If you’re an Xer like me, then you know the end of the world starts with an earthquake—at least according to R.E.M. Unfortunately though, in today’s workplace, very few people are noticing the tremors. Trends are evolving at a crazy rapid pace, and within the next 5 to 10 years the world of work may look distinctly different from what we’ve always known.

I see it coming. Do you?

Here are four major trends to be aware of as you navigate the world of work and talent development.

1. A massive generational shift is on! Baby boomers have been the largest generation in the workplace for the last 30 years. They’ve developed and defined the current system of how we go to work, how we accomplish work, and how we think about work. But they’re exiting the scene. Boomers are retiring, and new generations of talent with fresh and different skill sets—and perspectives—are entering.

2. Generations are colliding. Not only are young bucks flooding the workplace, but they’re also rubbing veterans the wrong way. Who’s to say what the “right” way is to work anymore? How we do business is changing, and this is causing friction that smart companies must address.

3. Technology is upgrading at breakneck speed. I recently heard a company laid off 35 workers as they implemented artificial intelligence. Now trucks can drive themselves and robots can do the work of thinking men. It’s like the industrial revolution on steroids. This requires finding talent with the specific skill sets to manage the upgrades as well as training existing employees to keep pace.

4. Employer/employee tables are turning. Once upon a time, employers had the upper hand. They determined when you worked, how much you got paid, and what you did on the job. Today’s talent is seeking a more fluid relationship. There’s a lot more give and take. In some industries we’re waging a talent war in which top candidates must be fought for. What will you offer that differentiates your opportunity from another?

All of this creates some pretty huge issues (I prefer to call them opportunities) within the workplace related to: cultural transformation, succession planning, training and development, talent management, recruitment and retention, information transfer, virtual environments, and finding people with cutting edge skill sets. To name just a handful.

Some of you may believe these trends are no different from other issues we’ve encountered in the past. And it’s true the American economy has withstood significant shifts before. Yet what if? What if this transformation is different? What if this is the Big One?

And you’re not doing anything about it.

Let me ask you this. What have you got to lose by opening your eyes to the changes all around you? Better question—what might you lose if you don’t?

I see these problems already wreaking havoc within organizations today. Yet unfortunately, many employers are not willing to change. Are you struggling to find the right talent? Have you changed the way you recruit or even think about your workforce? Or are you just doing what everyone else is doing because that’s the way it’s always been done?

I believe we are embarking on a workplace revolution. A shake-up that thrusts us to a new way of thinking. I want to be in front of the wave and preparing for what comes next. Don’t you? It’s going to be a crazy and magnificent ride.

Will you join me?

Get the discussion rolling:
Which of these four major trends are hitting your workplace right now? What issues are rising because of it? What do you see as being the biggest factors in world-of-work transformation today?

Resumes get candidates in the door. But a piece of paper can’t do the job once they’re hired. I’m a firm believer in hiring people, not work experience. Here’s a prime illustration.

Last week I was sitting in Starbucks waiting for a meeting when I noticed a company truck pull into the parking lot. Three guys jumped out and came inside.

I could tell from the way they were interacting that the driver was the boss. They ordered coffee and waited for the barista to whip up their drinks. Just then the three men looked out the window and noticed a young man on a bicycle steering toward the building. At this point my attention was grabbed as well, and we all watched this kid lock his bike to the rack outside.

You might wonder what’s so fascinating about a bicyclist heading into Starbucks. Nothing, really—except for the fact that it was a blustery 12 degrees outside. As the cyclist made his way into the building and walked past the three men, the boss addressed him with a sincere comment.

“Must be cold out there on that bike,” he said.

“A little bit,” the young man shrugged.

“How far did you drive your bike in this cold weather?” another of the men asked.

“Fifteen miles.”

I saw three jaws drop to the floor—make that four including mine.

“You heading into work?” the boss man asked the cyclist.

“Yes,” he said, “I work right next door and I start in 15 minutes.”

From there I observed the three men chatting up this young, brave biker stud. They were clearly impressed that he had not only biked 15 miles in frigid weather to get to what was most likely an unglamorous service job next door, but he also managed his time well enough to ensure he could stop for coffee without clocking in late. Talk about a solid work ethic.

As I watched them leave, the boss pulled out his business card and handed it to the cyclist. He said his company was growing and he’d like to talk to the young man about an opportunity to join his team. The cyclist graciously accepted the card, shook hands and parted ways.

