Here’s a question: When exactly did “Talking ’bout my generation” turn into “Kids these days!”? When did the bird–once flung with such smoldering rage against “the man” –turn into a wagging finger at this current generation?
If you follow the media at all, this latest generation (aka The Dumbest Generation, if you believe Mark Bauerlein) is narcissistic, coddled, needy, overprogrammed, overprotected, can’t string together a sentence without omg, can’t utter a statement without “like”… the list goes on. Most of the complainers are we Boomers (who apparently were never narcissistic or needy), and most of the complaining zeroes in on how Millennials behave in the workplace–those flip-flop wearing, entitled kids who, as 60 Minutes intoned, want to roll in on Monday and be CEO by Friday.
But are they really that bad? Neil Howe, in his latest book with Reena Nadler, “Millennials in the Workplace” thinks not. Rather than adding to the media drumbeat about slackers and the self-indulged, he marshals the facts from numerous surveys and interviews with members of this generation (born 1982-2004), and in doing so rebuts the lazy echo chambers and paints a portrait of this generation that will not only surprise, but may just endear.
Howe is first and foremost a historian, and he brings a historian’s eye to the topic. Back in 2000, he and his coauthor at the time, William Strauss, coined the term “Millennials” to depict this 21st century generation in their book “Millennials Rising,” and he has since been deep inside this generation’s collective head. His latest book takes his singular talent for distilling the essence of a generation and applies it to the workforce. It’s an edifying (and optimistic) read–and employers and educators will surely want to add it to their shelves if they are to successfully adapt to the future.
So who are these so-called Millennials? In a word: boy scouts. “Trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent”–that’s the Boy Scout law, but it might as well be the oath for the Millennials. Well, not exactly, but close.
Howe, in fact, offers seven characteristics that define this generation just now coming full strength into the workforce (the oldest is 28). They are: special, sheltered, confident, team oriented, conventional, pressured, and achieving. The picture he paints is that of a somewhat square, openly earnest, a bit prudish bunch of middle-of-the-roaders. In a good way. They are, in other words, a lot like their “silent generation” grandparents.
Howe sets these traits within a continuum of generations, whose lives and identities are shaped by their moment in history–not to mention the generation immediately preceding them. Or as Christopher Hitchens put it in Hitch-22, “for what I once heard called, ‘the most contemptible solidarity of all: the generational.’”
It’s here we begin to see the constant push-pull of history. The Greatest Generation just wanted to get on with life after a wrenching war and economic depression. They had a new lease on life and were willing to take some risks in their quest to rebuild. They in turn spawned the “silent generation,” known for “the company man” and their safe conformity. In direct reaction, along came the Boomers, who questioned everything, from gender roles to institutions of every flavor, including marriage. If “The Deer Hunter,” or “Coming Home” were the movies that captured Boomers’ coming of age, Ang Lee’s “The Ice Storm” was the movie of their marriages. Restless, bored, and above all, ignoring their children, they created the disillusioned, cynical GenX.
And now, coming full circle, we have a return to the silent generation, Howe believes. Maybe not so silent–but certainly conventional planners with plenty of merit badges. And thus, back to the Boy Scout analogy. If Boy Scouts (and Girl Scouts for that matter) are anything, they are squeaky clean and conventional.
According to Howe, this generation yearns for security, in work and in life. They don’t want to job hop; they want a commitment. They like structure on the job, with clear-cut goals and regular feedback, but they also like a relaxed atmosphere (thus the flip-flops tag). They’d much rather trade a big salary for a good work-life balance. Raised in a pressure cooker of traveling soccer leagues, SAT prep tests and high-stakes internships, they are now fixated on low-risk, long-term planning (“Be prepared!” as the Boy Scout motto admonishes), which will, they hope, minimize any missteps. They also prefer collaboration over cut-throat competition on the job. They have faith in large institutions, including corporate America and government. As Howe says, “When they are asked who’s going to improve the schools, clean up the environment, and cut the crime rate, they respond–without irony–that it will be teachers, government, and the police.” They also believe in their collective power as a generation to make their communities and the world better. They are, above all, confident in their futures. God bless ‘em.
