The Ultimate Guide to Adulting with Vivek Iyyani on Career, Relationships, and Health

Yasi: Vivek Iyyani is a Millennial Specialist and Keynote Speaker. He is the Author of the book Empowering Millennials and has spoken at organisations like the Brunei Government, booking.com, Singapore General Hospital, Johnson and Johnson, DELTA Airlines, and many more. He is known in his industry to speak about how to engage Millennials at their peak potentials. He has recently just signed a 3-book deal with Penguin Random House and is interviewing senior leaders on their experience in engaging Millennials at the workplace. In this episode, he is sharing with us what makes a millennial and how they can reach their potential.

I know that you have written book about millennials. So I’m very interested in what do you do right now? Like I see that you are a millennial specialist. Can you tell us a little bit more about what do you do? 

Vivek: Yeah, what I do as a millennial specialist is I work with organizations. I actually helped them to understand that the millennials, this generation, they don’t want the same thing.

As the older generation. So as your employee, how do you motivate, how do you engage, how you recruit, retain the millennial generation and the workforce and, uh, you know, how do you make the best out of them? Because the, the key problem that organizations today are facing. Is that they are not able to engage.

Uh, the millennials and millennials are not motivated by whatever motivated. The older generation is not motivating the younger generations. So that’s why, uh, as a millennial specialist, I come in. To share with them what millennials really want, uh, you know, from the workplace. And then, you know, from there, the managers who are leading these teams of millennials will be able to understand a little bit more about the psyche, about their mindset and, you know, be better leaders for them.

So that’s, that’s basically my role. 

Yasi: And you mentioned that the millennials are different than the last generation. So what do you think makes a millennials?

Vivek: Right. So the, the definition of a millennial is wolves to the 1980s and 1990s. Right? If you want to be super specific, right? The baby boomers from 1946 to 1964, uh, the gen X’s are from 1965 to 1979.

Uh, then there’s a small generation, right? They call it the Xenos X E N I A L S a there from 1979 to about 1984. Right? So that’s like, because there are some people who feel like I’m not really gen X, I’m not really millennial. So what am I? So they, they actually fall under this. Uh, the researchers recently came up with this a five-year generation, 1979 to 1984.

And then we have millennials from 1985 to about 1999. And now of course, gen Z is 1999, 2000 onwards. Right? So, so that’s the different definitions of the generations. Of course, there are other things that also represent a generation. You don’t just automatically qualify to be in a generation because you are born in that year.

It’s also because. Well, maybe you hit you, you believe in a common belief system, right? Do you subscribe to a common belief system? So the baby boomers, they subscribe to dress for the job that you want, not the job that you have, right? So they always believe in being very professionally dressed, very formal in the workplace, millennials a little bit more.

They like it more informal casual in they’re more of the text me instead of emailing me. Right. So, so you notice some differences. So the belief system about where do I write also plays a huge part in which generation you belong to apart from which year they were born.

Yasi: What do you think are the common traits shared by typical millennials?

Vivek: So typical millennials. Well, uh, one thing that we are noticing as a global trends is that they are settling down a lot later. So they’re marrying a lot later. Um, they believe, and the Yolo concept, which is you only live once. So. What that means to each individual will be different, but overall, they seem to be moving towards, uh, the level of travel, the love of experiences that they don’t believe in settling down really quickly, buying houses, buying cars, showing off to society that you are successful, uh, in instead they believe in, you know, Going out and trying new things, exploring new places, meeting new people and cultures.

That’s the kind of lifestyle that they are more attracted towards. The more drawn to it. You even though they may be employees, right? They are drawn towards this kind of travel lifestyle, laptop lifestyle. It’s something that has popped up because of the internet, because of the advancements in technology, because of a budget airlines, all of these things have definitely contributed to the psyche.

I guess a lot of why millennials are different is because of all, a lot of changes have happened during the 90 spirit when it comes to, in terms of technology and it has greatly influenced the way millennials think the way they communicate, the things that they’re motivated by. Yeah. So these are, these are some of the key things that you can take.

Yasi: And then if they’re looking for, um, laptop, lifestyle or work from anywhere, how do you think employers nowadays can retain millennials, can provide them the things they’re looking for. 

