook page is filled with photos of you drinking
or stop frowning. tequila shots on a party cruise. Aim for more
congruence between your home and work identities.

3 Harness a learning mind-set that encompasses self, others,

and the world
As we noted earlier, Bill George describes authentic TIPS
leaders as people who are constantly trying to develop PUT YOURSELF IN SOMEONE ELSE’S SHOES
themselves and improve their capabilities. This Challenge your own views of the world and what
commitment to constant self-improvement dovetails you believe to be right and wrong. Accept individual
differences by understanding that many value
nicely with Carol Dweck’s work on growth mind-sets. judgments are in the eye of the beholder. Seek out
As discussed in a 2014 Harvard Business Review article, conversations with new people with whom you don’t
Dweck and her colleagues found that companies with a usually get to interact.
growth mind-set tended to have happier, more committed
RECOGNIZE EFFORT AS WELL AS RESULTS
employees who felt more valued by their organizations. As a leader, if you praise only your star performers,
Employees at growth mind-set organizations felt less you could end up discouraging everyone else from
taking the risks that companies ultimately need
scared of failure, and so they were more willing to pursue
to drive future innovation. Pay close attention to
the sort of bold, innovative projects that companies need your language, and be sure you are giving positive
to drive future growth. reinforcement to employees who are learning,
growing, innovating, collaborating, and embodying the
ideals of a growth mind-set.

Millennials must embrace GIVE AND RECEIVE FEEDBACK

A critical part of developing a learning mind-set is
a growth mind-set to take
being open to giving and receiving feedback. Candor
worthwhile risks. and transparency are vital to leading authentically.

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 4 Lean into discomfort and take risks
Millennials love being part of a team and tend to be TIPS
incredibly risk-averse. This is the generation that grew FAIL ON PURPOSE
up playing sports in leagues where everyone went home In the world of exercise and strength building, the
with trophies just for showing up. There is comfort and saying is “No pain, no gain.” When it comes to
developing as an authentic leader, that could be
security in being part of a group. You can share the rephrased “No pain, no growth.” Taking on risks is
credit for triumphs and collectively bear the shame of uncomfortable, and failure is no fun, but the sooner
defeat. Nonetheless, millennials should be encouraged you fall, the sooner you can get back up. If you’re
terrified of failure, you’ll always choose the safest and
to strike out on their own and take individual risks. It
most conservative option, and in the long run, that can
is natural to fear failure, but personal failings can be be the riskiest strategy of all.
highly educational, prompting self-reflection, putting
LEARN FROM YOUR FAILURES
a damper on overconfidence, and encouraging the sort
There’s no point failing if you’re just going to repeat
of maturity that is a prerequisite for the development of the same mistakes over and over. Instead, take the
the authentic self. time to reflect and learn from your mistakes. Failure
can be painful and humiliating, but it also helps us
learn to cope with life’s challenges. Victory is that
much sweeter after we have tasted defeat. Each failure
that we overcome propels us closer to discovering and
becoming our authentic selves.

5 Network purposefully and thoughtfully

Millennials are accustomed to the idea of having hundreds
or even thousands of connections on social networks Millennials need to step out
like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. In of their comfort zone to build
a workplace environment, however, millennials must diverse networks.
learn that quality matters more than quantity. Instead
of building a gargantuan business network, millennials TIPS
should prioritize meaningful connections with mentors RECONNECT WITH PEOPLE WHEN THERE IS NOTHING
and peers who can offer guidance and support. In her IN IT FOR YOU
Reach out to people in your network to check in
Harvard Business Review article “5 Misconceptions about
on what is going on in their lives. Be curious. Ask
Networking,” Ibarra notes the importance of networking questions. Use work anniversaries and birthdays as
despite negative preconceptions and suggests that we opportunities to check in with your contacts while
celebrating their milestones.
force ourselves to dive in and give networking our best
shot. By stepping out of our comfort zone to build diverse BE A “SUPERCONNECTOR”
networks with dissimilar people who will challenge By serving as a catalyst to bring people together, you
our views and help us broaden our worldview, we can will learn a great deal about other people and find
commonalities even amid diversity.
experience firsthand its value for ourselves, our teams,
and our companies.

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4 Four Ways to Help Millennials Become
Authentic Leaders More Quickly

1 Help millennials find their purpose

As millennials assume leadership roles, they want to know TIPS
how their role relates to the company’s mission, vision, TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ORIENTATION AND ONBOARDING
values, and standards. L&D professionals can help by PROGRAMS
Use these programs to give millennials a clear sense
showing millennials how their responsibilities fit into the
of your company’s purpose, mission, values, and
big picture. Through explanation and open discussion, goals. This will allow millennials to figure out how their
L&D professionals can help millennials connect their actions and responsibilities fit into the big picture and
help imbue their work with meaning.
personal stories with the key strategic initiatives they
are tasked with accomplishing. ENCOURAGE EXPERIMENTATION
Encourage and inspire millennials to wake up each
morning and try something new. Support millennials
as they experiment and try new opportunities as long
as their experimentation aligns with the organization’s
strategy and goals.

