When Gartner shared its top tech trends for 2015, we learned that the number of Chief Digital Officer and Chief Data Officer roles have doubled since last year – and are expected to double again. As one might imagine, this will rock the c-suite’s world.

1. 75% of IT execs say they need to change their leadership style within the next three years.
2. By 2017, 50% of total IT spending will occur outside of IT.
3. Also by 2017, 70% of successful business models will be deliberately unstable.

In short: Silo-ed roles are out, blended skills are in. As more businesses use data to scale, employees must be agile enough to switch tactics on a dime. Gartner says, “This holistic approach blending business model, processes, technology and people will fuel digital business success.”

Rajeeb Dey agrees. He’s the founder/CEO of Enternships, a London-based startup that connects students and recent grads to roles in small businesses. As the digital economy explodes, senior leaders need millennials to teach them the ropes of new, uncharted roles. The same holds true for startup CEOs.

“We are definitely seeing a rise in employers interested in data science and general data analysis skills, whether that be for specialist data scientist roles or roles such as growth hacking, which combine skills from both marketing and the ability to analyze and manipulate data,” Dey told GA.

“We at Enternships are also predicting that 2015 will see the rise in demand for talent proficient with next gen technologies such as Meteor, which is based on real-time JavaScript frameworks and facilitates the development of web apps far more easily than existing solutions.”

Let’s unpack these roles in more detail:

1. Data Science

What it is: According to Harvard Business Review, a data scientist is “a high-ranking professional with the training and curiosity to make discoveries in the world of big data.” How do you know if your business needs one? HBR continues:

“If your organization stores multiple petabytes of data, if the information most critical to your business resides in forms other than rows and columns of numbers, or if answering your biggest question would involve a ‘mashup’ of several analytical efforts, you’ve got a big data opportunity.”

Where it’s From: The Data Scientist title – coined by D.J. Patil and Jeff Hammerbacher – is only six years old. Patil and Hammerbacher formed the first formal data science programs while at LinkedIn and Facebook, respectively. Today, Patil is Data Scientist in Residence at Greylock Partners, one of the world’s most successful VC firms. Hammerbacher is Founder and Chief Scientist at Cloudera.

Skills of the Successful: Data scientists can view a wide range of data, present a hypothesis, and execute in such a way that their analysis fills a business gap.

Role Model: While at LinkedIn, Jonathan Goldman reviewed company data and saw untapped opportunity. What would happen, he asked, if he used analytics to link user profiles? Despite discouragement from colleagues, he forged on – and his idea became LinkedIn’s “People You May Know” feature. Today, he’s Intuit’s Director of Data Science and Analytics.

2. Growth Hacking

What it is: “A hybrid of marketer and coder” that helps acquire customers at scale, while keeping the cost of each new customer as close to 0 as possible.

Where it’s From: Sean Ellis coined the term in 2010. He led marketing at Dropbox for six months after the end of their private beta. As of 2014, one billion files are saved to Dropbox every 24 hours, and the company was valued in January at $10 billion.

Skills of the Successful: “I believe the people who excel as growth hackers are entrepreneurial marketers with a passion for data,” explains Howard Kingston, co-founder of Adludio and Digital Marketing instructor at GA London. “This is because you need to be constantly looking for a new opportunity, and not be afraid to try new things – just like an entrepreneur!”

Role Model: Before Adludio, Kingston served as Head of Gaming at We R Interactive, a social gaming startup. He reviewed which countries were increasing free users vs. those where the user base was smaller, but spent more on in-app purchases. His analysis grew the game to six million users in his first year on the job. Like data science, Kingston says the marriage of marketing with analytics is key – and adds that the most successful growth hackers have direct access to the product that they work with.

“Growth hacking suffered a bit of a backlash as an overused buzz term in 2014, mainly due to people using it incorrectly,” Kingston says. “As more people understand it, I believe more people will challenge those who are using it incorrectly!”

3. Meteor.js

What it is: An open-sourced framework to build real-time web and mobile apps in pure JavaScript. Meteor is built on top of Node.JS and bundled with MongoDB. This means that if you’re building an app with Meteor, you can do so using one framework. The same code runs on both client and server, producing real-time web apps for a fraction of the code.

Where it’s From: Meteor first launched as Skybreak in 2011. It was part of the same Y Combinator that launched Dropbox, and raised $11.2 million in 2012. That same year, Meteor gained bragging rights as Github’s most starred repository.

Skills of the Successful: Those who can code should add Meteor to their repertoire. It’s regularly cited as the fastest way to build new apps. It’s also one of the first frameworks to encompass the functionality of the entire MEAN stack (MongoDB, Express, Angular, and Node.JS). Plus, JavaScript is used by beginners and experts alike. If you’ve never written a line of code, you can still learn Meteor and build the next big platform.