I sat there for a while processing the significance of what just took place in front of me. See, I live in this world of talent acquisition, and I understand the challenges businesses are facing when it comes to finding talent in a low-unemployment environment. Companies are looking for candidates that check all the boxes—specific qualifications, narrow experience, highlighted skills. But the intangibles don’t show up on a resume.

Is this person hard-working?
Is he responsible?
Can he manage his time?
Will he be committed to the job?
Is he the kind of person I want on my team?

I witnessed an employer recognizing all these important qualities in an individual at a coffee shop. And I thought, how brilliantly creative. The young cyclist wasn’t there for an interview. He wasn’t answering polished questions or justifying his work experience. The boss in this scenario didn’t even know what the young man’s vocational interests or training entailed. But he saw that he was committed. And that was all he needed to spark an invitation.

In order to find talent, employers today must be thinking outside the box. They must be willing to take some risks and look beyond the usual checklist. Are you truly looking for talent in all places? If not, you might be missing the best talent right under your nose—or your coffee cup.

Recently a client sent me an urgent message asking for my help. A valued employee—a millennial—had just handed in his notice, and the company wanted him to stay. They asked if I could help make that happen.

Of course this task intrigued me, because it gave me a chance to dig deeper into the organization’s culture and discuss with this employee one-on-one his reasons for leaving. I asked him about his passions, how he was being managed, his relationship with his direct supervisor, the work and workload, compensation and benefits, did he feel he was adding value, were there ample opportunities for growth. You name it, we discussed it. It was a fantastic conversation—but not for the reasons I originally intended.

See, I wanted to find out if there were any glaring mistakes being made on the part of the organization. I knew that if I detected the problem, I could help the company fix it and, ideally, retain a valued staff member. But it turns out my client was already doing everything right.

They made it hard to leave. And that’s a good thing.

This employee truly enjoyed the company. He struggled to resign because his team had welcomed him from day one and made him feel valued and important. When they learned he was considering taking a position with another organization, everyone—from his coworkers and supervisors to the company president—engaged him in conversations, asking him to stay. The work itself was meaningful—it was just in the wrong field.

This young man’s career goals were in a highly specific technical arena. And my client simply had no position suited to those interests.

Ultimately, he did decide to leave, although not without some heartache. I still counted this a win for the organization. Why? Because of what it revealed about my client’s culture, and of what they were doing exceptionally well.

Think about it. Here we had an employee working in a field completely unrelated to his true vocational interests, yet the people, the environment, and the knowledge that he was valued and cared for were factors strong enough to make him wish he could stay.

Can your employees say that about you?

As we wrapped up our conversation, this young professional thanked me for the open discussion and emphasized his respect for his employer. He even expressed interest in returning if his new job didn’t work out. I advised my client to follow up in six months and to keep this former employee in their network as his skills and their needs grow.

In today’s talent war, where perception is playing an increasingly vital role in a candidate’s decision to take a job, what employees think of your organization matters. They are your biggest spokespeople. And if even your departing staff can sing praises about your workplace, you’re doing something right for sure.

I love a fresh start. When we turn the calendar into January, we can look back and learn from the past while focusing on a clean slate ahead. My wife and I have been setting annual goals from the very first New Year we met – Y2K. We believe in the importance of writing down our goals and making them not only meaningful but also measurable.

Throughout my career, I’ve understood that success involves three key ingredients. (And you can define success however you want. I define it as laying out a goal and accomplishing it.) First, you need to know where you are. Secondly, you need to know where you are going. Finally, you need to know how you are going to get there.

Seems obvious, right? But it’s not—at least not for everyone. Here is where the younger generation has an advantage over the rest of us. They are excellent at figuring out who they are. That’s because they’ve been run through every personality test from Myers Briggs to Strength Finders and met with career advisers and counselors who’ve told them exactly what areas they should focus on. They have been trained to understand themselves.

This generation is also very good at figuring out where they want to go—destination. In my decade of coaching college students, I asked hundreds of young people this key question: What is your dream job? Their replies painted some pretty cool pictures of where they saw themselves in 20 years.

And therein lies the problem. They don’t know how to get there.

The most important piece millennials need help with is discovering the roadmap for getting from here to there. Many of us do.

I believe I have made more connections and built more trust and loyalty with the younger generation by truly taking an interest in listening to them talk about their dreams, but just as importantly, helping them create the roadmap to realize those dreams. I don’t have all the answers, but I look for opportunities to play a role in their success as and help them chart a course from Point A to Point B as they set out on their career journey.

Are you willing to do that?

