Millennial Leaders’ Preferences for Leadership Development: A Qualitative Analysis

Abstract

Currently the largest workforce in the workplace, the millennial generation is perceived as being different to the preceding generations in the workplace, namely, baby boomers and generation X. Millennials are also seen as the leadership pipeline, yet leadership development that meets the needs of this generation appears to be absent. The objective of this study was to explore what millennial leaders are looking for concerning leadership development and training. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 millennial leaders employed in one large financial services organisation in South Africa. Content analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data collected, and coded themes were generated. The participants’ responses favoured more specific leadership development, such as structured mentorship programmes, experiential learning or on-the-job training, soft skills training, and digital online training with remote access. These findings, coupled with a close affinity shown for the more modern empowering and transformational leadership styles, closely align with the literature and affirm the need for a specialised and tailor-made leadership development strategy for millennial leaders. Organisations should take heed of what millennial leaders are looking for to become effective leaders in filling the leadership pipeline for the workplace. This research largely affirms international research trends that specify millennials as a unique group and the importance of revising traditional leadership development programmes for this generation as leaders.