11 Brutal Truths Every Baby

Boomer Needs to Hear

(Written by a Millennial)
Somebody has to say it ...

By Nicolas Cole

Contributor, Inc.com@Nicolascole77

35 COMMENTS
CREDIT: Getty Images

Millennials aren't a demographic. They're a trending topic.

Just like the internet, we, the generation birthed in the same era, seem to
have adopted a reputation for disrupting modern civilization.
We are, like the internet, both helpful and annoying, forward thinking and
yet disruptive, go-getters and self-entitled, etc.

Let me add that I have an extreme amount of respect for those who have
come before me--and I would be incredibly naive to think that I, in my 20s,
have somehow surpassed those who have clearly seen more of the world.
This is by no means an attempt to dethrone or condemn older
generations, but instead, to shed some light on our own.

We were born and raised in a different time.

1. We grew up in a world where

anything and everything is possible.
What you are exposed to as a child shapes so much of who you ultimately
become. Imagine being a 7-year-old and sitting in front of a computer on
which you could type anything you wanted into a search engine (Google)
and have it appear in front of you. To older generations, that was magic.
To us, it was normal. Please do not misconstrue our wild imaginations. It's
all we know.

2. We actually really do appreciate time

away from technology.
As much as it's believed that Millennials are screen addicts, trust that we
are as worried for the next generation as you are. At least for us, there
was that gap in our early years between VHS and Napster, when having
fun still consisted of, you know, going outside and playing in the grass. We
are not as immersed as you might think--and many of us hope to find
ways to help our own kids find a balance between the real and the digital.

3. We are not narcissistic. We just know

what works.
Since our modern-day world is ruled by digital social tools, we understand
the rules of the game. We know that people want to see people. And yet,
when we post about ourselves, we are slaughtered for being "narcissistic."
Go look up the definition of narcissism. While there is a gray area, posting
a selfie is not the same as being a true, evil narcissist. We just know
selfies get higher engagement. Chill.

4. You need us, just like we need you.

The generation gap is fascinating. The most prized spending
demographics lean younger, however, and to capture their attention you
need to speak their language. Older generations, the ones who own the
big companies and big brands, then need Millennials to help translate
those messages to the demographics they hope to target--and in turn, we,
as Millennials, need the older generations to help support our wild ideas.
And, statistically speaking, the older generations are the ones with the
funding. Can't we stop fighting and just work together?

5. We face a very different set of

challenges. Not easier or harder--
different.
You grew up in a time when you had access to only what was within your
proximity--which meant as the world expanded (and more rapidly with the
internet), you were left with a feeling of "I remember when things were
simple." We, on the other hand, grew up in an era when anything and
everything was accessible, all the time. Our issue is not "the world used to
be simple, and now it's expanding." Our issue is that the world and what
we have access to is expanding so fast, and we have no idea how to
create simplicity for ourselves.

We will never know what it was like to grow up in your time period, and
you will never know what it is like growing up in this one. One is not better
or worse. They are different--and it's on both parties to seek to understand
each other.

6. We are trying to learn from you. Do

not put us down for doing so.
Whenever studies come out saying that Millennials would rather work
fewer hours per week, would rather make less if it meant more personal
time, etc., the overwhelming consensus is that we are lazy. But what a lot
of people don't consider is that we have watched our own mothers and
fathers work their entire lives, slaving away for the American dream, only
to obtain the house with the picket fence and still be unhappy.

Instead of walking the same path and expecting a different result, many of
us want to try a different path and seek work-life balance.

7. Social media aren't good or bad. They

just "are."
Social and digital media are here--and they are only going to continue
growing and dominate more areas of life. When people say "It's ruining
society" or "Life was better before," that's wishful thinking. Just like some
days when I wish I was 9 again, and my biggest responsibility was
deciding whether I wanted macaroni and cheese or frozen pizza for lunch.
Digital media are here, and there is no going back. All we can do is
continue to adapt and move with them and learn as we go.

8. We are vocal about who we are and

whatever challenges we have gone
through because we want to help others
do the same.
Someone said to me once, "Twenty years ago, nobody said a word about
their mental health or opened up about their emotional baggage. Now,
you can't find a person under 30 who isn't proud of whatever it is they are
struggling with." The person said it as if this was a bad thing. As if we
were too vocal.

Personally, I don't see this as a negative at all--I see it as an overwhelming

positive. In some sense, I experienced this as an adolescent. I was very
sick, with undiagnosed celiac disease, and there wasn't a doctor in the
Midwest who could figure out what was wrong with me. I really didn't
know where to go for information.

Now? You search online for whatever it is you're struggling with, and you'll
come across message boards filled with other people who are going
through something similar. And if enough people are going through it,
someone (or the community as a whole) tends to step up to provide a
solution.

That's incredible.

9. We are motivated by things that are

emotionally satisfying.
I think this has less to do with our generation, actually, and more to do
with how our world is changing. More and more, older people, too, are
making career changes not geared around making more money but
focused on personal health, well-being, and fulfillment.

Some are motivated by money, sure, but in general most Millennials are
motivated by being part of something that is meaningful. Something that
speaks to the life they strive to lead, and what they believe to be fulfilling.
If you can cater to that, we will work endlessly to be part of it.