Vivek: Right. So, so in my book, uh, the engaging millennials book, I actually talked about this. I have identified seven key things that, um, you know, organizations can do to engage and retain millennials.

First thing is, uh, you need to be futuristic. So, you know, even recruitment today is not the same old, send out your, you know, ads in newspapers and expect them to respond. It’s not so much. Today, it’s more about social media. It’s about events, right? It’s about engaging in groups with the employees, right.

To really get them to. Check us out, check out itself as a company. Right? So it has to be futuristic. Uh, the company should have a very strong way. So the fuel, right? What drives the company, right? Why do you exist other than money? Why does the organization exist? Right? These are the kinds of things that motivate inspire millennials.

Like for example, right? The very common and famous on apple. They want to be different. They want to innovate. So that inspires millennials, right? What is it that your organization stands for? Why? Right. We also talk about a freedom, right? So freedom in terms of work-life balance. So COVID-19 next time now is that you don’t necessarily need to go to the office to be productive and to get work done.

Right. We’ve been talking about it since ages, but COVID-19 has really forced the older generations to relook at how you can leverage technology to be more productive. And at the same time, avoid unnecessary meetings, unnecessary up and down travel. It really forced us to think out of the box. Um, millennials have always been talking about it, but I think, uh, the older generation is not as comfortable.

To really let everything off. Like I remember one time when we were having a discussion about, you know, a four day work week, right. Uh, people said that, you know, you think it’s going to be easy, but 40 work week is actually more stressful. It’s more this, more that. So they were actually against that AMIA, but today it’s like, uh, it’s like you’re working every day, but you’re working from home.

So how is it that now we are adapting to that situation? The shift in mindset. So the freedom is something that millennials want. Uh, we took it forward framework. Like if I joined your company, how much can I grow? What’s my career path going to be? How are you going to invest in me? Like I am going to invest in me in leadership courses.

Are you going to give me a mentor? Millennials want to know, right. What are my career opportunities? Like? Would I be making more money outside in another company or would I be at the best I am here in this organization on top of that, they also want frequent feedback, right? Um, Typically are known to ask for a lot of feedback from the managers.

They want to know whether they are doing the right thing. They want to be acknowledged. They want to know that whatever work they’re doing, right. It’s affirmed, it’s positive. It’s going in the right direction. Directionally. They are doing the right thing. Right? So frequent feedback is one of the key things that they want.

Uh, so what have I covered so far? I’ve covered. That’s kind of what fuel frequent feedback for framework I’ve covered? Uh, what else, what else is there? Uh, I have a total of seven, right? So these are some of the key things that you need to take note off when you are engaging and hoping to retain the millennial generation, uh, in the.

Yasi: And then for the millennials themselves at work, what do you think are the typical challenge they are facing? 

Vivek: Well, the typical challenge that millennials face is the fact that, you know, uh, they are not taken seriously because number one is their age, right. They are not taken seriously, uh, at the workplace.

So it, they find it harder to communicate, uh, uh, value, which is typically when millennials are coming in and they have a lot of ideas. But because they are new to the organization, people don’t take them seriously to say, maybe wait a few years before you pitch in any ideas. Right. So that’s one of the key challenges that they have, which is they’re not able to, uh, you know, take on bigger projects because they are, they don’t have that so-called credibility.

Right. And as a result, uh, they also tend to be a little bit more, um, When opportunities are not passed down to them. Right. So they’re always thinking, okay, how do I get to the next step to the next step, the next step? Um, that’s one of the key challenges that millennials face. Another challenge that millennials face is when it comes to communication.

Right today, we are always texting. We are always on the phone, right? So when it comes to understanding the millennial, uh, we have communication that older generations struggle. And the millennials will struggle understanding what the older generation actually wants. Right. So one of the biggest fears they have is that whatever, um, whatever.

Updates or whatever communication that is being passed down from the higher ups. Right. Am I understanding it correctly? Do I really know what they want? Did I understand the directions and am I able to carry it out according to their expectations, right? That is always a mismatch because the older generation have a different way of thinking.

Uh, the millennials have a different way of thinking. So when millennials try to be a bit more efficient by using. The older generation will think that you’re being lazy because why do you want to do it the easy way when you can do it? The oldest the other way. Right? So there’s a lot of miscommunication in terms of this aspect, because the directions that the older generation always says, I expect you to do it.