Business leaders who will take an interest in their young professionals’ goals and help them reach those goals are far more likely to thrive long-term beyond the current generational shift.

One of the good things that has come from the “helicopter parenting” approach, which many millennials grew up with, is that they actually want to be coached. They’ve always had a resource to turn to (their parents) when they needed help making a decision. Yet now they are now walking into the workplace where typically those decision-making helpers do not exist. In my perspective, that gap creates an opportunity to add value.

I know many of you reading this will say, “Nobody took the time to help me get to where I got. I had to figure that out on my own. Why should I take them time to help them?” I hear that a lot from today’s business leaders. And some of you may be asking, “Where am I supposed to work coaching into my schedule?”

I guess that is the question.

Do you value getting things done or developing and retaining your talent? A good leader values both. I believe this is a key to truly engaging the younger workforce—building a relationship. Yes, it takes time and effort to listen and to engage, but it doesn’t only benefit the millennial. You, too, can grow from these relationships. I know I sure have.

Today’s workplace is on the cusp of a massive generational shift. In ten years, boomers will be the smallest generation working, while millennials will become the largest generation in the workplace over that same period of time. Every day 10,000 baby boomers turn 65. That does not necessarily mean they’re all leaving the workforce, but they’ll have the option to do so if their finances are in order.

This shift is creating some difficulties in the workplace. I hear about them every time I speak with a client group or even just in conversation about what I do for a living. Most companies are well aware of the issue. How they deal with it, though, makes all the difference.

I’ve discerned three primary responses to the generational shift in the workplace. Organizations are either:

• Doing nothing—status quo
• Throwing their arms up in disgust
• Embracing the shift

Take a guess which approach is essential to long-term sustainability and success.

How can you begin to embrace the shift? You need to start thinking differently.

This means you cannot maintain status quo and expect millennials to adjust to the way you do business. Organizations stuck on that approach will potentially see the biggest losses—of talent, opportunities and positioning. As the old quote says, “change or die.”

Start by being open minded to different ways of doing things. Consider alternate ideas and solutions even if they’re completely foreign to the way business has always been done. Invite discussions across all generations to get everyone’s perspective and suggestions on how to resolve the problems your organization is facing. Yes, some of the ideas you gather may seem crazy or out in left field, but don’t dismiss them until you understand them completely. I have seen some of those crazy ideas actually sprout legs, get up and run—forming new lines of business. How will you know if that’s possible if you squash the ideas from the start or, worse, never invite them to the table?

A couple months ago I was playing ring frisbee with my six-year-old daughter. She started horsing around and ended up throwing the frisbee up on the roof. Where it landed, I could just see the edge of it. Frustrated that she’d created a problem I now had to fix (sound familiar?), I decided to give up some control and asked my daughter to get the frisbee down—understanding of course that a six-year-old would not be able to remove an object from the roof of a ranch house. Right?

Well, that little stinker ran straight into the garage, and moments later I heard metal scraping across the garage floor. You might be assuming, like I did, that the noise was an aluminum ladder. Nope. My daughter emerged with a 14 prong steel rake. She hoisted the rake up to the edge of the roof, hooked the Frisbee, and pulled it down.

Now, let’s think about this. If I had “taken control” and retrieved the frisbee for her or told her to get the ladder because “that is how we do it around here,” I would have stifled her creative solution. And I have to admit, her method was probably a lot more efficient and required far less effort than my ladder approach.

So you see? Being open to new ideas sometimes means you have to give up not only control but also your presumptions of the best way to get a job done. My daughter certainly taught me a valuable lesson that day. There’s more than one way to get a frisbee off a roof.

And there’s more than one way to solve your organization’s challenges, too. Will you open your mind to change? In today’s shifting landscape, it’s absolutely vital to long-term success.

Baby boomers have been extremely successful in the workplace. As a generation, they’ve blazed a path of productivity and rewards. Their formula is simple.

Hard Work + Sacrifice = Success

Not a bad approach, overall. This formula can actually be carried across all generations. The problem though, is that the definition of those words—hard work, sacrifice, success—change with each generation.

Which means we’re not all on the same page when it comes to performance expectations. You’ve heard the issues. Boomers say millennials are lazy. Millennials say boomers are too tied to their work. Boomers define “hard work” as putting in your time, working 50-70 hours per week; the “sacrifice” they experienced was time away from family and friends to accomplish their career goals. Their resulting “success” came in the form of money, recognition, titles and climbing the ladder.

