A Crash Course in Understanding Generation Y
1. Hear me out.
These young adults have had a say in how things go since they were five. They expect to express themselves, to upload, vote, blog or update and they believe they’ll be heard.
2. Keep it real.
The only thing worse than being uncool is being unreal. They demand authenticity. Anything that smells “plastic” is a turn-off. They value genuine people and leaders.
3. Let’s have fun.
They believe work and fun can be combined; they don’t want to separate the two. In fact, they may stop working midday to have fun and work again at midnight. It’s a continuum.
4. My way now.
They’ve not heard the word “no” very often growing up. As a student or new employee, they expect to get their way and don’t see why adults can’t understand their perspective.
5. Make it count.
They want to do things that matter. Meaning is as important as money at work. They don’t think small. They like projects that are very important and almost impossible.
6. Let me know.
They’re used to constant feedback. They got trophies on teams just for showing up. They got lots of kudos from parents for years and today want it instantly from their leaders.
7. Plug me in.
You already know this. They’re a connected generation. They can’t imagine a day without constant connection with friends. Technology is an appendage of their bodies.
8. Just do it.
Words that describe their world are immediacy and convenience. They’re not prone to waste a lot of time with committee red tape or protocol. Stuff should happen fast.
(from Tim Elmore's blog)
Are you a gen Y? Is this true? :)
A flower cannot blossom without sunshine, and man cannot live without love.
Freshness
2 comments:
Thanks for sharing. So how does knowing this actually prepare us to engage our fellow bros and sis who are Gen-Y? Especially if you are a leader yourself. Is the leadership generally ready to engage at Gen-Y at their level?
For me, to understand pple 'different' frm me (in this case, gen Y, though I aso see myself partly as one) is a process and not an overnight solution to any kind of problem resulting frm a generation gap. It takes willingness to want to be in their shoes. With this, the relationship will form naturally I believe. And it shldn't stop there, the moment we think we know something so well we are in danger of forming certain fixed perceptions which may not always be true. I think everyone is ready if they allow themselves. We need to learn to appreciate the differences and see the strengths from both generations. Allowing the fears of the unknown to prevent further action will just trap us frm moving forward.
Coming back to the question on the leadership, I think the relationship between a leader and the followers shldn't remain as one way, though it usually is so. A relationship is 2-way and both shld try to arrive at the same meeting point and it can only be done when Christ is in the center of the relationship. I can't speak for all but I can only speak for myself. The convictions need to strt at the individual level.
Thks for the question to stretch my thots :)Appreciate it! Keep it coming!
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