Role Model: Meteor co-founder Matt DeBergalis was inspired by the “thick client” architecture used by some of the world’s most successful web apps. “This…is how modern apps like Gmail, Asana, Twitter, and the photo browser in Facebook are built,” he explained to IBM. “But those apps were written by large teams of expert developers, who each invested years of development into the technical underpinnings of client-side web apps.

“Meteor is a complete platform for writing apps in this style,” DeBergalis added. “Because it uses a single language and a consistent API across all parts of an application, developers can juggle fewer technologies and work faster. That’s why developers who know Meteor can build applications in hours that would otherwise take weeks.”

Question: What other skills do you expect to be critical in 2015 and beyond?

This article originally appeared on FirstJob.com and has been republished with permission. Locate top-talent Millennials for your mentoring program at FirstJob.com.

Consider Ryan to be your next keynote speaker by clicking here…

The joy is in the mastering, not in being a master. Ron Shaich, the CEO of Panera Bread, believes, “If you are learning, you’ll never need to recharge.” Leverage learning as fuel to attack today’s steep and ceaseless learning curves. May these quotes serve as a consistent reminder to us all that we must always prioritize a life of learning.

1. The greatest enemy of learning is knowing. ~John Maxwell
2. If we become increasingly humble about how little we know, we may be more eager to search. ~Sir Ian Templeton
3. I am not afraid of storms for I am learning how to sail my ship. ~Louisa May Alcott
4. Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever. ~Mahatma Gandhi
5. Where there is an open mind, there will always be a frontier. ~Charles Kettering
   
   Related Read: What Everybody Ought To Know About The Myth Of Experience

6. You grow on the fringes where comfort meets discomfort. ~Dan Rockwell
7. It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts. ~John Wooden
8. It is better to travel well than to arrive. ~Buddha
9. The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn. ~Alvin Toffler
10. Don’t let your learning lead to knowledge. Let your learning lead to action. ~Jim Rohn
11. Shall I tell you a secret of a true scholar? It is this: every man I meet is my master in some point and in that I learn from him. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
12. I have no special talent, I am only passionately curious. ~Albert Einstein
13. Anyone who isn’t embarrassed by who they were last year probably isn’t learning enough. ~Alain de Botton
    
    Related Read: The Mindset Required To Remain Relevant In Today’s Fast World

14. The person who knows HOW will always have a job; the person who knows WHY will always be the boss. ~John Maxwell
15. In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists. ~Eric Hoffer
16. Stay hungry; stay foolish. ~Steve Jobs
17. In any given moment we have two options: to step forward into growth or to step back into safety. ~Abraham Maslow
18. The world is a university and everyone in it is a teacher. Make sure when you wake up in the morning you go to school. ~Bishop T.D. Jakes

Question: How have you embraced a mindset of continuous learning?

Consider Ryan to be your next keynote speaker by clicking here…

When is not knowing more valuable than knowing? When does experience become a burden? Why are you often at your best when you are new to an undertaking, doing something for the first time?

As work cycles spin faster and faster, professionals are faced with never before seen challenges and territory that is uncharted. As work cycles accelerate so must our learning capacity. Today’s shifting work demands are forcing us to approach work, no matter your age, as if we were a rookie.

Liz Wiseman, author of Rookie Smarts: Why Learning Beats Knowing In The New Game Of Work, believes that a rookie mindset will be an imperative skill-set for any future professionals.

Related Read: What Everybody Ought To Know About The Myth Of Experience

Liz and a team of researchers studied approximately 400 workplace scenarios, comparing how rookies versus veterans tackled work assignments. They analyzed the data by performance level, looking for the key differentiators between how rookies and veterans approached their work, and the situations under which they excelled. They defined a rookie as someone who had never done that type of work and a veteran as someone who had previous experience with that type of work, both regardless of their age. Below are their findings.

Reasons Why Rookies Trump Veterans In The New Game of Work

• Rookies listen more and learn faster
• Rookies bite off smaller pieces of work.
• Rookies are 4x more likely than veterans to ask for help.
• Rookies inject a spirit of fun into everything they do at work.
• Rookies work cautiously and minimize risk by frequently checking in with stakeholders.
• Rookies have significantly higher levels of self-awareness than veterans.
• Rookies tend to deliver more timely solutions despite having a steeper learning curve.
• Rookies are more attuned to politics, although veterans possess greater political savvy.
• Rookies seek out expertise 40% more often than veterans.
• Rookies are 2x more likely than veterans to believe that they had something to learn
• Rookies are 12% more likely than veterans to persist in the face of failure.
• Rookies were 40% more likely than veterans to work harder and put in longer hours in response to pressure or scrutiny. (Veterans were 30% more likely to feel debilitating or significant pressure not to fail.)

While these findings are not age dependent, I believe it’s safe to say that many Millennials operate like a rookie because of their lack of experience and due to the perpetual beta culture they grew up in. If leaders decide to ignore these rookies and the unique perspectives and hustle that they bring, they may find themselves and their teams left behind.

