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Millennials Emerge as a New Wave of Authentic and Visionary Leaders

authentic_leadership_millenialsBy Michelle Maldonado
Associate Vice President of Corporate and Strategic Relationships, American Public University System

Most commonly referred to as millennials, these 30 and under professionals number approximately 80 million to make up 25% of the U.S. population. Whether it’s redefining work environments or challenging traditional methods of communication and collaboration, millennials have a unique set of values that influence their expectations from leadership and the organizational cultures and operations within which they work. Today, there are several books and articles written about millennials by baby boomers and Gen Xers, but relatively few by millennials in comparison. In this installment of the Authentic Leadership Series, I speak with Omari Head, a skilled and experienced millennial business professional to get his take on what leadership development and authenticity looks like for his generation.

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Q: Where has your leadership path taken you?

Omari: Leadership has been a natural progression for me. I knew early on that I wanted to be in hospitality and that’s the industry I’ve focused all of my energy around—especially when developing my leadership skills and philosophy. I graduated in 2007 from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas where I also found a passion for being involved in student affairs. I had a reputation for being a professional student. I was working and going to school fulltime while serving as president of three prominent student organizations. What I learned about myself and from these experiences was that I wasn’t necessarily interested in being the guy in front. I draw gratification from being someone who can help others whether it’s in my personal or professional life. My internal drive to work with teams and empower them to achieve their goals naturally translates well to the hospitality industry.

Q: Would it be fair to say that after graduation, you hit the ground running?

Omari: I was already in motion [laughing]! I served in many positions with various hotel companies then I relocated to Chicago where I worked my way from housekeeping to the front office to hotel restaurants in the D.C. area. These diverse roles helped me learn the business, but more importantly, they helped me hone my management skills. Not just managing people, but I learned over time how to lead authentically. A lot of millennials like me have discovered that it takes time and practice to understand the concept—managers maintain, leaders move forward.

Read on to learn more about Omari’s insights on leadership development for millenials as part of the APUS Authentic Leadership Series, “Raising the Bar: Millenials Emerge as a New Wave of Authentic and Visionary Leaders.”

About Michelle Maldonado:

Michelle Maldonado is the creator of The Authentic Leadership Series and serves as Associate Vice President of the Corporate and Strategic Relationships team for American Public University. She is a former practicing attorney with more than 17 years of leadership experience in strategic planning, operations and partnership development across the education, technology, and online media industries. Michelle is passionate about talent development, coaching, and mentoring of professionals to support individual growth and success. Utilizing an authentic and consultative approach, Michelle collaborates with industry organizations to form education alliances that support overall talent and institutional growth strategies. To learn more about how American Public University’s programs and services may help you, please visit: www.StudyAtAPU.com/Solutions or contact Michelle at mmaldonado@apus.edu.

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