We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.
This is a bit of a gripe piece. I know when I was younger, there were people in the organization I worked who felt I was a cocky and outspoken employee. But I was effective and that allowed mobility, and I developed a good reputation over time. As time has gone on, younger people have moved up and I've noticed a considerable bit of 'ageism' on the part of younger folk, so forgive me if I engage a bit of my own.
Not too long ago, I was teaching a class within my company. I encourage Q&A, as well as comments and interruptions as long as they are on topic. At one point, a young man stopped me to ask, "Wouldn't we be better off if we just got rid of the older executives who don't understand new media, and started fresh from scratch?"
I smiled, and replied very simply, "No."
He took offense and commented that younger people knew more, were more adaptable, etc. I again smiled and said, "I know what you're thinking. I was there once, too. We do tend to think, when we're new to the workforce, that business is messed up and we know a better way. Frankly, we probably do when we're younger. But there are a few things lacking when we think this way. For example, experience and perspective. While I can understand you point of view, and to some degree you're correct, the reality is altogether different and it may take time to understand, let alone accept, this."
He was not happy with my response, and his interruptions eventually disrupted the class and we never finished. I had to speak with his director about his behavior. Eventually, he left the company to go with a smaller start-up firm. I hope he found what he was looking for.
However unusual his outspokenness was, his attitude was not. I've worked with the 'Gen Y' folks, otherwise known as 'Millenials' now for about 8 years now, and they are among the most difficult to work with that I've ever encountered. Full of good ideas? Sure, every new generation has good ideas. That's not the issue, though. I try to be a positive, forward-thinking ruler manager and I let each one know that my goal is to see everyone succeed somehow. Sometimes, unfortunately, that success means you have to leave the company you're working for.
A college classmate of mine, who runs her own company, recently told me how wonderful all these young people are, all so smart! I told her I must get the ones who have fallen off a turnip truck. It's not that they lack intelligence. Their problem is they don't like to engage thought and don't respect experience. I wind up giving them more direction and have to constantly praise them for work that's part of their everyday regimen. What impressed my old friend was how well they could 'communicate using new media', which is essential for her company. I laughed and said I knew how to use Facebook and Twitter, too. She told me I was just "being old." I doubt it. I remember what I was like when I was that young. Sure, I had some similar attitudes, and it took me longer than most my age to respect experience.
Another friend of mine hired one as a bookkeeper. He used QuickBooks for his small business, and after several months was told he owed the government $77,000 in back payroll taxes. My buddy looked at me in amazement as he told the story. After all, QuickBooks gives you a 'tickler' warning each month if a bill goes unpaid. For some reason, this youngster ignored or forgot to mention these bills needed to be paid for several months. To make matters worse, they asked for a raise at the same time. I believe this is known as 'chutzpah'.
I've heard people say every generation gets evaluated poorly by previous ones. I'm sure that's true to an extent. When the first Gen X'ers came through, I was not impressed. However, it wasn't long before my opinion changed. At worst, they were fast learners. After 8 years, the jury is still out on the current group.
Yes, it's a generalization. I like to try to avoid stereotypes whenever possible. I've met some who are excellent, ambitious, and hard-workers. But I find it difficult to work with the lack of independent thinking. Everything for them has to be laid out, step by step. Teams have to be formed. There's very little creativity or initiative.
My Executive Vice President put together a course that required classwork 2 days a month for 6 months. I was, by far, the oldest and most experienced person in the course. When it was finished, the program managers asked for feedback. I'm very close to one of the managers and provided her with 10 items which could potentially improve the coursework. One was to generate a sense of investment. The course didn't require us to accomplish anything specific, you couldn't be penalized for not taking part. I suggested this be remedied. She replied this was difficult with Millenials, since they don't expect to have to invest themselves. In fact, she pointed out, when she got feedback from the others in the class, the most common suggestion was "we needed more time to hang out, have a good time, and drink." Another suggestion was "the trip to California was great, there should be more trips."
Camaraderie was, undoubtedly, a goal of the class. Making connections within the company which you wouldn't ordinarily go out of your way to make was one way to generate new ideas and find ways to do your job more efficiently. From my standpoint the class was more than successful in this regard. However, that wasn't the only goal of the class, let alone the main goal.
Perhaps I'm too harsh on them. I really don't want to be the old guy, sitting on the porch and telling kids to get off my lawn. As I said, I know some young folk who are excellent, and I hired one fellow who is so good he's rocketed up the ranks. It's possible part of the problem is related to my inheriting a team, rather than hiring each one. I've inherited teams before, however, and this was never an issue I've faced. Maybe, like I did, they just need more experience and things will change. I hope that's what the real point is, but I have to be honest I'm not sure it is.
Thoughts On A Sunday
As Labor Day weekends go, this one has been pretty low key. Of course the iffy weather may have had something to do with it as it's been mostly cloudy, very humid, with pop-up thundershowers thrown in for good...
1. They are reluctant to make stark choices. They retreat into seeking consensus. It's not that they are afraid of making decisions, it's that consensus is somehow their security blanket. They would be poor platoon leaders.
2. My own experience with technology spans typewriters and carbon paper to laser scanners. It's all been OJT. To me tech and systems are better tools. To them, it's the solution to every problem.
As Labor Day weekends go, this one has been pretty low key. Of course the iffy weather may have had something to do with it as it's been mostly cloudy, very humid, with pop-up thundershowers thrown in for good...
Tracked: Sep 01, 16:11