The number eleven myth about Generation Y is that they don't respect their elders.

That's not true. They do respect their elders.

Remember, Generation X may have been the great unsupervised generation. We turned the latchkey into a metaphor. But Generation Y is the great over-supervised generation. They've been guided, directed, supported and coached every step of the way by parents teachers and counselors since the day they were born. They love grown-ups.

But respect is not the same thing as deference to Generation Y. Remember, throughout their lives many Gen Yers have been treated by older more experienced people with a great deal of respect themselves. Their thoughts, words and actions have been regarded as important. They are used to having mutual, reciprocal relationships with older more experienced people.

They know you bring a lot to the table but they feel they bring a lot to the table, too.