How many adjectives have you heard defining the Millennial generation? Lazy. Entitled. Arrogant. Narcissistic. The list goes on—and the characteristics are not normally associated with positive things.
Branded “THE ME, ME, ME GENERATION” by Time magazine author John Stein, it seems as if the future of American businesses will be determined by selfie-taking egotists. When asked to identify their biggest complaints about managing Millennials, Gen Xers and Baby Boomers agree on the top three complaints:
- They believe they’re entitled.
- They lack focus.
- They spend too much time on technology.
The truth is each generation entering the workforce brings with it a set of challenges—some of which are the same challenges as previous generations. In 1976, New York Magazine writer Tom Wolfe wrote an article called, “The ‘Me’ Decade and the Third Great Awakening,” critical of the Baby Boomers entering the workforce.
Time magazine also published an issue in 1990 called, “Twentysomething: Proceeding With Caution.” The article published 25 years ago included statements about Gen Xers like, “They have trouble making decisions. They crave entertainment, but their attention span is as short as one zap of a TV dial.” Sound familiar?
This is not a new phenomenon. Maybe it is time to think about the problem in a different light. In a 2010 paper entitled “It Is Developmental Me, Not Generation Me,” Brent W. Roberts. Grant Edmonds, and Emily Grijalva conclude Millennials are notmore narcissistic than previous generations; they are simply young.
It is important to identify which characteristics result from a stage of life, and which are enduring character traits. The tension leaders feel in the office is not necessarily a generational gap, but rather a developmental one. As each generation gains experience, they mature, and their expectations about life and work change.
With that in mind, the next time you feel frustrated with those “entitled Millennials”, maybe it is time to reach out and patiently invest in one’s growth—like someone probably did with you.
Want to get inside the mind of a millennial? Download our eBook, written by millennials working at Soderquist Leadership, to hear their take on some of the common questions people have about the millennial generation.
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