10. We have an incredible work ethic.

Speaking to No. 9 here, when we find something we love and that
connects with us emotionally, our work ethic is unrivaled. We are not the
"clock in and clock out" type. We would much rather (and often do) make
what we are doing part of our lifestyle, instead of seeing it as a
segmented portion of our day.

On the flip side, keep in mind that every time we open Instagram, we see
photo after photo of a 20-year-old model on a beach in Bali with the
caption, "Follow your heart and live the life of your dreams." Every
message around us (in 2016) speaks to living life on your own terms. Now,
it's our fault for wishing that to be true instead of putting in the hard work.
But it's also important that you learn what motivates Millennials and give
them a sense of purpose.

11. Our intentions are genuine.

Aside from our ADD and our instant-gratification-seeking and our inability
to comprehend why someone won't give us $500 million for our cotton
candy concept, we really do have the best intentions. The number of
young people who want to make a difference in this world and do
something positive, create a solution, solve a problem, bring people
together, and help those in need is astounding.

We might be misdirected sometimes, and we might not think in the same

"conventional" ways that you would, but that's kind of the point.

Otherwise, how else do you stumble upon anything new?

Op-Ed
How millennials should
deal with baby boomers
at work
Los Angeles Times

Ann Friedman
Advice on how to attract and manage millennial employees has become a
fixture of business journalism and corporate reports. Thanks to extensive
research, we know that millennials may come to the workplace with a
sense of entitlement, a tendency to overshare on social media, and
frankness verging on insubordination, as the New York Times explained
recently.

But what happens when baby boomers dominate your office culture? What
are the best practices for handling their Luddism and fragile egos?

In the absence of reliable intelligence and seminars on the topic,

millennials have had to invent coping mechanisms for working alongside
their elders. Because millennials according to many business-section
articles may be more comfortable on digital platforms than with face-to-
face communication, I asked them to share what they've learned via
Twitter. Respondents quoted below are all working professionals age 33 or
younger.

NEVER say, 'This is so easy.' Recognize that baby

boomers have a lot of fear and anger about
technology, and tread gently.
First, it's important to never assume that your baby-boomer colleagues,
born between 1946 and 1964, are unfamiliar with new technology. It's far
more likely that they've read about it, tried it once and decided they hate it.
Therefore, it's important not to offer a technology-based solution to every
workplace problem think old-school too. And don't talk to boomers as if
their methods (even the ancient ones) are stupid. Keep it constructive.
Suggest ways to optimize without remaking their entire process.

If you do find yourself demonstrating how to use a new digital tool, Chelsea
Reil suggested, NEVER say, This is so easy. Recognize that baby
boomers have a lot of fear and anger about technology, and tread gently
even in the midst of a reply-all disaster or an ill-advised joke about the
pointlessness of Instagram. As Christina McDermott explained, There are
people there who want to learn things like social media but don't have the
confidence.

In a boomer-majority office, it's often necessary to ignore mild but routine

sexism, cautioned many millennial women. Remember that some boomers
joined the workforce before anti-harassment policies were created. For
sexist transgressions that seem too small to take to HR, millennials may
want to establish a group text thread a safe space for venting.

Yes, millennials, Hillary Clinton is a feminist

On a similar note, studies show that boomer men are likely to

subconsciously favor younger employees who look like they do. Millennial
men will want to keep an eye out for this behavior, and recognize their
(unfair) comparative advantage.

If you're lucky enough to work with boomers who are concerned about
systemic sexism, racism, ableism, classism and other important -isms, you
may find that they're nevertheless confused about queer issues and can't
quite grasp the problem with so-called microaggressions. But don't mock
their clueless questions. At her last job, Elena Potter saw these queries as
educational opportunities: I wanted them to know it was safe to ask, and I
would guide them toward respectful language and understanding around
basic stuff.

Open communication and the occasional after-work beer or midday

coffee session is vital. Understand it's a learning process, McDermott
said. See what skills you can swap rather than chiding them for not 'getting
it.' Brittney McNamara agreed, adding, Listen to them and they will listen
to you.

Millennials may find that baby-boomer self-esteem has declined

precipitously in response to rapid societal change. It's difficult to deal with
that kind of emotional baggage when you're trying to get work done, but a
few solicitous questions go a long way. Imani Oakley advised, Ask them
how they did it baby boomers love to be heard and admired. April Quioh
has noticed that her boomer colleagues have a jones for humility, so it's
best to display a willingness to learn from them.

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It's also important to signal to your boomer colleagues that you're aware of
American history prior to 1990, without threatening their conviction that
lived experience is invaluable. Of course you've listened to Fleetwood Mac,
know who Richard Nixon is, and have heard that dad-joke about how This
must be the local! when the elevator stops at every floor. Instead of
insisting that you're already quite familiar with these cultural touchstones,
however, just chuckle gently or ask a follow-up question about Lindsey
Buckingham.

Restraint, millennials on Twitter agree, is indispensable, even when

boomers aren't showing any. Older colleagues may drop comments such as,
I have children your age! Under no circumstance should you point out
 that you have parents their age. Just smile and don't stop smiling for the
duration of your employment. If you are tempted to roll your eyes, carefully
fix your gaze on your computer until the feeling has passed. The modern
workplace functions best when employees of all ages are able to avoid
making a big deal about the comments that annoy them most. Headphones
help.

Finally, remind yourself, like Anne Brown, that you'll probably be old and
lame someday too. Or, as Tim Brack put it, remember that you'll be in
their shoes in the end... complaining about the latest generation.

