Images Of Millennials Are So Misleading

If you want to get into a philosophical argument, we could say that while images do drive perception, perception also drives images. The old chicken versus egg argument.

So yes, these images are spot on for parts of Gen Y. They are also completely wrong for other parts. And until we stop trying to look for shortcuts in how to manage people, we are going to have to deal with both positive and negative imagery.

We don't need generational based management telling us what to do or not do. Need based management is actually much more sound and isn't dependent on the argument surrounding generational differences.

As a "Millennial" (I hate that term.), I must say one thing: this stuff is bunk.

First off, I remember when the suggestion of a Gen Y first began, and it started with the suggestion that all us '80s kids grew up on Barney. Well, given that I was 10 or 11 at the time, and all the Gen X people were in college or high school or whatever, I felt pretty left out, resentful, and like no one wanted to acknowledge a fairly large group of people--namely the kids of the baby boomers. Now I'm being subjected to the idea that I don't have nearly enough metal in my body, I'm not driven, and I'm always going to be 12? Seriously, my parents are in their 50s! Either admit that I've grown up or forget about asking me to pay for your nursing home and your Medicare gap coverage.

Just like ANY generation, in Gen Y, there are lazy people, less-than-intelligent people, and folks that should really get out of the gene pool for a myriad of reasons. But we're largely a group of intellegent young adults who just need a chance to put our skills to work. We got the computer thing down pat--we grew up with the IBM-Mac war and can generally navigate through both. We know how to act at work, but we've seen our parents work themselves half to death. So, yes, we take our breaks, our vacations, and the fact that a job is now largely a lifestyle choice very seriously. (Personally, I multitask out the wazoo because writing between 7:30 A.M. and 4:30 P.M. is ridiculous. You can't schedule writer's block or bursts of creativity.) When we see a need, we try to meet it. This isn't ADD, it's plugging holes in the business world.

And moreover, I think Millennials are more ready to recognize that they CANNOT change the world. We came of age with September 11th, the Iraq War, and a real quagmire of politics. We know that we can make small steps that add up, but we're not expecting miracles.

We temper cynicism with humor. We decorate out cubicles with red staplers. We take jobs we need so we can do the hobbies we love.

@KateNonymous: While there's still a few, very vocal people who act like idealism will save the whales and stop nuclear proliferation, if you look at the vast majority of older Gen Y members--you know, those of us who have left school and moved out on our own--we hold average jobs and buy our groceries where we can afford them. I've seen a few bratty Millennials, got into some heated arguements with them about the perceptual ramifications of crashing meetings to protest things that could have been addressed through more appropriate channels, mocked some for thinking that facial tatoos would enable them to work for an accounting firm. By and large, though, I think we're firmly in touch with reality.

I don't know. All I can really say that no one can argue with is that we've grown up, and it's about time that others recognized that, yes, we are entering the work force and we are capable of doing more than running photocopiers and getting coffee. Many of the "entry level jobs" available right now are low paying and have little promise of transferrable skills or promotion. It's hard to imagine moving into, say, advertising copy when all you're permitted to do is collate and staple for $10 per hour. I think the perception of Millennials as children is fueling such conditions.

Although I guess it might help our situation if Gen Y-ers were more concerned with working conditions than celebrity news.