Much of what EMS leaders believe about millennials is wrong

Rom Duckworth, paramedic, fire captain and EMS coordinator, believes that millennials are often misunderstood and mischaracterized by their supervisors. Duckworth believes EMS agencies might better leverage and best utilize the millennials in their organizations by recognizing their interests and reframing generalizations about millennials in a positive way. 

Memorable quote about millennials

"We are really throwing away a fantastic resource. We should really treasure these people that want to move up into (leadership) positions that one day they are going to need to fill." 

Questions about leading millennials 

Gather a group of leaders in your organization to watch this video. After you listen to Duckworth and the commentary from EMS1 columnist Chris Cebollero discuss these questions. 

1. What are we doing to embrace the aspirations of millennials to learn and practice leadership? What else can we do? 

2. How can we best take advantage of millennial's use of and interest in technology and social networks for organizational communication? 

3. What aspects of your organization's culture push away millennial applicants or make it difficult to retain millennials that are hired? Are you willing to change those traditions and policies? Why or why not? 

Share your answers and experiences with millennials in the comments.