Why are the baby boomers desperate to

make millennials hate ourselves?
Eleanor Robertson
New statistics from the Pew research centre show the youngest workers have totally
internalised the messaging of the luckiest generation in human history

Of the surveyed generations, Millennials had by far the lowest regard for
their own cohort. Photograph: Jon Hicks/Corbis

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Friday 4 September 2015 04.57 BSTLast modified on Thursday 27 October
2016 00.07 BST
Back in 1999 Chris Sidoti, then-head of the Australian Human Rights
Commission, called the baby boomers the most selfish generation in
history.

I dont think theres been a generation like this that has been so unwilling
to pay a fair share of taxation, he said.

Millennials see themselves as

greedy, self-absorbed and
wasteful, study finds
Read more

This week the Pew Research Centre released a report showing that just 24% of
millennials, defined as those born between 1981 and 1997, considered
themselves responsible, compared to 66% of boomers.

This pattern is repeated across a number of self-reported virtues: 27% of

millennials consider their generation self-reliant, just 17% consider
themselves moral, and 29% think were compassionate.

For baby boomers, those figures are much higher: 51%, 46% and 47%.

Of the surveyed generations, millennials had by far the lowest regard for
their own cohort. Asked to reflect on his comments in June this year, Sidoti
re-affirmed his opinions, saying that millennials are hard done by and
labouring under an enormous sense of pressure:

I see among the Gen Y and the millenials enormous levels of idealism and
community engagement but theyre under high pressure and its difficult if
not almost impossible for them to come near to the expectations placed
upon them.

Contrasting the Pew survey with Sidotis comments, a clear picture

emerges: western millennials believe that were failures immoral and
irresponsible. We believe were not proper adults. We believe were lazy and
self-absorbed. Basically, we believe what the baby boomers have told us.
Weve drunk their Kool-Aid.

Last October, on a similar theme, I wrote:

No wonder a quarter of young people are struggling with mental illness.
Born into a bizarro world controlled by baby boomers who have
comprehensively shafted us, its a credit to our resilience and adaptability
that weve managed to get this far at all.

Generation Y have every right

to be angry at baby boomers'
share of wealth
Greg Jericho

Read more

The boomer mentality goes like this: get a good education. Get a well-
paying full-time job. Find a stable partner. Buy a house and a car.
Preferably, have a child. Failing any stage of this process is a reflection of
your self-worth and indicates a lack of moral fibre.

With regional variations, millennials have absorbed our parents world

view. We consider these expectations reasonable, and we blame ourselves
for not living up to them.

Of course, its all a trick. The global conditions that enabled a middle-class
existence are evaporating, and are being replaced by an economic system
whose function is the transfer of wealth to the lucky few.

The boomer mentality has an odd amount of sticking power considering it

only briefly bore any relationship to reality. For thousands of years, wealth
has been concentrated in the hands of a select few, who have used this
power to exploit and oppress everyone else. The economist Thomas Piketty
writes that in all known societies, the bottom 50% of the population
has owned virtually nothing.

Globally, this is still true today. The situation grows ever worse. Knowing this
about human history, it seems profoundly delusional for the boomers, a
generation permitted a fleeting taste of a dignified existence, to believe this
occurred because of their superior work ethic.

Yet this is what boomers want us to think, and we oblige. Never mind that
none of it is true. Never mind that believing these toxic fictions is making
young people sick, sad and hopeless. Never mind that this is exactly the same
process that causes poor people of all ages to believe they are at fault for
their poverty.
And never mind that the point of this ideology is to discipline young
peoples behaviour through weaponised self-loathing. Instead of
demanding better, we engage in futile competition over crumbs. Instead of
questioning why life often feels meaningless, why we feel so alienated and
inadequate, we turn these beliefs inward. Instead of using this shared
experience to build solidarity with each other, we feel shame.

If all this is our own fault, whats the point?

But its not our fault. If were ashamed of ourselves, we lose sight of the
fundamental interdependence of human beings. We start to believe that
because were worthless, people with more owe us nothing. Crucially, we
perpetuate the problem by believing we have no responsibilities to those
less fortunate than us.

Confessions of a baby boomer:

we werent that lucky, but we
were stupid
Stephen Moss

Read more

Such a mentality makes us territorial, competitive and resentful. The

ultimate outcome is the intentional waste of human potential, so that the
tiny few who benefit may continue to do so.

Reading these latest statistics, its crucial that our generation millennials,
Gen Y, whatever we want to call ourselves abandons this preposterous
narrative. It is crucial that we acknowledge the socially determined nature
of human existence and stop believing that running faster on the hamster
wheel will get us anywhere different.

This is a myth that applied to a handful of people who grew up in the post-
war period, and at no other point in the history of humankind. The only
purpose it serves now is to legitimise the increasingly desperate situation in
which we find ourselves.

Since youre here

we have a small favour to ask. More people are reading the Guardian than
ever but far fewer are paying for it. And advertising revenues across the
media are falling fast. So you can see why we need to ask for your help. The
Guardian's independent, investigative journalism takes a lot of time, money
and hard work to produce. But we do it because we believe our perspective
matters because it might well be your perspective, too.

If everyone who reads our reporting, who likes it, helps to pay for it, our
future would be much more secure.

