LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.

This daring adventure we call Entelechy began twenty-five years ago with a vision to help companies unlock the potential of their employees. Over the years we've touched hundreds of thousands of employees helping them learn, grow, and succeed.

I've learned a lot over the years, some about learning, but mostly about people. People want to contribute; they want to succeed. The effective leader recognizes those desires and channels them to a common goal. We'll explore this topic more in our feature article, "Five Ways to Manage and Lead Millennials in the Workplace."

Fortunately, I have the pleasure of working with truly passionate, dedicated and talented people, each of whom has shaped what we are today...and will be tomorrow. THEY are the ones who've earned the awards and garnered the thanks from our clients. THEY are the ones who persevere every day to contribute, and to ultimately succeed, in creating some of the finest training in the world.

And, that training has spurred incredible results for our clients and their people. Time and time again, I hear about how our programs have positively and significantly changed people's lives. In fact, I recently heard from an internal trainer/coach who says they continue to "use the concepts and models weekly" from the management program we created 10 years ago. We're proud of the sustained impact we've had with our clients.

Thank you Entelechy team for making us what we are. Thank you Entelechy clients and friends for pushing us, stretching us, and believing in us (again and again). With the successes in our rear view mirror, we look forward to continuing to bring quality customized training — training that changes lives in positive and powerful ways.

Terry

FIVE WAYS TO MANAGE AND LEAD MILLENNIALS IN THE WORKPLACE

Millennials, typically defined as anyone born between 1982 and 2002, currently represent one third of all workers. This year, most organizations will dedicate time and resources to better understand, embrace and empower this group. The good news is that millennials aren't all that different from your other employees — everyone is seeking clear expectations, direct and frequent feedback, ample growth opportunities, increased flexibility and autonomy, and the chance to do meaningful work. The bad news is that your managers likely aren't currently empowered to create a culture of leadership that resonates well with millennials, let alone the rest of the workforce.

Luckily, there are some simple steps you can enact today that will have an immediate and lasting impact - across generations. According to HR and talent management expert Candice N. McGlen, PHR, SHRM-CP, the key to unlocking the power of millennials for your workplace is authentic engagement. That's the focus of her new book, Engage Us Now! The Grassroots Organizing Approach to Mobilizing Employees and Achieving Organizational Success.

McGlen concedes that there are a lot of misconceptions about millennials, but she believes that at the end of the day millennials just want to make a difference. So, how can managers truly engage their workforce?

  1. Be transparent. Millennials crave honest feedback and authentic communication. All too often, typical trickle-down communication tactics result in a muddled end message by the time it goes from the corner office to the front lines. Tell it like it is, they can handle it. "Context is always important," reminds McGlen.
  2. Solicit input. Communication shouldn't be a one-way street. Find out what opportunities your engaged millennials see for you and your organization to help further your cause.
  3. Empower and encourage. Millennials are creative and adept problem solvers. Create a culture where everyone's contributions are valued and where everyone is empowered to implement change. Millennials want to roll up their sleeves and work together to arrive at a successful outcome — especially if they clearly understand and contribute to the broader reason behind the task at hand, which leads us to...
  4. Emphasize the end goal. Millennials crave a purpose-driven work environment. They want to know what positive impact their work will have on customers and the broader community.
  5. Above all, be an ally. Managers should support direct reports by hearing their concerns and acting as an advocate for them within the organization. Take the time to understand your direct report's unique story and objectives. McGlen emphasizes, "it's your job as a manager to really develop leaders and in order to do that you have to be an ally first."

Over the years, we've seen the power of effective performance management, coaching, and communication in action first-hand — across generations, business units, industries, and geographies.

We also know that future leaders model the example set forth by their predecessors. This makes it especially critical that our leaders today learn to create a culture of engagement now, while millennials prepare to take on managerial roles themselves in the coming years.

What are you doing to develop your leaders' capabilities to spark engagement within your organization this month? Or, if you've successfully engaged millennials at your organization, tell us about your experience. Join the conversation on LinkedIn for a chance to win a signed copy of McGlen's book.


EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT: Katie Carbone, Entelechy Senior Marketing Director

Entelechy is pleased to welcome Katie Carbone to our team! Katie has an exceptional background in integrated public relations, strategic marketing, and digital communications for organizations of all sizes and industries. As the daughter of a retired kindergarten teacher, she knows the benefits of being highly organized and brings that talent along with creativity and interpersonal abilities to engage in marketing and team communications. "We're past the era of picking companies to work with just based on price. We're in a phase now where people really want to feel as though the companies they work with represent them on a more personal level, and the best way to do that is through engagement and authenticity," said Katie.

As Senior Marketing Director, she'll apply her passion and creativity into specific strategic objectives, rather than try to be everywhere and everything to everyone. "It's not about chasing after whatever shiny new marketing tactic is out there and forcing it into your project's purview," said Katie. "It's about being as creative as you can be within the right targeted approach." Best of all, Katie always keeps things light-hearted and fun along the way while still getting the job done effectively. "People don't choose to do business with businesses," she said. "They choose to do business with people." The Entelechy team wholeheartedly believes this philosophy and works every day to weave a personal focus for our clients into every project.

Be sure to connect with Katie on LinkedIn.


IN THE NEWS

In keeping with the anniversary theme, our Unleash Your Leadership Potential affiliate in China, First Priority Consulting, celebrated their 20th anniversary at the end of 2016. The occasion was marked with celebrations in Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing, and Chengdu. During the events, First Priority Consulting's founder, Mr. Zhu Li, delivered a keynote that emphasized the natural synergies between Unleash Your Leadership Potential and First Priority Consulting's long-held training philosophy, which focuses on closing performance gaps, providing systematic and practical management approaches for all levels of the organization, and creating a culture of learning before, during, and after training.

Congrats to the entire First Priority Consulting team on 20 great years and cheers to the next 20!

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