Related Read: Reverse Your Stagnation With Reverse Mentoring

For those veterans with valuable experience, Liz encourages you to renew your mind and your skills and combine your hard-won wisdom and experience with the naive brilliance and vitality of a rookie. And instead of filling up “empty” Millennial newcomers with company information, treat them as “full” and ready to contribute with their rookie smarts.

Question: How will you spark a rookie mindset?

Consider Ryan Jenkins to be your next Millennial/Generation Y or Generation Z keynote speaker by clicking here…

Having biases are just like riding a bike…literally, you’ll see. Once we form them (consciously or unconsciously) we retreat and rely on them with the same ease as riding a bike years after we learned how to ride. In the below video, Destin of Smarter Every Day, demonstrates how powerful some biases can be. 

In many cases our biases help us function in the world with greater ease, efficiency, and safety. I’m bias to driving on the right side of the road so that I don’t smash into an oncoming car. Other times our biases are as hard wired into our brains as riding a bike and we are completely blind to them. It’s these “blind bias” that can undermine our influence and growth. 

It was fascinating to see Destin’s six year old son debunk his bike bias in just two weeks when it took Destin eight months to do the same. It’s true that younger brains have higher neruroplasticity than adults and thus are able to learn faster. Kids also have less years of built-up blind biases to overcome when introduced to a new idea or concept. This explains why many revolutions and innovations occur within the youth.

Related Read: The Mindset Required To Remain Relevant In Today’s Fast World

What blind biases might you have that are hindering your growth? Do you have a bias towards how work must be done, how leaders must lead, how Millennials are supposed to act, how technology is to be used, or how your customers think?

We must be careful how we interpret things because we are looking at the world with a bias, whether we know it or not. Warning signs of a blind bias might be statements like “this is always how it’s been done” or “this is the only way I know how.” All of which are death wishes in today’s high-pace, adapt-or-die marketplace.  

Related Read: How The Internet Killed One Of Your Favorite Crutch Phrases

How do we expose our blind bias? Just like checking your blind spot while driving, it helps to have with a strategy or habit that will remind you to take a second look at our blind spot. Here are a few simple ideas:

• Engage in reverse mentoring sessions.
• Go to the source of a perceived blind bias and ask direct and naive questions.
• Monitor your thoughts for words like “always,” “never,” “forever,” etc.
• Set a recurring reminder on your phone that asks you “Are you operating with a blind bias right now?”

Related Read: 18 Quotes To Inspire You To Embrace The Powerful Pursuit Of Continuous Learning

Hopefully Destin and his “MacGyver mullet” will be your catalyst to uncovering your blind bias so that you can continue to grow. May you make exposing your blind bias as easy as riding a bike.

Question: What bias might you be blind to?

Is curiosity dying in our culture? Does having the world’s knowledge at our fingertips lessen the gusto we once had when pursuing a new endeavor or idea? Cultivating lasting curiosity has become more difficult in a world filled with on-demand answers.

Does all the context that social media provides us about our friends and acquittances prompt us to ask more or less questions when getting together with someone? Do we interact less with people around us because we discount the value they can provide compared to Google?

I don’t think technology has made folks more or less curious. Like most skills, curiosity is a muscle that must be flexed in order to grow. Observing how you use technology can be a good indicator of just how curious you are.

How many new apps have you tried lately? How many times a day do you ask Siri a question? How often do you search your Twitter stream for new information? When was the last time you searched a question in YouTube? 

Henry Cloud, acclaimed leadership expert, best-selling author and clinical psychologist, said it best, “Certainty is one of the weakest positions in life. Curiosity is one of the most powerful. Certainty prohibits learning, curiosity fuels change.”

To best navigate all the change in today’s world, we must be curious.

Related Read: 18 Quotes To Inspire You To Embrace The Powerful Pursuit Of Continuous Learning

In California the Los Altos School District has introduced new hiring criteria for teachers. The skill sets they now require go beyond a teacher’s technical skills. The specific set of qualities they now look for are open-minded, adaptive, growth-minded, sense of humor and joyfulness.

The district has discovered that their new teachers are better equipped to innovate and adapt in the perpetually shifting field of education by being open-minded or curious.

According to Google’s Human Resources Chief, Laszlo Bock, Google has a similar hiring criteria where the most important skill they look for is a person’s learning ability. What better to stoke learning ability than genuine curiosity? 

Google’s least important hiring criteria is expertise. Bock explains their hiring strategy, “There’s so much coming at us so fast, and it creates an extraordinary cognitive burden. We need people who are smart and learn fast and humble enough that they don’t have to carry the load of knowing it all themselves.”

Intellectual humility creates a wellspring of curiosity. A truly valuable skill in today’s exponential times.

Related Read: Why Rookies Trump Veterans In The New Game Of Work

I believe today’s technology has enabled us to take our curiosity to new heights. Heights never before achieved. However, it’s our initial gut reaction to want to learn more that we must continue to develop.

