Click to view full size infographic

Who are Millennials?  Millennials are people you see every day, the only difference is they were born after 1976. They work in your organization, they drive music and fashion trends, they volunteer in your community and most importantly, many have already taken some sort of leadership role.  They’re similar to other generations, but they’ve also had endless access to information, news, resources and entertainment. They don’t know a world that wasn’t connected by technology.

They’re often misunderstood as a generation without motivation; a generation more concerned with video games and their own entertainment than jumping in and making a difference. This is far from the truth. Studies show clearly that millennials want to give back in a meaningful way. In fact, a University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School study found that 65% of millennials said the opportunity for personal development was the most influential factor in their current job (see infographic.) Many would also take lower pay for a chance to do something they consider meaningful or fulfilling. They also crave feedback on a regular basis – they want to know right now if they’re on the right track and delivering what’s needed rather than waiting for a six month performance review. Who doesn’t want an employee that’s concerned about being on target?

So what should you do?

In the next ten years, this generation will make up the majority of the talent pool for companies and non-profit organizations in Washington County.  The leaders of the future are working alongside you right now.  They can provide incredible insight into where your organization needs to go because they’ll be the most common consumer, donor, constituent  and leader in the near future.  They can only do this if you engage them, bring them into the fold and help them develop themselves.  How should you do this?  For starters:

1. Start a focus group of millennials in your office. Ask them what motivates them and allow them to say what
   they would change about your organization. Ask how they would feel if they were one of your customers- what would they want?
2. Give them opportunities to grow as leaders.  Give them more responsibility or put them in charge of a project.
   They want to grow and that, in itself, is a top employee quality for any organization. Help them develop a meaningful and intentional growth plan.
3. Develop a meaningful strategy for leveraging the millennial skillset and perspective within your organization and more importantly, take action. Use that information to help shape your organization’s future.

Don’t wait until the future arrives when it may be too late. Other organizations will have capitalized on this and taken your voter, board member, employee or volunteer coordinator.  Start developing the leaders in your organization now. When the time comes (if it hasn’t already) those people will be leading the way.  The question is, will it be with you or someone who gave them an opportunity and invested in their growth?

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Join us on June 14th for the graduation ceremony and celebration for Leadership Washington County Class 26.

Time: 6:30-7:15pm Cocktails; 7:15-8:30 Dinner and Ceremony

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Safe Place - Maddona Beverlin, Orrstown Bank

Girls Inc. - Raychel Harvey-Jones, HMTV6

H.E.A.L. - Chris Smith, Battlecreek Land Co.;  Heather Guessford, Kaplan University; Dr. Clayton Wilcox, Washington County Public Schools

Maryland Symphony Orchestra -  Dr. Clayton Wilcox, Washington County Public Schools

The W House - Heather Guessford, Kaplan University

Hagerstown Area Police Atheletic League – Chuck Miller, ARC of Washington County and Kim Buchanan, Community Action Council

Class members Pol Heiney (Orrstown Bank), and Andrea Henson (Biomet) have become active in their church, Otterbein United Methodist. Pol has joined the church council and Andrea joined the Missions Committee and organized two teams to participate in Cycle United. Speaking of Cycle United, class members Kim Buchanan (CAC), Mooch Mutchler (Safe Place), and Andrea Henson (Biomet) volunteered on the event committee and Karen Sigler-Goldstein, Finance Director for the United Way of Washington County, led the entire event to success. Tammy Watson (First Data) regularly volunteers at Girls Inc. and Jesus Cepero (Meritus Health) and Shalom Black Lane (Teens Have Choices) are working together with Robin Roberson (Class 22 Community Free Clinic) in response to the data on teen pregnancy to present an intervention proposal to address this issue in our community.

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For those of you following LWC Class of 2013 member Julie Zamostny’s blog about her reflections and insights on the program days, be sure to take a look at her takeaways from Literacy Day: Julie’s Blog.

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How does the city and county make decisions to disperse funds to operations and infrastructure that fulfill the strategic plans of our local government? 

This is the question posed by the Local Government Team as the 2012-2013 class learned more about local government in Washington County. Team members were:

Madonna Beverlin, Orrstown Bank
Heather Guessford, Kaplan University
Alex Kumfert, VOLVO
Mooch Mutchler, Safe Place
Ed Plank, Washington County Highway Department
Dustin Watson, Middletown Valley Bank

Have you been following class member Julie Zamostny’s blogs about her experience in the LWC program? Here’s her take on Local Governement Day!

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Shalom Black Lane, Teen Pregnancy Prevention Coalition
Dr. Brandon Burley,
Jesus Cepero, Meritus Health
Mary Lee Kendle, CITI
Corey Linthicum, Rentals Unlimited
Karen Sigler-Goldstein, United Way of Washington County

The theme for the day posed this question: how do Washington County Public Schools prepare students for higher education or skills training? Class member Julie Zamostny reflects on the days experiences:

Read about Julie’s reflections on Education Day!

The post Education Day 2012 appeared first on Leadership Washington County.

Read About Julie’s Experience

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The act of removing themselves from their daily routines and professional and personal responsibilities to gather together over the course of a weekend allows the newest Leadership Washington County class to come together as individuals and leave as a focused team. Today, a group of our community’s best and brightest will gather at the Wisp Resort to learn more about the program into which they have been accepted, meet their fellow classmates, and decide what issues and opportunities facing Washington County are important to them during the coming year. The class will take part in the ultimate “getting to know you” teambuilding activity as soon as they arrive: white water rafting. They will work with the consummate facilitator, Eliot Pfanstiehl, CEO of Strathmore who will guide them through rites of passage that will create lasting memories. The class will prepare to learn about the non-profits that serve our community, our educational institutions, local and state politics, art, culture and religion, literacy, and business and economic development. All of the experiences, connections, activities, and knowledge aim to generate a passion for civic engagement and a strong desire to contribute to the cause of making Washington County a vibrant place to live and work. Here’s to you Class of 2013!

The post LWC Class of 2013 Begins! appeared first on Leadership Washington County.

Raffle tickets are $20 each, and you may purchase as many as you like.  Here are the available trips for this year:

What ‘Get Out of Town’ trips are being raffled this year?

• Yogi Bear Campground (two nights lodging in a luxury cabin for 2 adults and 2 children)
• The Summit at Massanutten (one week from July 12 – July 19, 2013 – Friday to Friday
• Wisp Resort/Deep Creek Lake (3 nights lodging, mountain coaster tickets & a voucher for $25 off at the spa)
• Whitetail Resort Package (ski/tubing package and two room nights at the Clear Spring Inn & Suites)
• Savage River Lodge (two nights lodging)
• Hershey Park Package (overnight stay and four park tickets)

Purchase Raffle Tickets Online Now:

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