Researchers love to study and report on the Millennial generation. Type Millennials in a Google search and you’ll find over 48 million links on the subject. Every single day new research studies announce a new perspective to shape your viewpoint about this generation.

One study says Millennials, as employees, lack loyalty because they job hop for higher pay. Another says Millennials, as investors, save more for retirement than any other young professional in history. Yet another study questions how Millennials, as consumers, spend their
discretionary income.

To help prove a point that an obsession on Millennial factoids can actually encumber how we think and judge, meet three professionals: Michael, Mary and Mitch. Who is the Millennial?

Meet Michael
Michael loves his job in sales working for a thriving, design and manufacturing firm. He’s dedicated and hardworking. He puts in extra hours when asked to help meet customer expectations. Michael has earned two promotions in his tenure with the company. He thinks often about a career move to increase his salary though. He remains with the firm, for now, because he respects his leadership and values their flexibility with work schedules.

Meet Mary
Mary is loved by everyone she interacts with in her job working for a software development company. She prides herself on strong project management skills and being responsive to her internal and external customers. She enthusiastically leads an employee group focused on community service in the local area. Since advancement is limited in her small company, she remains active on career search sites to stay abreast of opportunities to increase her income.

Meet Mitch
Mitch is in between jobs right now. His analyst position was recently eliminated during a restructure. He has been consistently employed for the past six years, including experience leading implementation projects and delivering to deadlines. He knows what he is looking for in an employer. He wants good wages with benefits. He wants the opportunity for career advancement. He wants a collaborative workplace environment. Self-employment is a longer-term goal for Mitch.

Do you know who is the Millennial? The answer is, they all are; and none of them are. The point is to take a deeper look at your presumptions.

Here’s a quick challenge: Using your own network of colleagues and professionals, identify a Millennial, a GenX and a Baby Boomer who represent Michael, Mary and Mitch? It’s eye opening, isn’t it? When we start accepting that the Millennial factor is not as confusing and controversial as the published studies want us to believe, organizations can create relevant and definable decision trees.

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Understanding the segmentations of Millennial research, and then tapping the most relevant segment, is one of the best ways your organization may learn to navigate a confusing dialogue around the Millennial generation.