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Not many want to be The Boss

Being the boss is low priority for millennials as focus shifts to building skill-sets

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A recent study by the ManpowerGroup shows only 34% of the interviewed millennials, from a sample size of over 1,000, rank leadership roles as their top priority. ‘Leadership’ here refers to managing others, getting to the top of an organisation and owning their own companies.

“Millennials want employment security and are pursuing a ‘Career for Me’ to get it. They see traditional managerial paths as less appealing than learning technical and personal skills,” said Mara Swan, executive VP-global strategy and talent at ManpowerGroup. But does this contradict the overall millennial sentiment being expressed in India, especially when it comes to entrepreneurship? Entrepreneurs are risk-takers, individuals willing to take charge, lead, build and grow a team and christen themselves as the CEO or founder, “which is nothing but the boss,” say experts. Nasscom data shows that India has the third largest startup base in the world, behind that of the USA and the UK. And the country will have over 10,500 startups by 2020.

The Entrepreneurial (Leadership) Streak

Alok Duggal, COO and founder of Homestudio.com, says that the leadership trait is very much prevalent in the millennial generation. “It is reflected in the way in which millennials are turning entrepreneurs.”

The intention of exploring their passions, and getting out of their comfort zones, traits typical to millennial entrepreneurs, are presently seen in abundance, says Sairee Chahal, founder and CEO of Sheroes.in.

Backing the thought, Rajeev Bhardwaj, VP – HR, Sun Life Financial Asia Service Centre, says millennials are not too hampered by occasional failures. “They get over a failed entrepreneurial venture, and then seek opportunities with a larger corporate organisation that values the business lessons they have learnt,” he adds.

Vertical Growth in Corporates

Millennials eagerly aim for vertical growth and titles within large-scale organisations, say experts. “Every person who we recruit is keen to assume leadership roles and grow. Young recruits are adept at imbibing skills and company culture very early,” says Ritu Kochhar, director – Human Resources, Becton Dickinson, India.

According to Narendra Shyamsukha, founder chairman, ICA Edu Skills, “atleast 25% millennials in any organisation have leadership aspirations. But only about 5-10% are able to achieve those aspirations.”

Conversely, several millennials are comfortable growing horizontally by equipping themselves with more skills, harnessing their strengths and taking up roles not necessarily up the corporate ladder, feel experts.

Ashish Varthy, a 28 year old software engineer, is one of the many seeking ‘horizontal growth’. Varthy, after a three year stint with a leading IT services firm, is now looking for opportunities with Teach For India. “It’s all about learning different things, meeting different people and growing as an individual. I’ve heard that corporates positively view stints in the social sector. Sticking in one place means being a part of the rat race. It provides a learning opportunity, but not really the kind of exposure that being elsewhere would give,” says Varthy.

Employers need to show millennials how taking on managerial roles aligns with their long-term career goals and will help make them more employable in the future, says Swan, adding, “This is one way of cultivating the next set of leaders.”

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