Turn to a colleague or the World Wide Web today and say… 

“Tell me more.”

Question: What are you curious to learn more about?

Friend and NGC Podcast guest #018, Clint Runge, showed this video to conclude his talk at the 2015 Youth Marketing Strategy conference in NYC. It was a compelling video highlighting the game-changing power of the simple question: What if? 

“What if?” is a powerful question. It’s also a tough question because of the fear that it ignites inside of us. It’s a question that can unlock limitless opportunities and endless distractions. But if you don’t ask “What if?”, someone else will…making you share the same fate as Kodak and Blockbuster.

Related Read: The Mindset Required To Remain Relevant In Today’s Fast World

What if…

• You stopped say “yeah but”?
• You started saying “tell me more”?
• You slowed down?
• You sped up?
• You ignored the signs?
• You learned from a misstep?
• You let it go?
• You went all in?
• You stopped listening to the haters?
• You started following your gut?
• You became someone’s hero?
• You gave someone a shot?
• You didn’t have any regrets?
• You surprised yourself? 
• You try it once?
• You couldn’t fail?
• You decide to quit?
• You never start?
• It works?

What if…you change the world?
The future is now. Entertain change.

Related Read: Exponential Change Is Coming, Will You Be Ruler Of Your New Reality

Question: What market disruption has surprised you the most in the last 3-5 years?

If there was a silver bullet (there isn’t, but go with me here) to best engage your multi-generational team it would be reverse mentoring. Reverse mentoring creates diverse environments where individuals can communicate openly, provide insights, share ideas, and challenge legacy thinking.

What is reverse mentoring?

Reverse mentoring is a learning relationship where senior executives or veteran employees are paired with younger employees who then share their insights on technology, social media, and the latest workplace trends. 

Unlike traditional mentoring, in which the mentor is always a senior individual who can pass on experience without much risk of pushback from the mentee, reverse mentoring provides an environment where information and insights can freely flow and where the organizational hierarchy is flattened.

Related Read: Reverse Your Stagnation With Reverse Mentoring

Who is using reverse mentoring?

Jack Welch, while CEO at GE, was credited for being one of the first adopters of reverse mentoring. Welch selected a junior employee to mentor him and then mandated that 500 of his executives find a reverse mentor. Since then other large companies including HP, The Hartford, Cisco, and Coca-Cola have initiated reverse mentoring programs.

According to Thomas Koulopoulos and Dan Keldsen, authors of “The Gen Z Effect: The Six Forces Shaping the Future of Business,” mentoring is used in 56% of a 600 company sample polled by Delphi Group. Yet of those 600 companies only 14% had a reverse mentoring program in place, even though 51% of those companies have cross-generational teams. 

Why isn’t reverse mentoring more widely used? 

• Leaders are unaware of the benefits.
• Leaders are already engaged in peer-to-peer mentoring.
• Leaders are pressured to focus on tasks with clear ROI.
• Leaders lack the time.
• Leader’s pride get in the way.

Reverse mentoring will become more and more important as the workplace becomes more and more generational diverse as Generation Z soon enters the workforce.  

How to begin reverse mentoring?

1. Make a list of 5 things you don’t know but need to know.
2. Identify 1 or 2 items from the list that you are most likely not to learn on your own or during your course of work.
3. Identify a junior colleague that has the expertise you need.
4. Ask the junior colleague to mentor you.
5. Clarify where to meet, frequency, expectations, etc.
6. Prepare by identifying a set of questions before the first meeting. (Don’t be afraid to ask naive questions.)
7. Meet and mentor.

Related Read: How To Use Mentoring In Your Workplace [Guest Post]

For reverse mentoring to work, avoid reciprocal mentorship. Do 100% of the learning. Think beyond having someone mentor you on social media, consider having them teach you something you think you already know, such as leadership. 

When you decide to engage in reverse mentoring, you may also receive invaluable insights that reflect your consumer base or employee population. You will also be setting an example of continuous learning and hopefully demonstrating the strong communication skills that so many Millennials desperately need. 

Disrupt and expand your perspective with reverse mentoring.

Question: Do you have a reverse mentor? Why or why not?

Consider Ryan Jenkins to be your next Millennial/Generation Y or Generation Z keynote speaker by clicking here…

After 3 years, over 150,000 words, and 309 (and counting) blog posts, I was proud to announce my new column on Inc.com. To contribute to a premier business publication that has been so instrumental in the growth of my business is a true honor. It’s also humbling considering I loathed writing.

As a Millennial, I was taught typing in middle school. I hated it. “Why do I need to learn how to do this?” I thought to myself. Not even Nintendo’s Mario Teaches Typing could make typing fun and engaging for me. I’d rather watch movies, play pond hockey, or use a computer for its only true purpose…playing SimCity.

My disdain for writing continued through high school and came to a head when I had to write the infamous college admission essay. My mother dragged me kicking and screaming through the months-long process of drafts, edits, and revisions.

