You might think that someone who wore a “Question Authority” button throughout college, as I did, would admire the way Millennials (aged 18-35) have challenged the established norms of workplace behavior – from dress and speech, to mentoring and delivering feedback, to benefits, compensation and policies. Yet, on occasion, I find myself irritated by the constant Millennial challenges. It was fine to question authority until I became authority.
By 2015, Millennials will replace me and my fellow Boomers as the dominant force in the workplace, so now is the time to understand their mindset. There is a great deal of research available on the subject of generational differences. In a nutshell, it tell us that each generation in the United States experienced “defining moments” during their formative years that shaped their core values, motivations and expectations of workplace behavior. These differences of perspective are important for ALL generations to understand in order to ensure harmony in the workplace. Boomers have much to teach the Millennials; but the Millennials have much to teach us as well.
Perhaps the greatest difference between us has to do with how we embrace technology. While it has always been true that workers need to develop technical skills—which vary from industry to industry, and to some extent, from employer to employer—the pace has accelerated exponentially. Older workers are resistant to this new fast-paced reality, approaching technology with a healthy dose of skepticism, considering the long-term consequences of change. Millennials, who do not know a time before cell phones, computers, or the Internet, are quite comfortable with constant change and learning new ways to do things. They unquestioningly embrace the latest technology without considering any possible ramifications. I suspect the integration of the two perspectives is likely to set the proper pace and ultimately serve our institutions well.
Technology also has created a great chasm in communication skills between the generations. Millennials grew up with 24-hour news, talk shows, social media and reality TV. As a result, they not only believe every fact, idea and opinion has a forum in which to be expressed, they also expect to be kept in the information loop at work. “Need to know” is a concept that does not resonate with them. Boomers are sometimes troubled by their lack of internal “edit” buttons when sharing and demanding information. Boomers never taught Millennials the oral and written communication skills acceptable in the business world and now we are irritated that they don’t know them. It is our job to tell them what is expected of them, but we must also be prepared to tell them why it is expected.
Technology may be a great tool to ensure we are understood, but it does very little to ensure we understand. The development of keen active listening skills, in combination with strong technical skills is the key to success for every generation. Once today’s workers can discern what their bosses, colleagues and clients need and expect from them, they can figure out a way to deliver it in a way that is aligned to meet the needs of everyone.