Howe parachutes these traits into the context of colleges and the workplace and offers advice to employers and educators on how to harness these characteristics. Take their much-vaulted confidence (or narcissism, as some see it). Unlike parents of GenXers, parents of Millennials invested heavily, both emotionally and financially, in their brood. Millennials have heard from the get-go that they are special. They’ve been told to believe in themselves, to aim high, and to not settle for less than their dream. While it can lead to complaints that kids today don’t keep their heads down and pay their dues, to Howe, the confidence manifests as a more positive thing: it energizes and conditions Millennials to set high standards and meet high expectations.
On the job, this translates into a perceived sense of entitlement. Gen-Xers “figure there must be something soft about a generation that expects so much from a mere ‘job’ or something idiotic about new employees who want to contribute so much,” says Howe. Boomers, in contrast, sulk because kids today aren’t paying their dues (because I had to..sniff, sniff). How ironic that Boomers have suddenly become their fathers: adversity builds character, young man; work purifies the soul.
Employers, rather than rolling their eyes and lecturing about impatience, should instead leverage that confidence, says Howe. They should let these young workers know their lofty goals are respected and that management will help them achieve those goals— “by giving them a whole lot of serious work to do.” They like challenge, with clear feedback. So give it to them. And don’t treat them like children. Remember, their parents included them in adult circles from early on. They’re used to adults and see no barriers between “elders” and themselves.
Howe isn’t all rose-colored glasses. For every trait, he points to a potential downside and how employers and educators can manage it. Because they are so confident, he notes, they can get a tad unrealistic. Their aspirations may not meet the realities of their “normal” skill set. Take education. Today, everyone seems to think they are college material, despite evidence suggesting otherwise. Educators, says Howe, need to more often temper Millennials’ optimism with a cold shower of realism. Not tough love per se–for pete’s sake don’t attack their optimism–but rather sound advice on career paths, for everyone. Tell the kid who is not cut out for law school that she could become a paralegal instead. It won’t kill her. Apprenticeships, career academies, job shadowing–all these things can bring the aspirations down to earth.
All in all, I came away from the book quite impressed and hopeful that this generation will indeed shake things up in the workforce, and maybe use their confidence and self-esteem to question old ways of doing things, demand new options, and create a more equal workforce than the one we have now.
I also came away worried that in this dire recession, some of these traits will meet headlong with the brick wall of “life.” Case in point: 92% of this generation, Howe says, believes that their success depends on their hard work alone (there’s that optimism and confidence again). This confidence was confirmed in a recent Heartland poll by Allstate/National Journal (see question 21 in this pdf of poll results, which finds 60% believe this to be true). This assumption might be sorely tested in a recession that is beyond their control, and that is laying off workers left and right. For too many workers, the idea that hard work alone will see you through has been laid bare by 10% unemployment, stagnating wages, disappearing benefits, and a ravaged worker-employer social contract. Corporate America is raking in the profits as they simultaneously scale back payrolls to satisfy shareholders, leaving millions of workers sidelined. They all work hard, too.
Of course, there remains the common complaint that books like these always paint with brushes that are too broad and tend to overstate the labels that are convenient to the authors’ points. Part of this is the push by publishers to have a simple, coherent message for the book. Part is human nature. We see want we want to see. Howe is a historian, and he no doubt believes history and its cousin, culture, play a big hand in shaping who we are. I do as well. Others are psychologists and think that our interior, personal histories shape who we are. Still others are biologists and think nature shapes who we are. Most in fact, think it’s a combination of all these things. And that’s the crux. Life is complex. Not every GenXer is a slacker. Not every Millennial is a high-esteem conventionalist. No one would argue that. But as people, we make sense of the world by mental short-cuts, including labels. Those labels get us into trouble, of course (all Jews are smart, all Minnesotans are nice), but they do serve their purpose. They help make sense of life. They help us see patterns. The Millennials likely have some overarching defining characteristics, as a whole, while still offering ample variety at the personal level.
Sure not all is rosy, and sure the Millennials have their faults. Howe will be the first to admit that. But he does offer a breath of fresh air in this tired “conversation” we are having about kids these days. Out of laziness we too often opt for the vantage point of smugness that comes naturally with age. As Kierkegaard has said of life, “one is condemned to live it forward and review it backward.” It leads to a knee-jerk finger-wag. Every generation has its naysayers and boosters. And every generation, I will wager, thinks the next one is going to be the one that destroys life as we know it. Books like Howe’s remind us that not all “kids these days” are self-indulged narcissists. In fact it is quite reassuring to read that the world is not going to end tomorrow and that we may yet get to don the plaid golf pants of retirement secure in the knowledge that Millennials will have our backs.
