4 “LIKES” from 2 Baby Boomers to Millennials
We have curiously observed the new generation of millennials as they entered the workforce and taken on their own persona.
We are both baby boomers. When we entered the workforce we were filled with hope and promise. It was a period of accelerated change that included the civil rights movement, anti-war protests, rock music, drug experimentation, and Woodstock. We were not deterred. We would be the generation that changed the world.
Our own careers were marked by the fall of the Berlin Wall, Affirmative Action, personal computers, the internet, multiple economic rises and falls, terrorism, and pleas to save the planet. We worked hard and we worked efficiently. Yet, somewhere along the way we, baby boomers, became the exact over-worked establishment that we had wanted to avoid without really shifting anything.
Along came the multitude of corporate scandals and we lost hope. Until now. We believe the millennials with their fresh and less skeptical perspectives are truly going to shift how we live and work.
So, based on that here are 4 things we “LIKE” about Millennials @ Work:
1. YOU align work and life priorities.
You are the first generation we have witnessed that truly “get it” and understand the value of being multidimensional.
2. YOU have ideas that give us hope.
You are changing how business happens. In your businesses, everyone has a voice, everyone is able to make decisions and there is virtually no hierarchy. Of course, we will not see the tipping point until many of the baby boomer generation and possibly the Gen X’ers have retired. Until then we hope you will continue to build communities, spread the word, learn and refine your ways.
3. YOU work with everyone, including us Baby Boomers.
We are about to enter into a 25 year drought (see Manpower 2014 Talent Shortage Survey) where skilled knowledge workers will be scarce. Millennials reach out and work with everyone. You’re inclusive and this will work to your advantage, especially if you keep reaching out and including everyone, especially us baby boomers–who were, after all, the most adaptable generation in history.
4. YOU realize the value of relationships AND technology.
You are the first generation to be born with the technology. You are the digital natives. We were the digital immigrants. It’s great to see how much you also value face to face relationships. As long as you continue to find more ways to connect and be in community, you will achieve a level of health and happiness that leads to strong and loving relationships that we think will be better than any generation before has reached. You know that it’s about “AND” not “OR”… Relationships AND Technology.
Here are three companies we have recently encountered that are being led by Milennials. They are doing interesting work with new business models for “profit and purpose”.
- Executive Stamina
- DMV.org
- Game Changers 500
What other organization are you aware of that are being led by the new generation, that are implementing new business models, and are in business for both “profit and purpose”?