Who knew a 500-word essay could have such a tight death grip on a person’s life. (I should mention I had a lot riding on the essay since my grades were very…”meh.”)

How did someone move from loathing a 500-word essay to voluntarily writing and publishing two 500+ word articles per week? Consistency.

Consistency coupled with passion can transform any amateur into a professional.

Here is how consistency transformed my writing skill and propelled me from a small-time blog to a global platform.

1) Consistent input produces output.

To withdrawal ideas from within you, you must have enough information deposited. My daily routine of reading blogs, magazines, and books has enabled me to produce consistent outputs. My output dips when my input dries up.

2) Consistent practice strengthens skills.

A daily discipline of writing will strengthen the skill. Over 3 years, I’ve been training my writing muscle to produce content twice a week. Today my writing muscle is stronger than ever and is equipped to tackle heavier projects.

3) Consistent scheduling unlocks productivity.

Specific routines provide the necessary mental margin for writers to be creative. And specific deadlines provide the necessary accountability for writers to be productive.

4) Consistent attention transforms perspective.

Beginner writers wrestle with finding their voice. It takes consistent writing to draw out one’s authentic voice. Over the years, paying attention to what content resonates with my audience and what’s top of mind for my clients has helped shape my voice into a relevant, high-value, and credible voice.

5) Consistent courage builds confidence.

Elevated exposure tends to lead to increased criticism. Overcoming objections, winning over critics, and ignoring the killjoys has been key in growing my confidence as a writer. Bouncing back from the opposition with courage builds sustainable confidence.

Question: How has consistency helped you transform a skill?

Consider Ryan Jenkins to be your next Millennial/Generation Y or Generation Z keynote speaker by clicking here…

In general people don’t like to sell, yet we find ourselves having to “sell” our ideas and reasons on a daily basis. Every day you are persuading. This morning you persuaded yourself to go to the gym, then you persuaded a colleague to help you, then you tried to persuade a friend into going to lunch, and then you persuaded your boss to consider your idea.

We all persuade, the question is…are you effective at it?

To persuade someone means to induce them to believe by appealing to reason or understanding; to convince them of something. 

It’s important to note that persuasion is not manipulation. The difference is the intent. Manipulation is forcing someone to do something that is not in their own interest. Persuasion is the art of getting people to do things that are in their own best interest that also benefits you. 

It’s an art because people are hesitant to “being sold” or told what to do. Persuading without tact or thoughtfulness won’t win people over. Persuasion must be studied, practiced and carefully executed.

Here’s how to persuade in seven simple steps. 

1. Be credible

Why would anyone listen to you? Are you trustworthy? Are you competent? Are you hard working? Persuasion starts with trust. Your appearance and reputation are factored in before you ever open your mouth. Put yourself in the shoes of those you want to persuade, what is their impression of you. Would you buy-in to you? Imagine the persuasion process as a bank. You must deposit into your brand and those around you before you have enough invested to ask for a withdrawal.

(Note: In a world of social media, your online brand matters as much as your offline brand. Manage your social accounts carefully. Ensure you are adding value to others through thoughtful posts, blogs, comments, etc.)

2. Know the why

Why do you want to or need to persuade someone? Spend time on the front end getting clarity on the purpose of your persuasion and what exactly your ask will be.

Related Read: Create Enduring Millennial Motivation with “Why” Communication

3. Find common ground

It’s easy for others to dismiss your persuasion if you have no personal or emotional connection with them. Get to know those who you want to persuade so that you can establish emotional bonds and identify shared objectives that you can build upon. Demonstrate empathy and make it known that you are on their side. Once common ground is established, you are positioned to capitalize on consensus.

4. Ask questions (focus on others)

Demanding puts people on the defense. Asking questions opens them up to possibilities. Asking questions will help you identify common ground and clarify any hesitation or objections.

5. Listen

Be an active listener. If you get rejection, follow it up with more questions. Listen carefully to identify points of agreement and alignment as well as the individual’s primary objection.

6. Provide value and ask

Now that you’ve uncovered the alignment and/or objection. Communicate what’s in it for them. Speak to the value that your idea/initiative offers to reinforce the alignment or how it can alleviate their objection. Then ask for their decision or participation.

Related Read: One Mighty Leadership Trait You may be Over Looking

7. Be patient and give space

Often immediacy and urgency are enemies of persuasion. Significant decisions require time and thought. Be sure to give others the space and time to carefully consider your proposal. The most powerful persuaders bring others along in their own time.

In conclusion, start small and persuade a colleague on a lunch location. Then persuade a peer to help you with a project. Then go bigger and persuade your boss or team to consider a new idea or initiative.

Question: What are your best practices for persuasion?

Consider Ryan Jenkins to be your next Millennial/Generation Y or Generation Z keynote speaker by clicking here…

Mentorship is no longer reserved for in-person 1-on-1 interaction. Today’s world is full of free, high-value content that can be accessed on-demand at your fingertips. Mentors can be found at all corners of the Internet in the form of bloggers, podcasters, and YouTubers.

