The Problem With Gen Y
BusinessWeek.com offers up a scathing discussion of Gen Y in Getting to Know Gen Why. I’m no expert on Gen Y, but this article takes them out to the woodshed (had to throw in an old school saying).
What you hear is: “They don’t want to pay their dues, play by the rules, or give their best to any project unless they are sure it will get them a promotion, a raise, or some kind of recognition. And then if they aren’t totally happy, or if you look at them wrong, they’ll bolt for the next job!”
And this:
Today’s students memorize names, dates, and algebraic equations, but they graduate having no concept of the importance of showing up for work on time, dressing professionally, following instructions, bringing their best to work every day, etc.
To be fair, I truly agree with this one:
Many parents have coddled their kids, made excuses for their poor behavior and performance and focused far too much on their self-esteem. Today, every kid on a sports team gets a trophy for being on the team. They haven’t been taught how important real work is to success.
My son played soccer last year and the adults didn’t keep score (the kids did so in their heads). No matter how lopsided the score, the adults would say it ended up tied. I find this approach moronic. This approach forfeits many life lessons that are much tougher to learn at an older age. I would rather my kids learn some of these lessons during an insignificant soccer game instead of a later time - like their first job out of college.
Lastly, a good piece of advice concerning this young generation:
These kids are street smart and know they need lots of skills to impress their next employer and get to the next level, but they’re used to information being presented to them with high-speed graphics and an adrenaline rush. As you might imagine, training as it now stands must be completely reinvented.
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Posted By Derrick Moe | Communication, Generations, Team Management | |
Not sure who Eric Chester is taking out to the woodshed, Derrick. He is saying that Gen Y’ers are different, but seems to me he’s putting the burden on current management to learn more about them. He says, “The day you commit to understanding how they see the world is the day you begin to truly connect with them.”
We know Eric Chester (in fact, he’s the one who asked us to present the workshop in San Francisco that featured a blogger named Derrick Moe - so we know he’s an innovative thinker willing to take risks) and we know that his work is aimed not at chastising younger workers, but in getting our increasingly boxed in corporate “leaders” to break out of their preconceptions. As Eric says, “Realize that this generation isn’t bad, just different.”
It sometimes amuses me and sometimes irritates me when I hear Baby Boomers and Gen X’ers like me complain about salaried employees “not showing up on time.” Folks, if you’re paying your workers a salary, they’re being paid for outcomes and not for the number of hours they work.
And by the way, do you whine when they spend hours in the evenings and weekends keeping up with their work emails and voicemails on their company issued Blackberries?