The war for talent is over; talent has won.

I heard this quote while attending Challenge Detroit’s most recent company networking event, discussing the attraction and retention of talent in the Michigan region, and specifically within the city of Detroit. Engaging in this dialogue opened up many insights from an organizational perspective, on ways to better foster millennials and new talent at their respective companies. I thought a brief reflection would be a good follow-up to my last blog.

We as millennials want to work in a fostering, encouraging, and supportive environment. We want to feel valued, we want to be challenged, and we want to be able to continually grow and develop both in our current skill set as well as expand our experiences in other skill sets as well.

Never stop learning.

A word of advice from a senior executive at an established company encouraged young professionals to never stop learning. He reflected that for more experienced and established individuals like himself, his generation was trained and educated for a working world that no longer exists, while us “younger folk” are trained and educated for a world that we may not see for another 10 years or so. In this respect, it is important for companies to foster this continued learning experience. Without adaptation, there will be limited growth, and with limited growth comes limited success.

I’m looking forward to seeing the release of new host companies for next year’s class of fellows, for Year 4 of the Challenge Detroit Program. Looks like we’ve got an exuberant group on the way!

Check back later this month to see the announcement of new host companies for Year 4!