How baby boomers screwed their

kids and created millennial
impatience
Ambitious but easily distracted, Gen Y wants to be
good but can't stick to anything. It's their parents'
fault
SIMON SINEKSKIP TO COMMENTS

TOPICS: ADHD, BABY BOOMERS, BOOKS, EDITOR'S PICKS, GENERATION X, GENERATION Y, INTERNET
CULTURE,MILLENNIALS, TECHNOLOGY NEWS, BUSINESS NEWS

Lena Dunham and Laurie Simmons in "Tiny Furniture" (Credit: Submarine Entertainment)
Excerpted from "Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others
Dont"
This Be the Verse

They fuck you up, your mum and dad.

They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extra, just for you.
But they were fucked up in their turn
By fools in old-style hats and coats,
Who half the time were soppy-stern
And half at one anothers throats.
Man hands on misery to man.
It deepens like a coastal shelf.
Get out as early as you can,
And dont have any kids yourself.

Philip Larkins 1971 poem paints a bit of a dreary picture of parenting. But, sadly,
there is some truth in it. The period of Destructive Abundance in which we are
currently living is due in large part to the good intentions of our parents and their
parents before them.

The Greatest Generation, raised during the Great Depression and wartime rationing,
wanted to ensure that their children did not suffer or miss out on their youth as they
did. This is good. This is what all parents want for their children to avoid their
hardships and prosper. And so thats how the Boomers were raised to believe that
they shouldnt have to go without. Which, as a philosophy, is perfectly fine and
reasonable. But given the size of the generation and the abundance of resources
that surrounded them, the philosophy got a little distorted. When you consider the
rising wealth and affluence of their childhood, combined (for good reasons) with a
cynicism toward government in the 1970s, followed by the boom years of the 1980s
and 1990s, its easy to see how the Boomers earned their reputation as the Me
Generation. Me before We.

Putting the protection of ideas and wealth before the sharing of them is now
standard. A New Jersey-based accountant told me that he sees a clear difference
between his older clients and his younger ones. My older clients want to work within
the confines of the tax code to do what is fair, he explained. They are willing to
simply pay the tax they owe. The next generation spends lots of time looking to
exploit every loophole and nuance in the tax code to reduce their responsibility to as
little as possible.
When the Boomers started having children of their own, they raised their children to
be skeptical of those in charge. Dont let people get things from you if they arent
willing to compensate you for it, goes the thinking. Dont let anything stand in the
way of what you want. Again, all reasonable philosophies if the circumstances today
were the same as the 1960s and 1970s. But they arent. And so a few good ideas got
a little twisted for the Boomers kids.

Generations X and Y were taught to believe they could get whatever they want. Gen
X, growing up before the Internet, interpreted that lesson as putting your head down
and getting to work. An overlooked and forgotten generation, Gen Xers didnt really
rebel against anything or stand for much in their youth. Sure there was the Cold War,
but it was the nicer, gentler version of the Cold War that existed in the 1960s and
1970s. Gen Xers didnt grow up practicing drills at school in case of nuclear attack.
Growing up in the 1980s was a good life. The 1990s and the new millennium saw
even more boom years. Dot-com. E-commerce. E-mail. E-dating. Free overnight
shipping. No waiting. Get it now!

Generation Y is said to have a sense of entitlement. Many employers complain of the

demands their entry-level employees often make. But I, as one observer, do not
believe it is a sense of entitlement. This generation wants to work hard and is willing
to work hard. What we perceive as entitlement is, in fact, impatience. An impatience
driven by two things: First is a gross misunderstanding that things like success,
money or happiness come instantly. Even though our messages and books arrive the
same day we want them, our careers and fulfillment do not.

The second element is more unsettling. It is a result of a horrible short circuit to their
internal reward systems. These Gen Yers have grown up in a world in which huge
scale is normal, money is valued over service and technology is used to manage
relationships. The economic systems in which they have grown up, ones that
prioritize numbers over people, are blindly accepted, as if thats the way it has always
been. If steps are not taken to overcome or mitigate the quantity of abstractions in
their lives, in time they may be the biggest losers of their parents excess. And while
Gen Yers may be more affected by this short-circuiting because they grew up only in
this world, the fact is that none of us are immune.

The Distracted Generation

Imagine you are sitting on a plane flying at 35,000 feet and 525 miles per hour from
New York to Seattle. Its a calm flight. Theres no turbulence. Its a clear day and the
captain predicts that the whole flight will be a smooth one. Both the captain and the
copilot are seasoned pilots with many, many years of experience, and the aircraft is
equipped with the most modern avionics and warning systems. As required by the
FAA, both pilots fly the airlines simulator a few times a year to practice dealing with
various emergencies. A hundred miles away, in a dark room in a building with no
windows, sits an air traffic controller with ten years of experience looking down a
scope monitoring all the air traffic in his assigned sector. Your flight is currently in his
sector. Now imagine that the controller has his cell phone next to him. He is not
allowed to make calls while he is on duty, but he can send and receive text
messages or access his e-mail. Imagine that he can relay coordinates to a flight,
check his messages, relay coordinates to another flight, check his phone again.
Seems fair, right?

As plain as the nose is on my face, I am confident that the vast majority of us would
not be very comfortable with this scenario. We would prefer that that air traffic
controller check his e-mail or send his text messages during his breaks. I think we
would all feel much better if access to the Internet and a personal cell phone were
completely forbidden (which they are). Only because our lives are at stake do we see
this example as stark. So if we take the life and death part away, why would we think
that we can do our work, check our phones, write a paragraph, send a text, write
another paragraph, send another text, without the same damage to our ability to
concentrate? Generation Y thinks that, because they have grown up with all these
technologies, they are better at multitasking. I would venture to argue they are not
better at multitasking. What they are better at is being distracted.