2 Support
 millennials’ tendencies to connect and collaborate
As a generation, millennials have been raised with a TIPS
steady diet of positive feedback. They want to feel valued TRY REVERSE MENTORING
and appreciated. They like to be included in discussions. As Jeanne Meister and Karie Willyerd have shown
Even if they don’t know the answers, they’re generally in their Harvard Business Review article “Mentoring
Millennials,” the practice of pairing millennial mentors
eager to participate in the search for solutions. Millennials with older executives can have multiple benefits.
view the world as a place where communities come Millennials can share their knowledge on specific
together to solve problems. They thrive on collaboration practices (e.g., using social media to connect with
customers) where they may have more expertise, while
and dialogue. It’s up to L&D professionals to channel
learning from their older mentees about what it really
these natural generational tendencies into productive takes to run the business. In effect, the mentoring
avenues that will help millennials grow more quickly relationship becomes a two-way street where each
side learns valuable lessons from the other.
into authentic leaders.
FACILITATE GROUP COACHING
Coaching is an effective process for supporting
personal growth and self-awareness. Adding the group
Millennials thrive
component allows leaders to learn from and with
on collaboration others as well.
and dialogue.
ENCOURAGE MOBILITY
Look for ways to expose millennials to other
cultures and parts of the business through rotational
assignments and job sharing.

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 3 Show millennials the benefits of engaging in mindfulness
and reflection
Staying focused and present despite interruptions can be TIPS
a challenge for anyone, especially millennials who have ENCOURAGE POST-MEETING REFLECTION
grown up in a 24/7 world filled with endless streams of Ask millennials to adopt a practice of taking a five-
digital distractions competing for their attention. L&D minute walk between meetings. Encourage them to
notice and appreciate their surroundings, say hello to
professionals can help millennials develop strategies to a colleague, grab a bottle of water or a cup of coffee.
make space and time for education through meditation, There should be a no-technology rule during these
reflection, and deliberate focus. Here’s some good news walks—no emails or texts! Instead, millennials can use
the time to reflect on and internalize insights from the
for L&D pros hoping to convince millennials to take
last meeting before starting on the next one.
a deep breath and put down their smartphones for
a moment—research published in 2014 by J. Walter PROMPT MILLENNIALS TO ENGAGE IN SELF-ANALYSIS
Incorporate introspective questions into your L&D
Thompson Intelligence found that millennials were not
programs. Ask millennials to consider questions such
only the most distracted U.S. generational cohort but also as: What are my values as a leader? How do my words
the generation most interested in learning how to shut out reinforce—or conflict—with those values? In what areas
distractions and improve their focus. With help from L&D am I doing well? What are the areas where I have room
for improvement?
professionals, millennials can achieve mindfulness, which
goes hand in hand with self-awareness and ultimately
leads toward authenticity.

4 Connect with millennials on their own terms

In a recent Fortune article, Raymond Carvey, executive TIPS
vice president, Corporate Learning at Harvard Business PROVIDE BOTH “PUSH” AND “PULL” LEARNING
Publishing, observes that tech-savvy millennials were Offer what Carvey calls the “mobile, self-paced, high-
“born into a connected world.” As such, they’re lifelong quality, and on-demand” content millennials are more
used to, then drive home important concepts with
learners, engaging with content and new ideas in real longer and more structured lessons.
time through social media, peer networks, and more.
He suggests engaging millennials through the technology ENABLE KNOWLEDGE SHARING VIA SOCIAL MEDIA
Use social media platforms to enable millennials to
with which they’re comfortable, in a number of different
share knowledge with diverse leaders at all levels
modalities. across your organization. Giving them the opportunity
to serve as a resource to other leaders keeps
millennials engaged in learning throughout a program
while also driving the retention necessary to truly
develop as an authentic leader.

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Millennials are highly motivated to learn and develop
into strong, authentic leaders. They just need some Millennials can accelerate
help making sure that their authentic leadership skills their journey to becoming
advance at the same pace as their career trajectory. the authentic leaders that
With mindfulness, curiosity, awareness, and assistance
their organizations need.
from L&D professionals, they can accelerate their
journey to becoming the authentic leaders that their
organizations need.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

KERRY CROCE is a senior learning solutions manager MARISA PLOWMAN is a senior learning solutions
at Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning. manager at Harvard Business Publishing Corporate
She has an extensive background in the leadership Learning. She is a solution architect responsible for
and management development industry. In her designing blended leadership development programs
current role, Kerry collaboratively partners with aligned with the organizational objectives and
clients, including leading Fortune 500 firms, to design strategy of global clients. Marisa has spent her career
innovative and transformative learning solutions diagnosing, designing, and maximizing efficiencies
that align critical talent development goals with key of talent management needs at the individual, leader,
business strategies across the client organization. team, and system levels. She has extensive experience
Prior to joining Harvard Business Publishing, she was in designing and delivering learning solutions for all
the head of client delivery and U.S. operations for levels within the leadership pipeline and has spent
Hemsley Fraser, where she led global engagements the majority of her career in internal organizational
focused on the delivery of client performance development roles at organizations such as Anthem
management and building leadership capabilities for and Pacific Sunwear of California.
over seven years. She began her career working with [email protected]
The Forum Corporation, a global strategic learning
and leadership development firm.
[email protected]

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ABOUT CORPORATE LEARNING
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enabled solutions drive meaningful and lasting business
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