Millennials: Who Are They Really?

Send to Kindle

Growing up I remember the generations which controlled society in general and the workplace in particular were not too sure about us young folks. They had endured depression and world war. They worked hard and built businesses. When it came to this new generation though, they were pretty sure we would be the ruin of everything. After all, we were a bunch of young upstarts; lazy, long-haired hippie freaks. We were all high on drugs and just wanted to cause trouble.

But my generation, the Baby Boomers, didn’t all have long hair and weren’t all on drugs.

The same thing is happening as Baby Boomers, and to some extent, Generation Xers look at the Millennial Generation. Reading all the articles, books, and opinions of the huge number of experts (and everyone seems to be an expert on this subject) you certainly might come to believe that this new generation is a bunch of computer addicted children who expect to have everything their way while everyone else changes to fit their view of the world.

Actually, except for the computer part, that’s not unlike what my generation’s elders thought of us.

It won’t be long before these young upstarts are the majority of the workforce so it’s probably a good idea to understand who they really are. There are three things to know about the Millennial Generation that will make your life easier.

First, they’ve grown up in a world where more information flows much faster than ever before. What used to be water cooler conversations are now on the internet for everyone to see; and they seem to gain more credibility, whether deserved or not. They have access to much more information than ever before and some of it is actually correct.

Second, the differences in the Millennial Generation are in large part brought on by the very people who now condemn them as not ready for the workplace. My generation was expected to learn from our elders and comply with their rules, at least for a while. Millennials were more likely to be raised to question, and often flaunt their elder’s rules and experience and often it seems we try to conform to their ways.

Third, and most importantly, the Millennial Generation is diverse. They’ve grown up in many different situations with vastly different parenting and youthful experiences. That means that all this talk about how the Millennial Generation “is” might be completely wrong for the young person you just hired.

All that simply means the Millennial Generation, like all those before them, are what we have made them. And that means they will be what we help them become. So, quit worrying about what the Millennial Generation is and start learning who your workers really are.

Learn more about leading the different generations Balancing the Generations: A Leader’s Guide to the Complex, Multi-Generational, 21^st Century Workplace.