According to a study at Northwestern University, the number of children and young

people diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) shot up 66
percent between 2000 and 2010. Why the sudden and huge spike in a frontal lobe
dysfunction over the course of a decade? The Centers for Disease Control defines
those with ADHD as often having trouble paying attention, controlling impulsive
behaviors (may act without thinking about what the result will be), or being overly
active. I would submit that this huge spike is not simply because more people have
ADHD than previous generations, though this could be true. Nor is it due to an
increase in the number of parents having their children tested, though this could also
be true. Though there are, of course, many genuine cases of ADHD, the sudden
spike may be the result of something as simple as misdiagnosis. What I believe is
likely happening, however, is that more young people are developing an addiction to
distraction. An entire generation has become addicted to the dopamine-producing
effects of text messages, e-mails and other online activities.

We know that sometimes our wires can get crossed and the wrong behaviors can be
incentivized. Someone who finds the dopamine- and serotonin-releasing effects of
alcohol as a teenager can become conditioned to look to alcohol to suppress
emotional pain instead of learning to look to people for support. This can show up
 later in life as alcoholism. In this same way, the dopamine-releasing effects of the
bing, buzz or flash of a cell phone feel good and create the desire and drive to repeat
the behavior that produces that feeling. Even if we are in the middle of something, it
feels good to check our phones immediately instead of waiting fifteen minutes to
complete our original task. Once addicted, the craving is insatiable. When the phone
dings while we are driving, we must look immediately to see who just sent us a text.
When we are trying to get some work done, and our phones vibrate across the desk,
we break concentration and have to look. If Boomers get their dopamine from goals
oriented around more and bigger, then Gen Y is getting their dopamine from
anything that satisfies faster or now. Cigarettes are out. Social media is in. Its the
drug of the twenty-first century. (At least people who smoke stand outside together.)

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Like alcoholism or drug addiction, this new disease is making our youngest
generation impatient at best, and, at worst, feel lonelier and more isolated than the
generations before. Where alcohol replaced trusting relationships as a coping
mechanism for teenagers who grew up to be alcoholics, so too are the positive
affirmations we get from social media and the virtual relationships we maintain
replacing real trusting relationships as coping mechanisms.

A side effect could be a generation that struggles to find happiness and fulfillment
even more than the generations that preceded them. Though there is a desire to do
good, their acculturated impatience means that few will commit time or effort to one
thing long enough to see the effect of service the thing we know gives a sense of
fulfillment. In doing research for this book, I kept meeting amazing, wonderful, smart,
driven and optimistic Gen Yers who were either disillusioned with their entry-level
jobs or quitting to find a new job that will allow me to make an impact in the world,
discounting the time and energy that is required to do it.

Its like they are standing at the foot of a mountain looking at the effect they want to
have or success they want to feel at the peak. There is nothing wrong with looking for
a faster way to scale the mountain. If they want to take a helicopter or invent a
climbing machine that gets them up there quicker, more power to them. What they
seem to fail to notice, however, is the mountain.

This see it and get it generation has an awareness of where they are standing and
they know where they want to get to; what they cant seem to understand is the
journey, the very time-consuming journey. They seem flummoxed when told that
things take time. They are happy to give lots of short bursts of energy and effort to
things, but commitment and grit come harder. Giving a lot of ones self to a small
number of things seems to have been replaced by giving a little bit of ones self to a
large number of things. This tendency is exemplified by the way many Gen Yers
respond to various social causes. They rallied to share the Kony video with their
friends. Many posted pictures of themselves in hoodies to support Trayvon Martin.
They texted donations to tsunami relief organizations. There is an intense excitement
to do good, to help, to support. Yet after the dopamine hit is felt, its on to the next.
Without giving any significant amount of time or energy, a generation comfortable
with abstraction has confused real commitment with symbolic gestures.

One brand that offers young, fashionable do-gooders the opportunity to do good
without actually doing anything is 1:Face. Customers can buy a watch in the color
that represents the cause of their choice, for example, white to stamp out hunger or
pink to stamp out breast cancer. According to the 1:Face Web site, an unspecified
portion of profits go to related charities. The problem is, ask the watch wearer what
good theyre doing and they will likely tell you they are helping to raise awareness.
Thats the Gen Y catchall. There is so much talk about awareness or driving the
conversation that weve failed to notice that talk doesnt solve problems; the
investment of time and energy by real human beings does. Justifying such
campaigns by saying they put pressure on others to do things only supports my
argument that we seem less inclined to offer our own time and energy to do what
needs to be done, insisting, rather, that others do it for us. It also reveals a limitation
of the Internet. An amazing vehicle for spreading information, the Web is great for
making people aware of the plight of others, but it is quite limited in its ability to
alleviate that plight. The plight of others is not a technology problem; its a human
one. And only humans can solve human problems.

As money replaced the expense of time and energy, now brands that offer people the
chance to do good by not actually doing anything replace service. Neither fulfills the
human need to do real, hard work for the benefit of others. Neither fulfills the
sacrifice requirements for serotonin or oxytocin. The dopamine drive for instant
gratification, at best, means we, as individuals, keep giving to various causes
without ever feeling any sense of belonging or lasting fulfillment. At worst, however,
feelings of loneliness and isolation can lead to dangerous antisocial behavior.