But now let’s jump to the millennials’ view of this formula. They don’t want to work harder; they want to work smarter. Technology makes this possible! (Why sit in a brick and mortar office from 8 to 5 when you can be more productive working virtually—anywhere, anytime? Why work 10 hours a day when you can come up with a solution to complete the task in seven hours?) “Sacrifice” means pursuing a job outside of their sweet spot (or, dare I say, within the boomer formula). They “sacrifice” their passions because they need to pay the bills. And “success” for this generation is defined by adding value and making a difference in the organization or simply in another person’s life.

I know, I know… my boomer friends out there might be saying, “But these millennials don’t know what it’s like to work hard!” My challenge to you is to first grasp their definition of hard work, then model for them the benefits of working hard. Those benefits must align with their own definitions of sacrifice and success, not yours—or you’ll never gain their buy-in.

That means when working with millennials, you can’t just tell them to dig a hole; you have to tell them why they are digging it. The “why” matters to them. Resist the temptation to complain that they “should be able to figure it out” (I hear this one a lot). Instead, challenge yourself to teach them. I promise you this approach will not only benefit the millennials you’re mentoring, but it will also benefit you personally, as well as your organization.

Recently I was addressing a group of executives and one of them popped this question:

“Chad, what are your thoughts about millennials constantly using their cell phones during business hours? It’s driving me nuts! How do you control it?”

I’ve heard this question before. It’s a hot button for many supervisors, especially those of the Boomer mindset. So to answer, I begin with a disclaimer:

“If there’s a blade swinging by their head when they’re on the phone, that is not good. That’s no longer a cultural issue; it’s a safety concern.”

But my next response often surprises leadership. In my experience working with college interns and millennial young professionals, I take this approach:

“I don’t care if my employees are on their cell phones—as long as they’re getting their work done.”

What? Chad, you can’t be serious.

Oh yes I can.

As with many issues surrounding the millennial workforce, leadership tends to view cell phone use as a question of right vs. wrong.

I say it’s a matter of performance vs. non-performance.

If an employee is getting the job done, does it truly matter how, when, where, or under the influence of which electronic devices? My experience with millennials is that they have a difficult time separating work and personal time because of their connection to technology. Their devices make them accessible 24/7; therefore, they use those devices for both work and play at all hours. Most leaders will admit this actually works to the company’s benefit.

For example, at a recent TEC event, I tossed this question back to the leaders:

“How many of you love the fact that your millennial employees are always connected electronically to their e-mail and phones?”

Three-quarters of the room raised their hands.

Why? Because the boss can get a hold of young workers anytime. Many of the executives in this discussion were Boomers, who were working 50-60 hours a week and on weekends, and they admitted they frequently send e-mails to their staff after hours.

Wait a second. Why is it okay for the boss to send an email on a Saturday morning (an employee’s personal time) and expect a response, yet that same employee is prohibited from using his phone to text a friend or call his mother during office hours? It’s a double standard.

A few weeks ago, I tried an experiment at a meeting with a group of Boomers. As soon as the meeting started, I pulled out my phone and started to type away. I noticed I was getting some strange looks, and at one point someone asked me if I was done. I replied, “Don’t you want me to take notes?” As we wrapped up the meeting, the group questioned who would be responsible for capturing the discussion on the whiteboard. I quietly pointed out that it was already in their e-mail inboxes.

If you attempt to stop the millennial generation from using technology and expect them to eliminate the resources they use to better the organization, you will disengage their loyalty and force them to choose between work and personal time, which is foreign to their lifestyle.

The better approach is to ask yourself some questions.

• Are they getting the job done?
• Have I set the expectation that they should be available at all hours?
• Do we have a flexible work schedule?
• Does restricting technology do more harm than allowing it?

You might be surprised at the answers. Leaders who recognize the value of the millennials’ methods will be better positioned to attract and retain young talent—for the good and growth of the entire company.

I hear many leaders tell me they’re struggling to engage their millennials. Common complaints include statements like these:

As soon as they’ve hit 40 hours for the week, they’re out the door!

Where is their work ethic?

Where is their loyalty and dedication?

Ah. If you’re asking those same questions, then you’re missing one important key to attracting, retaining, and motivating the millennial generation.

A cause worth fighting for.

Millennials, in my experience, are actually very loyal—to the things they believe in. They’re loyal to family, relationships, political parties, favorite music bands, organic diets, you name it. The cause might be different for each individual, but in general men and women of the millennial generation are passionate about standing behind something they believe in.

So I have to ask—what are you giving them to believe in?

