I recently asked my newly minted masters’ degreed intern, “What are the top three requests that young college grads say they want from a prospective employer?” And what she said didn’t surprise me. They were:
1) Guidance and mentorship
2) Freedom to be innovative and creative
3) Equal respect towards ideas and input despite age difference
Contrary to the reputation that Millennials have of sometimes being uncommitted (i.e., propensity for job hopping); entitled (i.e., expecting a promotion after the 3-month probationary period is over); and needy—the “look at me!” generation who was raised with getting a trophy for simply participating, and not necessarily excelling or winning. As with any stereotypical assessments, obviously these traits are not true for all Millennials, nor are they necessarily pervasively true characteristics of this generation of young workers as a whole, or even limited to them. And, to the extent that some of these portraits are true, it is likely highly influenced by their parents’ behavior towards them (Baby Boomers [1946 – 1964] and Generation X [1965 to 1979]. Parents born in generations past have sometimes felt that they didn’t want to raise their children in lack, and—like our parents before us—wanted to provide a better life so that our children did not have to struggle. Statistic suggest that the Millennial generation will be the first to not do as well economically as their parents. What’s behind that? Sometimes, the lessons forged by having to work for everything one receives gets lost, and occasionally to the detriment of some young people’s work ethic and preparedness for the sometimes hard realities of life.
However, living in a capitalist society teaches us all the need for money to survive. And, unless one is born into money, then the need to work is non-negotiable. Middle and lower-income children are not always taught good money management, let alone how to manage their work lives and careers. That’s why it’s incumbent upon the larger work community to support the development of the workers who will come in after us, and in some instances, to replace us. The only constant is change and while there will always be a place for mature and seasoned workers in society—either through consulting, entrepreneurship, or mentorship—everyone in the workforce has a part to play.
So, please, let’s stop pointing fingers, stereotyping and making excuses, and start engaging with one another in meaningful ways for the betterment of society. We have to sit down and talk to one another and listen to what the other person is saying. Everyone’s opinions and thoughts have value, they just have to be applied appropriately.
What have you learned from the smart, engaged Millennials in your life, and how do we keep those conversations going?