Right. And Melinda is like, I don’t want to do it your way. I want to do it, but I want to do it my way. Right. So it’s my way or the highway problems between these two generations that actually create a lot of tension at the workplace. It creates a lot of miscommunication. And because of that, you know, millennials are like, what do they want?

Why are they going? Why are they doing this the other way? Right. So there is that gap is always there. Uh, and managing up becomes a struggle.

Yasi: Yeah, I can really relate to your, uh, what you talk about because in my previous company, we were looking for sound designers or someone to help us with different, uh, creation of marketing assets.

And then the previous generation would always. Oh, I know someone who’s a designer, no, someone like a physically here. And for me, I would just think about, maybe go upward the account fiber.com.

Vivek: Just look for someone there. Yeah. Yeah. That’s the thing. We know that there’s an entirely, uh, completely different alternate universe.

That has a lot of opportunities, a lot of potential for us to reach out to a cheaper, better, faster, uh, people. Right. And at the same time, the older generation, they are very afraid of doing something new because at the end of the day, They are, they’re a name, their reputation is on the line. If things don’t go out well, right.

They have to take the hit first, right? Because, uh, at the end of the day, they are responsible. So, uh, they tend to play safe. And, you know, we find this, uh, common in a lot of older generation, like to play it safe because when it comes to job, they wouldn’t really jump ship, uh, without having another job millennials.

Uh, if they don’t like the job, they just quit first and then they’ll find a job because they can always do other things. Right. They can always do Uber. They can do grabbed again online. They know how to generate income in multiple ways, thanks to the internet. So they tend to be a little bit more reckless in that sense.

Yasi: Yeah. Yeah. I felt already observed that some, um, people from previous generations, they retire on the first job on their first job. And then fully millennials tend to look for different jobs because they want to progress fast in their career. Maybe sometimes as you mentioned, they do not have the patience.

Vivek: Yeah. Yeah. It’s actually, because millennials are always on social media as well, but recently a friend, um, she always compares herself with her graduate friends, people who graduated in the same class with her in, by the company. In better positions by the salary, by the benefits. So they’re always comparing it to social media, through their own social circle who is doing better than the other.

And if they’re not doing well and they are not being given that promotion, then they do tend to want to. Not the organization that’s already offering them something better. Right? Sometimes they even jump because of, uh, you know, not really a higher pay, but a bigger title. Right. A bigger title, also incentivizes, uh, some of the millennials and sometimes it’s, uh, a better purposeful job, more meaningful work, right.

Maybe less. Right. They also jumped because of that. So, so these are a few things. I mean, millennials are a complex bunch of no one there’s no one size fits all, but definitely they do have certain traits that are common amongst this generation. 

Yasi: And in your book, you mentioned there were some common problems that millennial phase, for example, they’re not patients enough do not have enough clarity and they want to achieve more, but they don’t know how to get there.

What, what advice would you give it to them? 

Vivek: Well, uh, if they are in the early twenties, right? Because we have millennials in their twenties and thirties, right. If you’re in your twenties, um, if you don’t really know what you want, uh, to, and this is the best time to explore, right? What you really want. So try different jobs, right?

Moving logically, horizontally within the company, try our jobs, try entrepreneurship. I taking a part-time gig. I try everything to see naturally where you would like to spend most of your time, most of your money on as well. So if there’s, if you’re spending a lot of time and money on something that isn’t giving you back, anytime.

Um, money, right? You’re not getting back anything. Then maybe that’s something that you’re really passionate about. You really love that subject, or you really love doing something, right. So you’re willing to do it for free. You’re willing to do it because it makes you feel like you’re in a state of flow.

Right. Then that’s something that you want to do. The other thing is to also do a lot of these. Yeah, these are very good tests that will give you, uh, inside the view of, uh, you know, who you are as a personality. What are your key strengths and how you typically tend to live your life? Right? What are the key behavioral traits that you have by these psychometric tests?

Uh, actually will give you a little bit more clue as to who you are as a person. Of course on top of that, you can always ask your friends, your family, your close ones to really tell you who they, what is their perception of you. Right. So go around and do a, like a short survey interview, but you’ve known me for so long, right?

