Want to Know How to Engage Millennials?

Often what tends to happen when we don’t understand millennials is that we stereotype them. Stereotypes consist of broad generalisation, either negative or positive, about others that we believe to be true. Schema is a term used to describe a group of thoughts, ideas, and beliefs about social entities (group, event, person). Both of these terms help our minds organise information by grouping data together to process and make sense of receiving information.

For this blog, I will focus on understanding millennials, also known as Gen Y. You often hear of millennials being classified as entitled, lazy and self-righteous. However, I would argue that these stereotypes are flippantly used to appease one’s ignorance around understanding millennials.

When we draw assumptions about the ‘other’ (someone different from ourselves), there is a propensity for judgment or thinking errors. As such, it is always important to take the time to explore our biases and truly understand where our assumptions come from and whether there is evidence to support it.

In any organisation, whether it be land-based or crew working on yachts, there will undoubtedly be diversity amongst staff, whether it be about race, cultural background or age group. The difference should be embraced rather than shut down. If you are unwilling to understand the differences, you will be setting yourself up for failure and dealing with the aftermath of the destruction caused.

So rather than pointing fingers, let’s build a culture that is inclusive of diversity. The change needs to start within ourselves, and then we can lead the younger generation.