The Dire Scenario

Disappointed and disillusioned, Baby Boomers are killing themselves in greater

numbers than ever before. According to a 2013 study by the Centers for Disease
Control, suicide rates among Baby Boomers rose nearly 30 percent during the past
decade, making suicide one of the leading causes of death in that age group, behind
only cancer and heart disease. The biggest jump in suicides was among men in their
fifties this age group experienced a whopping 50 percent increase. With the
increase of suicides among Boomers, more people now die of suicide than from car
accidents.

Unless we do something, my fear is that it is going to get worse. The problem is that
in twenty to thirty years, when our youngest generation grows up and takes charge of
government and business, its members will have grown up using Facebook,
prescription drugs or online support groups as their primary coping mechanisms
rather than relying on real support groups: biological bonds of friendship and loving
relationships. I predict we will see a rise in depression, prescription drug abuse,
suicide and other anti-social behaviors.

In 1960, the number of notable school shootings was one. In the 1980s there were
27. The 1990s saw 58 school shootings, and from 2000 until 2012 there were 102
school shootings. This may seem crazy, but thats an increase of more than 10,000
percent in just over fifty years. More than 70 percent of the shooters in all the
shootings since 2000 were born after 1980, and a disturbingly high number were
around the age of fourteen or fifteen. Though some had diagnosed mental disorders,
all felt lonely, outcast and disassociated from their schools, communities or families.
In almost every case, these young murderers were either victims of bullying
themselves or felt ostracized because of their social awkwardness or history of family
troubles.

Sick gazelles are pushed to the edge of the herd, pushed out of the Circle of Safety,
so the lions might eat the weaker ones instead of the stronger ones. Our primitive
mammal brain leads us to the same conclusion. When we feel like we are outside a
Circle of Safety, with no sense of belonging and no sense that others love and care
for us, we feel out of control, abandoned and left for dead. And when we feel that
isolated, we become desperate.

Virtual relationships cant help solve this real problem. In fact, they could be making
the situation worse. People who spend excessive time on Facebook frequently
become depressed as they compare the perception of their lives with their perception
of the lives of others. A 2013 study by social psychologists at the University of
Michigan tracked the Facebook use of eighty-two young adults over a two-week
period. At the start of the study they rated how satisfied they were with their lives.
The researchers then checked in with the subjects every two hours, five times a day,
to see how they were feeling about themselves and also how much time they were
spending on Facebook. The more time they spent on Facebook since the last check-
in, the worse they felt. And at the end of the two weeks, the subjects who had spent
the most time overall on Facebook reported less satisfaction with their lives. Rather
than enhancing well-being, the study concluded, interacting with Facebook may
predict the opposite result for young adults it may undermine it.

So thats where we stand. The Me Generation, addicted to performance, dismantled

the controls that protect us from corporate abuses and stock market crashes. A
Distracted Generation, living in a world of abstraction, thinks it has ADHD but more
likely has a dopamine-fueled addiction to social media and cell phones. It would
seem we have reached the abyss. So what are we to do?

The good news is, we are our own best hope.

6 Key Principles For

Managing Millennials

by Chad Halvorsonin Articles, Managing Employees

Apr. 20, 2015 24,671 views10 comments
Millennials are that mysterious generation between the ages of 18
and 35, born after 1980, who have been given a reputation that
says they have an inborn distrust of hierarchy and bureaucracy, and
are prone to job-hopping. They want a secure job, but they arent
looking to make one job their lifes work. They are on track to being
the most educated generation, rising to meet a new knowledge-
based economy.

But is this reputation actually true? To manage your Millennial

employees, you must understand the group and how they compare
to other generations before them.

1. Work In Groups

Millennials have a reputation for crowdsourcing and they often do

tend to want to work in groups. But dont let that make you think that
they are unable to make decisions on their own. While they value
the input of a diverse group, they are still able to make decisions at
work without the constant input of others.

In an IBM study of Millennial workers, more than half said they

made better business decisions when there was a group of people
providing a variety of input. But Generation X response was even
higher. So if you are able to work with your Generation X
employees, Millennials shouldnt come as too much of a shock.

Millennials, like Generation X, believe their leaders are the most

qualified to make decisions. Baby Boomers seem to have a built-in
distrust and skepticism. Perhaps that is why they prefer to avoid
group decisions and are unconcerned about getting consensus on
their plan of action. They trust themselves to decide.

Key Takeaway: Millennial workers, like Gen X workers, want to

have a group consensus when it comes to decision making. As a
manager, you need to address this in two seemingly conflicting
ways:
 1. You need to value the importance of the group and instead of
laying down the law and dictating decisions that affect the whole
group, you must involve your team or at least show them why the
decision was made. Your team will work better if they feel that the
entire group is valued and is in it together.

2. You must treat each person as an individual. The group is made up

of individuals, not generational stereotypes. They may enjoy
working and deciding as a group, but we all want to be seen as
individuals.

2. Adept At Using Technology

Millennial employees stand out for having skill with technology. Not
only are they adept at using technology, but they prefer it. No other
generation has grown up steeped in technology like the Millennials
have, and so what is seen as optional or gadgetry for older
generations is a natural and required for Millennials.

