lightning in the bottle

I consume a lot of material daily, and oftentimes, few things stick in my head for more than a few minutes.

Over a month ago, however, I came across this fascinating interview with Dr. Adam Grant, author of Give and Take, and Arianna Huffington; since then, I have constantly thought about the latter's description of how she runs The Huffington Post:

"We don't pay people for their stamina; we pay them for their judgment, and increasingly, for their ideas and their creativity - this is the lightning in the bottle."

This notion of being financially rewarded for your judgment, ideas, and creativity in Corporate America seems to be somewhat of an ideal that most companies would say they strive toward, but few actually deliver on. And this is all largely due to the rigid bureaucratic structures in place that inhibit innovation and ideation, particularly among Millennial employees.

Those of us who are members of Generation Y have grown up in an environment of constant sociocultural and technological change, so I speak for myself and probably many of my peers when I say that we don't thrive in environments governed by the "this is how it's always been done" mentality. That sort of ideology probably worked for our parents and our grandparents, who grew up in a time where change was less dynamic and less life-changing, but it's not the sort of mentality Millennials are keen on.

With that in mind, corporations must become open to change, not only on paper, but also in practice. They must harness the judgment, ideas, and creativity of their Millennial employees and enable them to drive the innovation needed so that their organization can be and remain competitive in a world of constant change, in which the mighty and the lowly rise and fall daily.

Therefore, on their first day at a new company, Millennial employees should be told these three things by a senior executive:

1. Consider yourself a partner with your co-workers in problem-solving and ideation to maximize impact for our organization.
2. There are tried and tested ways of doing things, but if you feel there are ways to improve processes and methodologies, speak up. But do your research first.
3. Always be prepared to answer this question: "What do you think?"

Empowering Millennial employees with this sort of ownership in their work and in their organization - from the very first day - will make any corporation, no matter how old or new, a breeding ground for ideation and innovation.