1 / 30

Mentoring Millennials

Mentoring Millennials. Susan Daicoff Professor of Law Florida Coastal School of Law. Who are the Millennials?. Birth Years: mid1970s – early 2000s (e.g. 1982-2001, acc. to H&S) Books by Howe & Strauss: Generations: The History of America’s Future, 1584 to 2069 (1991)

quana
Download Presentation

Mentoring Millennials

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Mentoring Millennials Susan Daicoff Professor of Law Florida Coastal School of Law

  2. Who are the Millennials? • Birth Years: mid1970s – early 2000s (e.g. 1982-2001, acc. to H&S) • Books by Howe & Strauss: • Generations: The History of America’s Future, 1584 to 2069 (1991) • Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation (2000) • Book by Junco & Mastrodicasa (2007) • Must Read: Susan K. McClellan, 15 Clinical L. Rev. 255 (2009) & Melissa H. Weresh, 61 S. C. L. Rev. 337 (2009); & Melody Finnemore, 66-Nov. Or. St. B. Bull 9 (2005)

  3. Proposed Generations • Lost Generation (1883–1900) • Greatest Generation (1901–1924) • Silent Generation (1925–1942) • Baby Boomer (1943–1960) • Generation X (1961–1981) • Millennial Generation/Generation Y/Generation Next or Net(1982–1998) • Generation Z/New Silent Generation/Homeland Generation (1999–2019)

  4. The Last Century & 6 Generations • G.I. Generation • Hero (Civic) • 1901–1924 • World War I/Prohibition • Silent Generation • Artist (Adaptive) • 1925–1942 • Great Depression/World War II • Millennial Saeculum • (baby) Boom Generation • Prophet (Idealist) • 1943–1960 • Superpower America • 13th Generation(a.k.aGeneration X)1 • Nomad (Reactive) • 1961–1981 • Consciousness Revolution • Millennial Generation2 • Hero (Civic) • 1982–2003? • Culture Wars • New Silent Generation 3 • Artist (Adaptive) • 2004?– present • Millennial Crisis? Source: Howe & Strauss (1991)

  5. Media & Technology Use “an increased use and familiarity with communications, media, and digital technologies” “Next Generation” college students…used technology at higher rates than people from other generations: • 97% of students owned a computer • 94% owned a cell phone • 92% of those reported multitasking while Iming • 76% of students used instant messaging • 56% owned a MP3 player • 40% of students used television to get most of their news • 34% used the Internet to get their news. • This generation spends at least 3.5 hours a day online.[57] Source: Junco & Mastrodicasa (2007) (who conducted a research study of 7,705 collegestudents). • Now add: social networks: Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, etc.

  6. What are they doing in class? • Facebook • Twitter • YouTube • Online Learning Tools • Email

  7. Trophy Kids/Sense of Entitlement • Used to “no one loses” and everyone gets a "Thanks for Participating" trophy resulting in a sense of entitlement • Have “too great expectations from the workplace and desire to shape their jobs to fit their lives rather than adapt their lives to the workplace” • “Assertively seek more feedback, responsibility, and involvement in decision making” • Resulting “generation & understanding gap” between older employees and supervisors in the workplace & younger, Millennial employees

  8. Communication With Parents • College students were frequently in touch with their parents -- Junco and Mastrodicasa (2007) also found that students spoke with their parents an average of 1.5 times a day about a wide range of topics.

  9. Anecdotal Characteristics • Balance: Demand “balance” -- that work and school fit around their lives & interests • Not ashamed if unprepared in class • Multimediative: • Always use multimedia themselves, e.g., Powerpoint, Youtube, video clips, homemade movies • Multitask constantly unless they are actively participating in an exercise, role play, or presentation • Have a very short attention span • Pay attention to video clips and sound bites • Peer-oriented: Prefer to interact in groups rather than 1:1 dating • Really excel in projects requiring public presentations of written or oral material • Need Direction: Demand more structure and certainty in assignments and schedules

  10. Characteristics • Celebrate & enjoy diversity • Optimistic/realistic • Self-inventive/individualistic • Rewrite the rules • Killer lifestyle (demand work/life balance) • Irrelevance of institutions • Internet is a given; assume use of communications, media, & digital technologies; multitask fast • Nurtured; Sense of Entitlement • Collaborative, teamwork & learning • Friends = family

  11. Gen X v. Gen Y/Millennials Millennial Law Prof Generation X Born 1965-197651 million Millennials Born 1977 – 199875 million Celebrate diversityOptimistic/realisticSelf-inventive/individualisticRewrite the rulesKiller lifestyleIrrelevance of institutionsInternetAssume technologyMultitask fastNurturedFriends = family Mentoring Do’’s· Structured, supportive workenvironment· Personalized work· Interactive relationship· Be prepared for demands, highexpectations Gen We • Accept diversityPragmatic/practicalSelf-reliant/individualisticReject rulesKiller lifeMistrust institutionsPCUse technologyMultitaskLatch-key kidsFriend-not family • Mentoring Do’’s· Casual, friendly workenvironment· Involvement· Flexibility and freedom· A place to learn Video Source: The Learning Café and American Demographics enterprisingmuseum 2003.