Rather than sticking with what might seem outdated, Millennials will
try to inject updated technology and workflows. It will seem more
efficient to them even if older employees prefer the way its always
been done.

Oddly, though, Millennials crave in-person collaboration and abhor

the faceless vacuum that technology has brought. 60% of
Millennials prefer in-person collaboration rather than remote
technological solutions.

Not having known how it was before technology, Millennials are

beginning to push back against information overload and
technology. While older generations embraced telecommuting and
the freedom it provided from what they knew of work before,
Millennials grew up with telecommuting as the norm. They often
crave in-person connections. This explains the rise of nostalgia and
interest in old technology such as typewriters and film cameras.
Key Takeaway: Millennial workers are naturally fluent in
technology, and will adapt and adopt it into your workflow quickly.
As a manager, you must understand that:

1. Technology isnt novel. Its always been there. And just as older
generations leapt for new technology because it was something
they were not used to, Millennials may crave a sans-technology
approach in communication. Remember, people and connections are
important to them.

2. Not all technological changes suggested by Millennials will be

valuable. They may cause problems for the team. Mixing Millennials
and older generations will likely be a cause for compromise when it
comes to technology, and truly evaluating which tools can improve
efficiency and which ones will be an unnecessary roadblock for your
other workers is important.

3. Desire Regular Feedback

Millenials have a different social mindset, according to the Ivey

Business Journal. Weve talked a bit about that in the previous
points, but another aspect of that mindset is that they want
feedback on how they are doing, they want that feedback often, and
they want it right now.

This level of feedback meets their need to always be learning and

growing, but there is another reason why they desire more frequent
(and sometimes instant project-based feedback): they grew up with
the internet and social media, and are more familiar with instant
gratification and instant feedback than previous generations.
Previous generations have the mindset of getting the job done,
while Millennials require much more praise to encourage them to
continue. Their generation grew up with high expectations and,
along with that, near constant praise and affirmation at each stage.

While twice-yearly reviews might be enough for your other workers,

it is in this category that Millennials stand out and show how
different they are. Some Millennials may take the lack of reviews
and feedback to mean that they are not appreciated.

Key Takeaway: Not all of your team will want the same kind of
feedback that Millennials prefer. Provide your team the feedback
they need on an individual level. You can still have twice-a-year
reviews, but may need to provide informal feedback between that
for some.

Dr. Joanne G. Sujansky, CSP and Jan Ferri-Reed, Ph.D suggest

that you may also need to change how you approach negative
feedback when dealing with Millennials, couching it first in a positive
affirmation before addressing an issue that needs to be changed.
Additionally, you may want to create mentorship programs so
Millennials have direct access to near constant feedback and feel
they are valued.

4. They Are Motivated Differently

Millennials are motivated by a sense of progress, the opportunity to

be creative, and a sense that what they are doing matters.

While they may eschew, to some degree, traditional hierarchies,

you can create mid-level job titles to motivate Millennial workers.
Much like the different colored belts in martial arts, instead of the
traditional white, brown, and black, these smaller levels show that
improvement, though incremental, is happening. It shows your
Millennial workers that career progress is taking place.
Want to become a better manager to your millennial employees? Read the Epic
Guide To Managing Millennials In The Workplaceits a free ebook packed full
of actionable tips, tools, and processes on how to effectively motivate, retain,
praise, discipline, and understand employees that fall under the generational
umbrella known as millennials.
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Millennials have grown up in a maker-centric age in which creating

something is of utmost important. They are used to having answers
and information at their fingertips as well, and a simple online
search can provide them with complex answers to just about any
question. The speed at which they can find answers feeds into their
need to be creative. Remember, they grew up in a fast-paced
information age, and their attention span might be shorter (though it
might also explain their adeptness at multitasking).

You can also help your Millennial workers by explaining the vision of
your business. This is not a generation just happy to punch a
timecard and work for a few hours. They want to know that their
work matters in the scheme of things, that they are a part of
something larger. By explaining and illustrating the vision for your
business, you help them understand how they fit into that plan other
than just punching in and clocking hours.

Key Takeaway: Millennials are motivated by the prospect of

creativity, change, and social connections rather than typical
motivations of high salaries and moving up the ladder. They want to
feel fulfilled in their work. This provides a few challenges for
managers, with one key issue being that Millennials may feel
frustrated if their ideas dont seem to go anywhere, or take too long
to be acted on.

They do not have the patience for typical business hierarchies,

instead associating the speed at which they can research and solve
problems as the same speed in which change should occur. While
you cannot (and should not) always accommodate that fast pace,
put into place a mechanism where new ideas that the group deems
valuable do have an opportunity to go forward quickly. Their
creativity and the implementation of ideas feeds the sense that they
have value and are doing something that matters in your company.

5. Give Back To The Community

Millennials are concerned about giving back to the community.

A 2010 study by Pew Research Center found that Millennials were
more concerned with helping people in need than they were with
getting a high salary.
If you hope to attract and inspire millennials, you must offer them
more than the chance to earn a buck. You need to show that them
their work matters in the scheme of something larger than
themselves. One way to do this is to create programs and
opportunities for them to give back to the community. This might be
through time off to participate in charity events, through company-
sponsored events, or through a matched donation plan to the
organization of their choice.

