Millennials: Stop Cruising for a ‘Like’ on the Job

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• July 25, 2011
• By Danny Rubin
• 18 Comments

AdAge, a popular marketing magazine, recently unveiled a poll about Millennials and our ability to make decisions.  The most notable finding: 68% of us ask friends before choosing a restaurant.

No big deal, right?  It only makes sense to seek the opinions of our peers before spending an evening — and our money — at a new, trendy dinner spot.  And in the larger landscape of Yelp, daily deal websites and now Google’s ‘+1’ feature, a group mentality for selecting the next dining locale has become standard fare.

But what about the even larger landscape?  Group decision-making helps avoid bad table service or lackluster surf ‘n turf, but a pack mentality has its limits.  Will such reliance on the food we eat hinder our ability to make bigger choices and ultimately hurt us professionally?

In business, the right move isn’t always the most popular one.  Leadership takes vision, boldness and a streak of independence.  Sometimes it’s not sound practice to ask everyone’s opinion before making a big decision.  If you are in a position of authority, you get paid to take risks and chart a course for the rest of the office.

I am not advocating we should dwell in isolation in an office and make rash decisions without warning.  But we can’t always depend on our peers to tell us ‘yes’ or ‘no.’  Use the facts and figures on the table, listen to those you respect, and then…

Trust yourself to do what you think is best.

Face it.  Our economy is in shambles, and when we assume the reigns at our various companies, we will face difficult challenges: having to freeze wages, let people go and pare down a budget.  And when it comes to managing a budget, everyone’s got an opinion (see: Capitol Hill all day, every day). But there’s no Google ‘+1’ or ‘like’ button for the best way to cut costs.  Should we seek the counsel of those we respect?  Absolutely.  But in the end, the decision may be ours and ours alone.  No help from Yelp or anywhere else.

Lost in a world of GPS, smartphones and online peer reviews is that we can be quite resourceful and discerning on our own.  The web frees us from the burden of having to choose based on our gut instinct.   But offline, in the real world, we Millennials can and should think for ourselves.

It might not always fetch the best BBQ ribs in town, but it will show toughness and individuality on the job, where it matters most.

Danny Rubin is a member of the Brazen Contributor Network.

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