Send to KindleWhat’s Wrong With This Generation?
What is wrong with this new generation? I just don’t understand what they’re thinking. They just want to have a good time. I worry about our future.
You’ve probably heard, or made these comments yourself. In fact, these are comments I heard growing up. I’ve also read similar remarks in older literature about generations that came before me. In a few years we’ll hear the Millennial Generation making similar comments about their own offspring.
I was recently at a church workshop where the leader was discussing the younger generation, of which he is a member. Someone in the group asked why the younger generations seem to be more willing to challenge, and even ignore what older generations consider well established authority and social norms.
It’s a good question, but the answer is a little uncomfortable, especially for us Baby Boomers. You see, we made them that way. If you’re a Boomer think back to your own youth. You probably questioned authority, rebelled against “the way things are,” and wanted to go your own way. There is a big difference though between then and now.
In our time, there were generations before us that gently nudged us, sometimes not so gently, to conform, at least somewhat, with their idea of what was right.
You might say they were leading. We weren’t quite as good at that.
It’s true that the Millennial Generation is very different. It’s also true that they are more successfully rebellious than generations before them. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t good people, full of outstanding potential.
I was listening to a business owner tell me how hard it was to find good Millennial Generation workers. He had a string of complaints. I asked him if he remembered his own first job. Was he perfect? Did a boss have to help him along? He agreed that was true and others had helped him.
That’s what being a good leader is all about – helping those we lead become better. The difference today is that young workers don’t always come to us with the basic skills we expect. Leaders must remember that they need to provide the assistance workers need, not just what they think workers should need.
So let’s help those new workers develop, just as past mentors helped us develop. The future belongs to the next generation, but it is shaped by the previous one.
