Los Suenos Institute

Millennials Aren't Unicorns

by Sueños on 03/15/17

If you haven't seen Simon Sinek's 15-minute speech about leading millennials, then you must have decided that civilization isn't for you, lit your computer on fire, and retired to the hillside where you tend a flock of sheep. Because you're reading this article, I'm going to assume you've watched his video. As a millennial who has decided to devote his entire life to leadership, I find it hilarious and frustrating the number of things he grossly misunderstands about basic behavioral psychology, and how to effectively maintain top talent. His classic, "Kids these days are the war torn survivors of cellphones and participation trophies," argument is a narrative that works great for getting Youtube views, but is actually just horrible business advice.The real issues facing corporate America are this: a lack of funding for in house L&D, a global economy that pits company's comp packages against each other like never before, and the increasing accessibility of work.

In his diatribe Simon Sinek makes the claim millennials want to, "Work in a place with purpose, [they] want to make an impact, and [they] want beanbags and free food." While his first two points are valid, that's literally something any ambitious person has wanted to do since the inception of the modern workplace. This isn't a brand new phenomenon created by 20 and 30 somethings entering the workforce. The last part of this claim, however, is complete nonsense. We don't want beanbags and free food, we want affordable healthcare packages, parental leave, and development. Literally the same things that people have wanted from their employers since the 1920's.

 Do you really want to know how to lead any group effectively? Quit treating them like populations in a survey, and treat them like individuals. We're talking things like day one IDP's, celebration of each other's major life events, and instant feedback to performance with the aim of improvement. The symptoms we're dealing with come from a degradation of HR departments to an enforcement arm of management. HR departments used to essentially function as in house coaching and development; however, in trying to cut costs we've stripped them of this function. We're asking people to come to their jobs having already learned everything that's required of  them. The problem with this mentality is that no one is teaching their employees how to perform, no one is coaching leaders on how to be better leaders. As baby boomers retire, if companies want top talent, they're going to have to develop it themselves.

In Simon Sinek's narrow argument he also neglects the huge impact of globalization. We're no longer just recruiting top talent from our backyard. We're looking to countries like China and India to provide it as well. Millennials are competing for positions on a global level, and companies are competing for talent on a global level. It's no longer good enough to have the best comp plan in your state or your country even, it's about putting together the best comp plan in the world.

Finally, we get to one of the most pressing issues of the modern work place -- work-life balance. For me it's as simple as this, if a company's employees are depressed or sad they aren't going to perform. Whether that's lack of sleep, poor nutrition, not enough exercise, whatever the issue is. If a company works their employee's so hard that they aren't meeting their basic needs, expect poor performance. The wellness movement that has swept over the tech industry shows exactly how game changing these policies can be. Most white collar jobs can basically be done anywhere, and it's important that we remind our employees to take good care of themselves, because someone can't show up to work if they're dead.

I guess what I find most frustrating about Simon Sinek's claims is the total cherry picking of facts without taking in their broader context. Millions of developing leaders saw his video, and in their efforts to lead millennials effectively, will get in their own way. It's the same game we've been playing there's just more competition, and a whole lot rookies. What they need is a good coach.

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Masterminding: How the Right Friends Can Help You Succeed

by Sueños on 03/14/17

After reading the book Think and Grow Rich my friends and I came across a great idea -- masterminding. The book's author defines it as, "Coordination of knowledge and effort, in a spirit of
harmony, between two or more people, for the attainment of a definite purpose." The way we implemented this idea is a weekly meeting where we talk about our dreams, great books we've read, really anything we think could help one another grow. We also create an action list of things we're going to do before our next meeting, and then we follow up with each other at the start of every meeting.

What's so beautiful about the system is that each of us is encouraged to grow by the people who possibly know us the best, and we're all expected to do it in our unique way. In an ideal mastermind, each of the participants is made to feel their dreams are attainable, and that they have a community who will help them reach for and attain even the loftiest of ideals. There's no competition between members, because each path is totally unique from the other.

We're already beginning to see some success. One of our members has re-enrolled in college, with a much better idea of what they would like to study. Another, is moving towards a new career path which is more in line with their goals. What I love most about the process is, watching your friends grow in ways you never thought imaginable, because you all got together and decided to dream.

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Take a Moment to Inspire

by Sueños on 03/13/17

We advocate, as part of our learning experiences, for a daily, spiritual practice. Whether that's yoga, meditation, or prayer it hardly matters to us, what is important is that you take a moment each morning to inspire yourself to greatness. Take 30 minutes every morning and remember what it is about your life that you find uplifting, exciting, and novel. Notice where you might be able to grow, and how you can try and see a situation from another person's point of view. The point of these practices is to help you get in spirit -- inspired. The experience is to be highly individualistic and associated with only the dogma you think makes sense to you.

We have found that these practices are critical for the formation of new ideas, and heightened senses of purpose, as they create space for profundity within our lives. So, I encourage you, take a moment tomorrow morning and just listen. Listen to what's going on in your head, listen to the sounds in your room, on your street, or in a park. Allow space for the answers you seek, and they will come.

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What I Learned in the Desert

by Sueños on 03/10/17

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5 Easy Steps To Effective Leadership!

by Sueños on 03/08/17

Everyday I see titles like the one above, “5 Easy Steps To Effective Leadership”.  Sorry to disappoint, there is no such thing.  These titles are done simply to get your attention and get you to read.  I do not have 5 easy steps.  I have one.  And it is not easy!  It is the hardest thing you will ever do.  You will spend a lifetime trying to achieve.  You will never completely achieve, but you will get better at it.   The one thing is, living an Energy Centered life.  It is not a 5 step checklist, a program, or the latest leadership fad.  It is a life style.  It is developing the ability and the will to generate and oscillate your own energy at will.  Develop this and you develop the ability to tame your fears.  And with that you open the world to a horizon only limited by the size of your dream.  Everyday I work with leaders who want to talk about P & L s, Sales Plans, Succession planning, and M & A’s.  They believe leadership is a list of task.  And the better they get at any of those individual task.  The better leader they will become.  Don’t get me wrong financial acumen, talent, and strategic planning are important.  But until you have the ability to center your energy chances are many of your decisions will be fear based and wrong.  You will look for the lowest risk not the highest potential.  How do you center your energy then, you may ask?  

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