Millennials' Lived Work Experiences during the Shaping of Their Leadership Style: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study

Millennials are rapidly taking leadership positions, but few research studies have focused on Millennials in leadership roles, particularly focused on the shaping of their leadership styles existed. Therefore, this study filled a void in both generational and leadership theories. The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to explore how Millennials, as leaders in a Florida financial services corporation, described, and reflected on the workplace experiences that helped shape their leadership style. A purposive sampling of nine millennial participants in leadership roles, answered two research questions: How do Millennials describe the workplace experiences that may have their current leadership style? and how do Millennials interpret the workplace experiences that may have shaped their current leadership style? Two semistructured interviews captured data from each of the nine participants resulting in 18 transcripts. The hermeneutic circle was used to analyze data through a holistic reading, a selective reading, and a detailed line-by-line reading while making reflective notes on the transcript. Themes consisted of development, feedback, mentoring, and learning to answer question one and the reciprocal themes, developing others, giving feedback, mentoring others, and instilling learning answered question two. Additionally, findings consisted of strong servant leadership characteristics, and three traits that were important to them as leaders; honesty, openness, and transparency. Although generalizations in this type of study are not possible, additional studies around millennial leaders and the shaping of their leadership styles are warranted