What’s your impression of me as an individual, right? What are three words you would use to describe me? And why do you use those splits? Right. So these are some of the questions that I think. Millennials can start asking your friends, their network, and to really get a stronger understanding about who they are, the self awareness of who they are, so that they can then proceed forward to achieving your dreams and finding the prune.

Yasi: I really believe that self awareness is the first step to self-development. 

Vivek: Yeah, that’s a really good quote. 

Yasi: What are the tests, do you recommend, what other tests you have done?

Vivek: So I have personally done the NBTI. I’ve done the Tetra map, uh, personality tests as well. Um, and I’ve also heard very good things. I’ve not done it personally. I’ve heard good things about the strengths finder as well. One of these tests actually give you a bit of awareness. Oh, okay.

Yasi: Uh, so the book is strength finder, Gallup. And in the book you have this code where you don’t have to buy the book. I find it’s very insightful because then I can identify what is my top five. Then for my personal development, I can focus on the five strengths. I can use it for my career because it’s less effective when you try to level up your weakness and compete with other people’s strengths.

Right. So focusing on your strength, there’s another one I really recommend is called, um, uh, discovery insights. Have you heard about that? 

Vivek: No, that’s new. Yeah. I mean, these things actually give you a lot of awareness, right? And that’s the most important part. Right? You get awareness about yourself and you get awareness about your love to one.

If that gives you a better understanding and it makes you more empathetic. It makes you more forgiving. What makes you more tolerant or makes you more efficient then? I think he has done his job right. In, in giving you a lot of benefits 

Yasi: and about your book, empowering millennials. I really liked the content because I feel that it’s talking to me directly.

Maybe I identify myself as a typical millennial and maybe tell the audience what your book, empowering millennials. 

Vivek: So I’m firing millennials is my first book that I wrote back in, uh, launched it back in 2017, uh, is basically about helping millennials who are going through a quarter-life crisis, where, you know, they are in a job that they don’t like they’re regretting all the years that they spent in a job or they haven’t found a passion, right.

They’re still searching for their passion. They are still working, but they’re still looking for something else or for people who. We have left their jobs and they’re trying to find something, but they’re lost directionally. They are lost, right. It’s a book written for them to help them identify what is it that they really want in life.

Right. So we talk about five key things. We talk about clarity. We talk about habits. We talk about accountability and alignment. We talk about motivation and we talk about productivity in the. And these are the key things that I believe will help the individual to really get hold of their life and, you know, uh, take control of what you really want.

So forget what parents are saying. Forget what society is asking you to do. What do you really want to do? Right. If, uh, you know, if we could do it for the rest of you. What do you really want to do? And the book is all about empowering them to do that. I believe the millennial generation, we are empowered by technology.

We are empowered by our parents, most of the us. Right. Uh, but we are not re empowered at the workplace. Right. Uh, so that’s the key problem that I find that. A lot of them continue living a life where they don’t have fun. They are not following your passion. They don’t have freedom. Right. They are working, uh, in like a nine to five job.

It feels like that rat race. Right. And you’re always working, working, working. There’s no space for happiness, not able to earn a fortune where they can live life according to their own terms. Right. So they can travel, they can do whatever they want. They don’t have those kind of options. We are stuck. So somewhere, right.

And that’s the problem that brings everyone into this quarter-life crisis. Right? So, and of course quarter-life crisis is not just about your career. It’s also about your relationships. It’s also about your friendships. It’s also about managing your finances. All of these things are very important as well.

So the book is really to empower them, to get, get your handle on all of these things, right? So that from your twenties onwards, right? You’re the direction of your life is. Based on what other people are telling you to do, but based on what, where you want to go, right? So if you know that you want to start a business, then you start working on it.

Now we don’t need you to like, you know, become a millionaire overnight, but at least you’re working, you’re directionally, you’re in the right place. Right? You have the direction, you have the discipline, you have the determination to go where you want. So that’s. The book was, um, that this, the intention of the book.

Right. And hoping to empower more millennials. So if companies are not empowering millennials, then we have to empower ourselves to do things that we want in the way that we want. Right. So that’s why. 

Yasi: Yeah. And also really like the results that you mentioned, the three fun freedom fortune, I think for millennials. Exactly. This is what I want, at least for me. 

Vivek: Typical millennial. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, we want to do what we love. We want to travel the world. We want to spend time on meaningful activities and we want to learn a function. Like we want to live a better life than what our parents have given us. Right. Any lower than that baseline has increased.