Key Takeaway: Millennials want to feel that they are doing

something to help others. They want to work for a company that has
a reputation for caring about people and important causes, or at the
very least allows them to be active in supporting those causes
themselves.

6. Offer Flexibility

Millennials prefer more flexibility in how they do their job as well as

time (and acceptance) to pursue their own personal projects. This
doesnt simply translate into a 9-5 job that they can do at home;
they still prefer that in-person communication. Instead, it means
taking a new look at how a work day is composed.

A Griffith Insurance Education Foundation report on Millennial

research from 2011 found that Millennial workers will sacrifice pay if
it means that they have a better work and life balance. What this
means is that Millennials expect to have the option to adjust their
work schedule to fit their life rather than the other way around. They
prefer more vacation time (unlimited, if they can get it) and the
ability to work outside of the office.

Key Takeaway: With Millennial workers, their lives arent reshaped

to fit the job. Its the other way around. While not every job and
position can accommodate this level of flexibility, find ways to give
them that work and life balance so that they do not feel their
personal lives are sacrificed for the betterment of your company.
For example:

Encourage them to pursue outside projects and interests to prevent

burnout and negative feelings direct towards their position in your
company.

Let them design their own work hours at the office by setting up a
block of time when you want everyone there but letting each worker
determine how early they will come in and how late they will stay on
either side of that block of time.

Create seasonal hours in the summer where each employee has a

four-day work week, some with Mondays off, some with Fridays. Or,
let them create a four-day work week by working a longer day to
make up for the extra day.

The truth is that Millennials are not all that different from previous
generations in the most important aspects of work, including ethics,
habits, and teamwork. They sometimes get a bad reputation for
being lazy or self-centered, but that is not the case. That IBM study
reveals something remarkable: Millennials arent all that different
from previous generations, and are quite similar to Generation X. In
fact, if there was a generation that stood out as taking an unusual
approach to work, it would beBaby Boomers.

Ultimately, Millennials want to feel that their work and their place in
your business has meaning. Lynne Lancaster, co-author of When
Generations Collide, says it best: They want access to bosses, to be
mentored and coached, and for bosses to show an interest. When they
get ignored, they start to ask Why am I here?

Managing Generations: Baby Boomers

By Catherine Cantieri on August 8, 2011
 This is the third post in a series about how
to manage the four distinct generations currently in the workforce. We introduced
them in the first post: the Greatest Generation, born before 1945; the Baby
Boomers, born from 194664; Generation X, born from 196581 and the Millennials,
born from 198295.

The Baby Boomers have made a major impact on every aspect of life in America,
from politics to pop culture to work to the economy. In the late 60s and 70s, they
protested and partied, but in the 80s, they discovered work, and committed to it with
the same zeal with which they committed to everything else. If youre old enough to
remember the emergence of the term Yuppie, these are the folks were talking
about.

A brief sketch of the Baby Boomer generation:

Theyre very work-focused and very competitive. The sheer size of their
generation means theres always been lots of competition for the Boomers,
and that competitive spirit comes through in just about everything about them.

Theyre very committed to their work. Theyve seen a lot of change in society
and in their own families, so they tend to treat work as their source of stability
and security.

Theyre much less likely to save money than the previous generation. The
Boomers have embraced credit and borrowing, perhaps a little too
enthusiastically.

They tend to be optimistic and believe in the value of the individual.

Now, what are the best ways to manage members of this generation?

Give them something to believe in: Boomers love having a mission, so

provide a strong corporate mission for them to align themselves with.

Boomers also love having meetings, both for the interaction and for the
chance to impress others by offering valuable input (that competitive spirit
again).
 Speak to their belief in individual worth to motivate them: We need your
expertise on this or We really value the work youve done on this
Boomers appreciate personal attention, especially in one-on-one
communications.

Like the Greatest Generation before them, the Boomers dont need much in
the way of feedback. But their competitive drive would most definitely
appreciate a financial reward for a job well done.

For communications, this generation is more likely to use the phone than any
other generation. Since theres no written record of phone calls, though, be
sure to remind them of the next action steps at the end of each call.

Hidden benefits:

Although the Boomers value individuality, theyre also great team players,
possibly for the same reasons they love meetings: more chances to shine in a
group setting.

They work hard and tend to work efficiently. (Remember those bumper
stickers from the 80s: Work hard. Play hard.)

Theyre committed to their work and plan to stick around as long as they can.
This generation is completely changing the image of retirement years as a
time of leisure.

Potential downsides:

That commitment to their work can have the disastrous effect known as
burnout. Boomers might not want to take regular vacations, but you should
encourage them to do so.

Not everyone shares the Boomers love of meetings. Younger workers in

particular will bristle at what they perceive as death by meeting.

Younger workers might unknowingly offend Boomers by not giving them

undivided attention in person (checking messages in a meeting, for instance).

Another danger Boomers are facing is one they share with the generation before
them: unemployment. Workers over age 55 are reporting much longer and more
difficult job searches than younger workers. This difficulty in the job market,
combined with the Boomers competitive spirit and investment in their work, can
make long periods of unemployment especially hard for them. So when you hire
someone, we hope youll consider older workers as well as younger ones.

Next time: Put on your flannel shirts; its time for Generation X!

If you have any questions or comments about the series, so far, please dont hesitate
to let us know in the comments!
https://www.amazon.com/Baby-Boomer-Survival-Guide-
Retirement/dp/1630060003

101 baby boomers survival guide