As an organization, it’s imperative to define your cause and then find young professionals possessing a passion for that cause. Many companies are good at training their employees to do the job, but not so much at hiring people with a passion for the job—for the product or mission. In other words, they’re so focused on finding the talent that has the right expertise (checking the boxes of the job description) that they neglect to seek out the talent that has the right fit for their cause. And when that happens, employers spend a lot of time and frustration trying to convince their young talent to develop a passion for something they just aren’t passionate about.

So how do you define your cause? Frankly, sometimes it’s just a matter of semantics. For example, if I were to tell you that I need you to get involved in a community engagement project, would you get all fired up about it? Probably not. I mean, what is community engagement, anyway?

But what if I told you I need you to help me build a city. Whoa. Now that’s an exciting challenge worth standing behind.

Do you see? Community engagement, build a city. They’re basically the same thing worded differently. But this concept goes beyond words. How are YOU looking at your company’s goals and mission? Are you passionate about it? Do you understand how the work you’re doing adds value and makes a difference? If not, then how in the world will you ever be able to attract young talent with a shared passion for your cause?

One characteristic common among the millennial generation is what we call “parallel career paths.” Essentially, young professionals often work two jobs—one 40-hour workweek to pay the bills, and a second “side job” to fuel their passion. This might be anything from starting up their own business, to non-profit volunteering, to working at a local coffee shop where they enjoy the ambience and discount lattes. My own daughter’s third grade teacher is a yoga instructor and swim coach after hours. Is this because she needs the cash? Maybe. But more likely, these “side jobs” involve a cause she is passionate about.

So why aren’t your millennials giving up their parallel careers in order to devote more time to your organization? Because I believe those “side jobs” have figured out the key to engaging this generation. They say things like we really need you here, and you’re making a huge impact on our customers and our community. They’re showing their millennial workforce that they are significant and contributing to a greater good.

Are you doing the same?

• Define your cause.
• Find young talent with an inherent passion for your cause.
• Build a culture in which every employee understands their work is valued and important.

That’s how you’re going to attract and retain talented people with a fire in their gut to grow your business—for both their benefit and yours.

One of the most interesting characteristics I’ve observed in the millennial generation is their need for instant gratification. They want everything now—instant feedback, instant communication, instant rewards. Why? Because that’s how their world works.

They post to Facebook, they get comments within seconds. They take a photo, it appears immediately on their phone, and half a minute later it’s on Instagram collecting likes. Text messaging, online banking, Netflix—this generation has been raised with the world at their fingertips, and they know no other way.

Some of you, on the other hand, remember rotary dial phones and Polaroid cameras. And you think millennials need to learn to hold their horses, just like you did. Kids today, right?

I have news for you. Ten years from now those kids will constitute the majority of the American workforce. And businesses that are taking steps today to assimilate, motivate and retain young professionals will hold an advantage over those employers who lag behind, expecting youngsters to operate the old way.

What is the “old way” when it comes to feedback?

Annual reviews, for starters. Many employers think they’re doing just fine because they have a solid annual or semi-annual review process in place. But just like a millennial wouldn’t dream of waiting six months for a re-tweet, they don’t plan to wait around until the official scheduled review to find out where they stand with their employer. They crave continual feedback. And that’s not a bad thing.

Think about it. If you provide feedback the moment a success or failure occurs—which is what your young workforce wants—you have a far greater chance of capitalizing on it. Either you’ll foster further success by affirming the employee’s performance, or you’ll nip poor performance in the bud and give the employee a faster chance to turn things around.

My recommendation? Don’t go longer than two weeks between feedback sessions. I typically try to provide feedback to my interns at least once a week during one-on-one meetings, officially, but I’m also affirming or advising them on a daily basis as I see the chance. Look for any opportunity to help them grow and develop. Maybe they sent a helpful e-mail or stepped in to assist a colleague at crunch time. Maybe you have advice about how they presented themselves to an executive or were impressed with a millennial’s innovative idea. Don’t be afraid to offer praise as well as pinpoint room for improvement. Both are necessary. Millennials want to learn, and they’re okay with criticism. Without it, they won’t grow, and neither will your organization.

So if you think you’re providing adequate feedback to your workforce, especially your millennials, think again. Examine the frequency and format of that feedback. Regular feedback doesn’t have to happen in a formal review. The best input comes in daily conversation. It’s called mentoring. And ultimately, by investing your time and attention in your young employees’ professional and personal development, you’re helping your organization grow along with its workforce. I call that a win-win.