  12. Greatest Assets • Work well collaboratively in groups/teams • Peer oriented (e.g., use of social networks) • Excel in public presentations and real-life exercises (e.g., PR skills assignments) • Easily use multimedia in public presentations (e.g., SBA awards presentation, 1L projects) • Innovate - sidestep traditional methods and use technology (internet) to achieve goals (e.g., Napster) • Demand “balance” of work/life/pleasure • Celebrate cultural diversity • “Hero/Civicmindedness” qualities • The next “Great Generation?”

  13. Mentoring Steps To Take With Millennials • Give directions and structure and certainty for assignments, samples • Explain what to expect, reduce uncertainty and do NOT assign meaningless tasks, do not assign too much (overwhelming, makes them feel incompetent) or too little (makes them feel like you’re wasting their time, which is tight already) • Realize they are timepressured, they value work/life balance, they want time for leisure and friends and family, explain when just-in-time learning will work and when it will backfire, so they are prepared • Give immediate, regular feedback laced with lots of praise (sandwich critiques between praises) • Encourage collaborative, team projects in groups, particularly in diverse groups • Encourage their input & presentation in group settings – use weekly staffing of cases • Treat them like peers, don’t insist on respect for authority or tradition, but try to fit into a “parent” role with them, since they have great, close relationships with parents • Get ready for them to “ask why,” buck tradition, and propose better ways to do things, give them hands-on civic-minded opportunities & meaningful work • Be transparent, real, & honest about what’s really going on • Use technology and multimedia and multitasking to accomplish the above goals

  14. Mentoring Do’’s Collaborative, team learning Personalized work Validate importance of satisfaction, fulfillment Work/life balance Embrace tech literacy Avoid lecture; involve/engage • Structured, supportive workenvironment • Interactive relationships • Immediate, direct feedback • Be prepared for demands, highexpectations

  15. The State of the Legal Profession During the Millennials’ Lifetimes Deprofessionalism and incivility Low public opinion of lawyers and the legal system Lawyer distress and dissatisfaction Rising unemployment Instability in law firms and clients Changing client demands, changing lawyer roles

  16. 2004 book:* • Legal Profession • Lawyer Wellbeing • Lawyer Personality • Approaches to • Practice • www.amazon.com • sdaicoff@fcsl.edu

  17. ABA SURVEY - 1993Peter D. Hart Research Associates

  18. PUBLIC OPINION POLL - 1991

  19. DEPRESSIONAmong Law Students & Lawyers (c) Susan Daicoff, 2007. Use with permission.

  20. ALCOHOLISMPercentage of Alcoholic Drinkers

  21. PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESSBeck, 1995-96 2.27%

  22. CAREER SATISFACTIONSatisfaction With the Practice of Law

  23. GROWING DISSATISFACTION?Summary of ABA/YLD Surveys

  24. LAWYER DISTRESS: A Constant 20%?

  25. THE “LAWYER PERSONALITY” need for achievement; ambitious under stress pessimism? materialism; value economic bottom-line competitiveness DRIVE 2 ACHIEVE “Thinking” MBTI preference aggressive under stress INTERPERSONAL RELATING STYLE “rights” orientation dominance interpersonal insensitivity

  26. HOW LAWYERS DIFFERED...

  27. KRIEGER & SHELDON STUDIES • Intrinsic motivation and community service values decreased in the first year • Appearance values increased in the first year • Those with the most intrinsic motivations attained the highest grades • But, those with highest grades most often shifted in career preferences towards "lucrative" and higher-stress law careers, and away from "service"-oriented and potentially more satisfying law careers During Law School: • Shift from interest in public interest work to private practice • Ethic of care disappears • Subtle fostering of: pessimism, competitive peer relationships, introversion, and Thinking style of decisionmaking • Values shift from intrinsic to extrinsic rewards • Distress develops (depression, lowered wellbeing)

  28. The “Comprehensive Law” Movement Preventive Law Problem Solving Cts (DTCs, DV cts, MH cts, UFCs) Collaborative Divorce Law Restorative Justice Therapeutic Jurisprudence Creative problem solving Holistic Justice Transformative Mediation Procedural Justice Mindfulness & Spiritual Practices

  29. Mentoring Do’’s Collaborative, team learning Personalized work Validate importance of satisfaction, fulfillment Work/life balance Embrace tech literacy Avoid lecture; involve/engage • Structured, supportive workenvironment • Interactive relationships • Immediate, direct feedback • Be prepared for demands, highexpectations

More Related