Whether you’ve met them or not, if you find yourself constantly learning from the advice of someone, by definition they are your mentor–a wise and trusted teacher– and you are their mentee–a person who is advised, trained, or counseled by a mentor.

Most of my mentors are virtual, many of whom I have never met. I soak up their wisdom through online courses, webinars, newsletters, social media posts, videos, articles, and books.

With the goal of inspiring and equipping curious onlookers, many of today’s thought leaders hold little back when it comes to publicly sharing the intimate details of their journey.

It’s never been easier to access relevant and helpful information for your business or career, but without a personal connection, the learning can lack accountability or specificity for your unique needs.

How to establish a connection with a virtual mentor

Share your success.

Message your mentor–via email, social media, their personal or company website, or replying to their newsletter–and report the success you’ve had after applying their teachings to your business or career. This may seem self-centered but there is nothing more satisfying for a mentor than hearing firsthand about the impact their advice is having with their audience.

This may seem self-centered but there is nothing more satisfying for a mentor than hearing firsthand about the impact their advice is having with their audience.

In my experience, mentors have little patience for people who lack initiative and execution. Sharing your success communicates to the mentor that you are a person of action, you value their expertise, and take your personal or professional growth seriously.

The success sharing template can be as simple as this:

Hello,
Big fan of your work.
The strategy you shared about ______ has worked! I recently did ______ which resulted in ______.

The time you invest and the insights you share are propelling my business forward. I am deeply grateful.
Thank you.

How to maintain a connection with a virtual mentor

Share your progress.

Once the connection has been made, periodically (a few times a year) send your mentor an update on your business or career. Keep it simple and succinct with clear analytics. Highlight specifically how their teaching continues to result in your growth.

This may once again seem self-centered, but it’s powerful because it puts the ownership on the mentee instead of the mentor. Any great mentor will have limited time so an unprompted message and an informal mentorship relationship can be refreshing.

I believe you should give more than you take in any mentorship role; however it’s especially easy for a mentee to take more than they give in a virtual mentorship. That’s why I end each mentor message with, “Anything I can help with?” This has kept the channel of communication open and the relationship mutually beneficial.

Over the last year, I have been using these mentorship strategies to strengthen connections with my virtual mentors. I continue to be amazed by how positive and abundant the responses have been. Here are a few additional mentorship benefits that this strategy offers.

Mentor Benefits:

• Rewarding. Mentor can see how their teaching is paying off.
• Testimonies. Mentee updates can serve as valuable testimonies for the mentor.
• Motivation. The passion, excitement, and hustle of the mentee can rub off on the mentor.
• Independence. The mentorship isn’t bound by time, location, or expectations.

Mentee Benefits:

• Relevance. Become top of mind with high-profile thought leaders.
• Visibility. Consistent communication opens the door for more collaboration and/or assistance.
• Gratitude. Provides an outlet to express thanks for the help received.
• Introspection. The process serves as a good benchmark or reflective exercise for the mentee’s business/career.

When it comes to establishing and maintaining a mentorship in today’s digital age, there’s virtually no excuse.

Question: How have you established strong mentorships?

Consider Ryan Jenkins to be your next Millennial/Generation Y or Generation Z keynote speaker by clicking here…

This article was originally posted on Ryan’s Inc.com column, Next Generation Insights.

Whether you’re looking to exceed last year’s numbers or score a promotion, motivational HR posters and an Instagram feed full of “Carpe Diem” will only get you so far. Sure, a little visual inspiration doesn’t hurt, but you’re going to need a strategy and a set of basic tools to achieve any goal, personal or professional. The next time you set your sights high, consider these four tips for turning your goals into accomplishments.

1. Be S.M.A.R.T.

This time-tested acronym is a goal-setting hallmark and a favorite tool of career and life coaches.

Specific – Achievable goals use specific language about the goal itself and include a clear course of action. “Increase sales” is vague, while “Increase in-stores sales among weekend shoppers by 15%” gets at the who, what, when and where of your goal. Be just as specific with the steps you’ll take to reach your goal. For example, “Reduce customer service wait time by 30%” is better than “Improve customer service.”

Measurable – First, be sure that you and any other stakeholders have the same metrics for success. Second, implement a tracking system (a monthly sales report, for example) that allows you to gauge the effectiveness of your tactics.

Attainable – There’s a fine line between a goal that’s aggressive and one that’s simply unrealistic. Do your research and make sure you have the time and support you need to achieve your goal.

Relevant – This could also be “reality check.” Is your goal relevant to your work and/or life, or did you get sidetracked by a trend or someone else’s priorities? Ask yourself why this goal is important to you, and make sure that your answer is convincing.

Time-Bound – The power of a deadline is irrefutable, so do yourself a favor and get one. Even if your goal is personal or not dictated by your company’s timeline, create a target date for reaching it.

