Mike Carlton
Mike Carlton has done a favor for Millennials and their bosses. His just-published white paper — The Challenge of the Millennials — provides an excellent overview on how to better understand and manage Twenty-somethings.
“In working with senior agency people I feel that many undervalue the role that Millennials can play in their agencies,” Carlton told Culpwrit. “As a result, Millennials are often underutilized and under appreciated. This is bad for the agency. And bad for Millennials.”
Carlton believes Millennials are exceptionally well educated and have the potential to contribute significantly to the future of advertising and PR agencies. But only if the chasm between them and the Boomer leaders of many agencies is closed.
Frustrations are building as unemployment rates for Millennials continues to outpace the general population. More than 17% of Millennials in the U.S. are unemployed, and the numbers are much higher in Europe and Asia. Meanwhile, Carlton points out that Millennials are available, eager and inexpensive. The white paper discusses the already well-known perceptions that society has for Millennials, but Carlton asserts they are “frequently misunderstood, undervalued and underutilized. . . .And they can easily be unappreciated.”
The white paper blames agency leadership for failure to set high standards for them is probably the leading cause of Millennial dissatisfaction and management frustration. Apparently, it’s just as difficult for many Boomers to cease playing helicopter parents at work as it is at home.
“My hope is that this white paper will prompt agency leaders to pay more attention to understanding the motivations of Millennials and to invest more effort in their training and development,” Carlton said. I agree and recommend that this white paper should be read by all agency Boomers and GenXers.
Mike Carlton is a consultant to advertising agencies. For more than 20 years, he has been helping agencies develop their business models and grow the talent of their professional staffs. Mike’s website is: www.carltonassociatesinc.com.