By John Arenas | December 24, 2013

“Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great, you can be that generation” — Nelson Mandela

As a year-end tribute to a lost leader, we thought we’d reflect on some of the great Nelson Mandela’s wise words and how we can implement them into our  lives. This quote feels particularly poignant as we come into a new year.

In a recent post on Forbes, millennial writer Dan Schawbel contributed his annual work trends of the year report for 2014: Millennials will account for 36-percent of the American workforce next year, and with baby boomers retiring, that number will only grow. What will companies do to encourage them?

Millennials have gotten a lot of slack for work ethic, entitlement, ego, but the changing demographics in the workplace is already apparent—and it cannot be ignored. There is no denying that the progressive movement toward working remotely and working for oneself are strongly tied to those who are currently age 30, and as the workforce and workplace continue to shift, this is—and has already proven to be—a generation of entrepreneurs with ideas that can take us into the future.

We think that the workplace is on the brink of a major change—one that we think will be great—and it falls upon the newest generation to take us there.