Related Read: 5 Ways Consistency Can Transform Your Writing (Or Any Other Skill)

2. Divide and conquer

Think about big, intimidating goals the same way would about moving into a new apartment. Like big goals, the process of moving your home and all of its possessions is so overwhelming that it needs to be broken up into smaller, more palatable tasks. So, three weeks before your move date you collect boxes and packing material. Two weeks out you carefully wrap, pack and label breakables. The week before the move you box up all of your books and non-essential items of clothing. And two hours before the moving truck arrives you indiscriminately shove everything else into trash bags.

The point is that you can’t do everything in one fell swoop; in order to achieve a monster-sized goal, you have to split it up into more manageable mini-goals.

3. Get an accountability partner

Peer pressure gets a bad rep, but its powers can be harnessed for good. If you think you could benefit from a little external motivation, ask a friend or a colleague to be your “accountability partner.” Meet on a regular basis to share your progress and ask for advice. Just knowing you have a weekly or monthly meeting coming up can help keep you on track.

Related Read: How to Persuade in 7 Simple Steps

4. Reward yourself

Achievement is its own reward…but a weekend trip sure does sweeten the deal. Be sure to celebrate your hard work and successes – big and small. Did you meet all your monthly sales targets? How about treating yourself to lunch at a spot that uses real silverware instead of plastic sporks? Got the big promotion you were gunning for? Maybe a wardrobe update is in order.

The key is to recognize what you did right and reinforce those tactics and behaviors that led to success (while sipping margaritas on the beach, if possible). 

Question: What are your go-to tips for setting achievable goals?

This article originally appeared on FirstJob.com and has been republished with permission. Get pricing today to join FirstJob.com to figure out how to match your fresh grad jobs postings with multiple star candidates successfully.

Consider Ryan Jenkins to be your next Millennial/Generation Y or Generation Z keynote speaker by clicking here…

When is not knowing more valuable than knowing? When does experience become a deterrent? What value does experience hold in a culture of perpetual beta? Is stubborn experience the enemy of innovation?

As work cycles spin faster and faster, professionals are continuously faced with never before seen challenges and uncharted territory. As work accelerates, our capacity for learning must keep pace. The shifting landscape of work is forcing us to approach work, no matter your age, as if we were a rookie.

A rookie mindset is the key to faster learning, increased self-awareness, and persisting through failure.

People often find themselves operating at their best when they are a rookie–new to an undertaking, doing something for the first time. Liz Wiseman, President of The Wiseman Group and author of Rookie Smarts: Why Learning Beats Knowing in the New Game of Work, believes that a rookie mindset will be an imperative skill-set for any future professional.

Related Read: How Lazy Millennials Are Transforming Hard Work

After studying 400 workplace scenarios, comparing how rookies versus veterans tackled work assignments, Wiseman arrived at some compelling and countercultural insights about learning. She analyzed the data by performance level, looking for the key differentiators between how rookies and veterans approached their work, and the situations under which they excelled. Wiseman defined a rookie as someone who had never done that type of work and a veteran as someone who had previous experience with that type of work, both regardless of their age.

According to Wiseman, here are 12 reasons rookies trump veterans in the new world of work:

1. Rookies listen more and learn faster.
2. Rookies bite off smaller pieces of work.
3. Rookies are 4x more likely than veterans to ask for help.
4. Rookies seek out expertise 40 percent more often than veterans. 
5. Rookies inject a spirit of fun into everything they do at work.
6. Rookies have significantly higher levels of self-awareness than veterans. 
7. Rookies are 12 percent more likely than veterans to persist in the face of failure. 
8. Rookies are 2x more likely than veterans to believe that they had something to learn.
9. Rookies tend to deliver more timely solutions despite having a steeper learning curve. 
10. Rookies work cautiously and minimize risk by frequently checking in with stakeholders. 
11. Rookies are more attuned to politics, although veterans possess greater political savvy. 
12. Rookies were 40 percent more likely than veterans to work harder and put in longer hours in response to pressure or scrutiny. (Veterans were 30 percent more likely to feel debilitating or significant pressure not to fail.)

While these findings are not age dependent, it’s safe to assume that many of today’s Millennials operate like rookies. A rookie mentality is natural for Millennials due to their limited experience as working professionals and because of the high flux world they grew up in that demanded adaptability. Today’s information and knowledge is widely accessible and no longer concentrated among a select few.

Related Read: The World’s Greatest Living Coach Gives Game-Changing Advice On Leading Millennials

For all the veterans with valuable experience, Wiseman encourages you to, “renew your mind and skills and combine your hard-won wisdom and experience with the naive brilliance and vitality of a rookie.” It’s critical that veteran leaders treat Millennials as “full” and ready to contribute with their rookie smarts.

The school of thought that experience is needed to lead and innovate is permanently expelled in today’s digital age. The new world of work will reward those experienced in being inexperienced.