So, so yeah, that’s basically the inspiration behind the fun freedom and Virginia in Asia in Singapore, there is this, there’s a metric success, a yardstick for each generation. So, um, in Singapore, uh, our senior ex senior minister, uh, with John, he mentioned that, uh, the baby boomers, they wanted a 1, 2, 3.

And that’s basically one spouse, two children, three room flat and four wheels, which means like a car, right? That’s for the baby boomers for the gen Xs. It was a five CS. Right? So it’s the car, the credit card, the country club membership, condominium and care. If we have all five of these, you are seen as successful.

So for millennials, uh, none of these things really seem to like resonate, right? We were like, Hmm, that’s not really what we want from life. So what do they really want? There was no definition online. So I was like, based on what I’ve interviewed and what I understood from talking to millennials, they want.

I do want to follow their passion. They want freedom. They want to, you know, travel around the world. They want to do different things, have different experiences and they want to have a fortune. They want to have a better lifestyle. Lifestyle is so important to millennials. So that’s why we don’t believe in what works and then retire happily.

Now it’s like, I want to have fun and work. Yeah. So that’s, that’s the key difference we see. And if possible, we really believe it’s possible. The older generation is very skeptical. Is that really possible? We, it really, uh, you know, be something that you can do in the long-term or is it just a. And they always think it’s a phase.

Oh yeah. Okay. Wait till you get your bills until you settle down, we have to start a family and then you’ll know the reality. Right? So that’s, that’s, uh, my experience talking to the different generations as well. 

Yasi: Yeah, talking about lifestyle. I can really much relate to that. I think millennial stay are looking to living a certain lifestyle, drink the champagne per Sacco.

Have you found friends traveling Soundwave places spend a year in 

Bali. 

Vivek: You see different people doing that. Uh, you know, but they don’t know. They all don’t always understand the hard work that goes behind it. And so, so I mean, we are highly influenced by people who are like influencers who have this kind of lifestyle, but, and the, the common trend we notice is that all of them typically tend to do a lot of traveling and they do do a lot of behind the scenes.

They share how awesome your life is. Right. So they share, like it’s not. I don’t really see millennials or influencers sharing the nine to five work life. Right? You don’t want to see them saying, Hey, I’m so happy at work in this company, blah, blah, blah. We don’t really see that, whatever we do see, however, is people who are doing some really unique.

So that’s what, that’s what inspires us to also one those kinds of same things, same kind of lifestyle. Can the audience find your book? So. The empowering millennials PDF is available on my website. Www dot dot com is free. You can download the PDF for free read it, right. And, um, To chase the hardcover and an autograph, a copy, then they’ll probably have the writing to me and then I’ll, I’ll have to graph it and then I’ll send it over.

Yeah. So that’s where, but if you’re in Singapore, of course, it’s there in the bookstores as well in Singapore, the bookstores you’ll find it in is popular and Kinokuniya. Right. Time’s a bookstore as well. So you’ll, you’ll find it in these bookstores.

Yasi: Do you have any social media channels where the audience covers.

Vivek: Instagram, my handle is at V I V E K  I Y Y N I right. So you can get, find my Instagram. You can find me on Facebook as well. facebook.com/ or on LinkedIn, linkedin.com/in/millennial expert Asia. So these are the three main ways, or of course, if you want to just email me, just come to my website.

Yasi: Okay. Great. Yeah, thank you so much for being here. Uh, we, I really shared a lot of, uh, traits as well. You described as a millennial, I’m sure. Hundreds and thousands of people out there as well. And I’m sure that the book will be really helpful to give us more clarity and guidance to find. Well, we want you life and to achieve that.

Vivek: Yes. I really hope that it does. I think that’s lost in a lot of us. That is, um, it’s not being Impala. They’re not being empowered. So people just give up the, they don’t play to their dreams and they’re not happy in their lives. And it makes me wonder like why live life? If you’re not really. Happy about it, right.

That’s the heat’s predation behind it. So yeah, I really do hope that it reaches as many people, hopefully with this podcast and all the others. Right. More people get to read the book and, you know, uh, get inspired by indeed. 

Yasi: Yeah. Thank you for being here. 

Vivek: Thank you Yasi.