Question: How do you channel your inner rookie?

Consider Ryan Jenkins to be your next Millennial/Generation Y or Generation Z keynote speaker by clicking here…

This article was originally posted on Ryan’s Inc.com column, Next Generation Insights.

No gym, no equipment, and no time are no problem. Maintain high-performance while you travel with this 18-minute, excuse-free hotel room workout.

As someone who travels often, a workout was the most likely item to plummet to the bottom of my to-do list. That is until I started burst training.

No gym, no equipment, no time…is no problem with burst training.

Burst training involves exercising at 90-100% of your maximum heart rate for 30-60 seconds, followed by 30-60 seconds of lower intensity exercise or resting. The burst training workout below is a full-body, sweat-producing, excuse-free exercise that can be done in your hotel room in 18 minutes. All you need is workout clothes and a timer.

According to Dr. Josh Axe, who runs one of the top ten most visited natural health websites in the world, “[Burst training] is the most effective way to burn fat and lose weight. Studies have shown that people who do this type of burst or interval training lose six times more fat than people who do long distance cardio exercise. And they exercise half the time.”

The biggest benefit of burst training for me has been the increased energy and focus. If I burst train in my hotel room before speaking in front of an audience, my on-stage performance is elevated thanks to clearer thoughts and higher energy.

Try this burst training workout next time you find yourself resisting the gym or a run while on the road.

18-Minute Energy Boosting Hotel Room Workout

1. Run in place (30 seconds)
2. Push-ups (30 seconds)
3. Break (30 seconds)
4. Pulsing squats (30 seconds)
5. Bicycle kicks (30 seconds)
6. Break (30 seconds)
7. Mountain climbers (30 seconds)
8. Burpees (30 seconds)
9. Break (30 seconds)
10. Repeat the above 3 more times.

For maximum benefit, exercise as fast and as hard as you can.
Here is what the exercise looks like in action.

Question: How do you get motivated to stay fit while traveling?

Consider Ryan Jenkins to be your next Millennial/Generation Y or Generation Z keynote speaker by clicking here…

This article was originally posted on Ryan’s Inc.com column, Next Generation Insights.

Widespread personal access to a wireless internet-enabled supercomputer (aka smartphone) has accelerated the rate of change and disruption individuals and industries can experience. The release of a single app can cripple an entire industry, alter employee expectations, or shift consumer behavior in the blink of an eye.

Considering these ever-evolving and perpetual beta times are the new reality, it becomes critical that you become skilled in managing and thriving through change.

Change is no respecter of individuals or industries. Change is constant and gains momentum as more and more of the world comes online.

Learning a new skill, thinking differently about a generation, or embracing a new way of working requires change. Agility has become our dearest friend in today’s ready-fire-aim culture.

Portia Nelson‘s short story, Autobiography in Five Short Chapters, poetically captures the stages of change and reveals the progression we must follow to successfully thrive through change.

Chances are high (if not 100%) that you are going through change, so as you read be mindful of which stage you are currently in. Unleash more opportunities, productivity, and creativity by mastering these five stages of change.

Chapter 1: I walk down the street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I fall in. I am lost. I am helpless. It isn’t my fault. It takes forever to find a way out.

Stage 1 of Change: Ignorance
You are unaware that change is needed because this is your first time encountering the issue. If you are in this stage, ask yourself or someone close to you: What needed change might I be ignorant to?

Chapter 2: I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I pretend I don’t see it. I fall in again. I can’t believe I am in the same place. But it isn’t my fault. It still takes a long time to get out.

Stage 2 of Change: Denial
You are aware of the needed change but choose to ignore it. If you are in this stage, ask yourself: Why am I in denial over the needed change?

Chapter 3: I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I see it there. I still fall in…it’s a habit…but, my eyes are open. I know where I am. It is my fault. I get out immediately.

Stage 3 of Change: Responsibility
The habit of not changing your behavior becomes so detrimental that your eyes finally open, you see why and where the change must happen which forces you to take responsibility for finding a swift solution. If you are in this stage, ask yourself: How can I take responsibility and champion change?

Chapter 4: I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I walk around it.

Stage 4 of Change: Resolve
Your awareness of the needed change enables you to take the necessary steps to resolve the issue. If you are in this stage, ask yourself: What change must happen to resolve this? And/or is the resolution working?

Chapter 5: I walk down another street.

Stage 5 of Change: Progress
You experience the exhilaration of discovering a new path and the excitement of what opportunities lay ahead. If you are in this stage, ask yourself: What opportunities are now available as a result of changing?

I believe Nelson chose the word “autobiography” intentionally for the title of this story because it’s your story, it’s my story, it’s everyone’s story. Cyclical change will forever be the narrative of the human race. May this serve as a simple manual for making change more manageable.

Consider Ryan Jenkins to be your next Millennial or Generation Z keynote speaker by clicking here…

This article was originally posted on Ryan’s Inc.com column, Next Generation Insights.