Gen Yers lack confidence, behave like idiots
After a Gen Y talk recently, an audience member shared an interesting story that went something like this: He — an Xer — was running late for a meeting, and he called down to tell the other employees, all younger, to start without him. Only nobody answered. So, thinking the line was tied up, he ran down to the room, only to find the seven Yers looking at each other, evidently unsure of what to do in the presence of a ringing phone.
Now there are a lot of reasons for this behavior, not the least of which might be stupidity, but I think it may have more to do with something that’s been obsessing me lately: confidence. For all the talk of our narcissism and unrealistic expectations, we also seem to lack a certain go-it-alone bravado that’s characterized many great leaders — bravado that just can’t be cultivated when you have a whole universe of parents, coaches, nannies, teammates and Facebook friends ready to rescue you at a moment’s notice. Like any toddler whose mother runs to him every time he falls, we’ve just learned to cry for help (really loudly), not pick ourselves up.
Gig reader Keith V., a 37-year-old father of four and law student who wrote in about his recent observations of the Yers in his classes, has noticed this, too. “You guys are more skilled and know more than your parents now,” he says. “The only thing you [lack] is confidence. For example, last night in my litigation course, my professor (a baby boomer)…confessed that he didn’t know what a motion in limine was until five years out of law school. A girl in my class (probably about 25) had already done one as an advocate, but had to be coaxed to offer this.” And asked the same evening if they’d ever seen an oral argument, something they’d all witnessed in their legal writing class, nary a peep was heard. Until Keith raised his hand to say they had — after which, of course, everyone chimed in to agree.
One might think that, for students who’ve decided to invest tens of thousands of dollars in law school, it might be worth it to, say, speak up in class and engage in the education they’ve probably paid through the nose for. But as many recent grads could tell you, law school and other graduate work, while obviously valuable, has also for some Yers become just another way of holding the real world — and the purportedly lonely and cutthroat corporate America — at bay. (As a close friend put it to my little sister recently, “You could always just get a PhD to buy some time till you’re 30.” And she’s not wrong; there are definitely people who think this way.)
What is that about, if not confidence? At least that’s what the folks at Hayden-Wilder, a firm that counsels recently minted college grads and rising seniors through the entry-level job search, told me when I spoke to them last year about the emerging Gen Y persona. “These young people don’t understand that they need to distinguish themselves,” says D.A. Hayden. “It’s almost wrong to reach out and say, ‘I’m a leader,’ They’re trained to work in teams — in school, in extracurriculars — they travel in groups of people, they don’t date singly. Everything is in this touchy-feely team environment. That’s all fine and merry when you’re a very junior candidate, but when you start moving up through the ranks, you have to put a stake in the ground.”
But does this explain why those junior staffers didn’t pick up that ringing phone? Hayden thinks so: “This manifests in all sorts of ways, from not having focus to having hyper focus; to being in La-La Land about what they can and can’t do; to what they make in terms of money — some just want to make money, while others don’t care at all. All of that translates into confidence.” So while different Yers might exhibit seemingly opposite behaviors — for instance, one might be too eager while another may seem disinterested — both could be coming from the same feeling of fear and insecurity bred by never having had to be this self-sufficient or self-motivated before. “Because this generation has been so coddled,” says Michael Wilder, pointing to Yers’ ever-present boomer parents, “when they do have to make a decision on their own, they’re looking for affirmation. They have no basic experience to allow them to be confident about the decisions they’re making.”
Which means, it isn’t so much that the Yers can’t answer the phone, it’s that they’ve never had to. And if one of them had decided to take that insane risk and break away from his shrugging cohort, he may well have been labeling himself a rebel, show-off, know-it-all, or any number of other schoolyard slurs for life. In short, he would not have been a team-player. And what worse fate is there than that for this generation of extracurricular-activity-addicts? It’s a funny charge to level, I know, considering the aforementioned assessment of Yers as inherently egomaniacal teacher’s pets. But as anyone who went to elementary school can attest, for both the teacher’s pet and the loudmouth Yer, all that flailing around is often just a desperate attempt to distract from the qualities they don’t possess, be it grade-school social standing or grown-up work experience.
And we see these evasive tactics everywhere: Friends hiding behind “finding themselves,” going from job to job, or even going back to school for no reason other than that they’re afraid they won’t really be able to cut it in the working world. And that’s the trouble. Because how are we ever supposed to believe we can do something if we never actually do it on our own? (Or, to be a complete dork and quote Dr. Wayne, of Batman Begins fame, “Why do we fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves up.”)
It’s scary, but as Michael Wilder puts it, you have to “teach yourself to think like an individual.” Not like a “we,” or like your parents, your friends, your colleagues, or even your company. Just a you. It’s a start. And from there, your employer can begin to see you as an individual, too, instead of as a representative of an entire generation of people s/he doesn’t like much. Which then leads to more opportunities for you, the individual — opportunities that help you to … build your confidence!
Who knows? Before too long, you may even pick up the phone.
Do Gen Yers just need a hug? Or are they the egomaniacs they’ve been made out to be? Tell us what you think…
Gen Yers lack confidence, behave like idiots
After a Gen Y talk recently, an audience member shared an interesting story that went something like this: He — an Xer — was running late for a meeting, and he called down to tell the other employees, all younger, to start without him. Only nobody answered. So, thinking the line was tied up, he ran down to the room, only to find the seven Yers looking at each other, evidently unsure of what to do in the presence of a ringing phone.
Now there are a lot of reasons for this behavior, not the least of which might be stupidity, but I think it may have more to do with something that’s been obsessing me lately: confidence. For all the talk of our narcissism and unrealistic expectations, we also seem to lack a certain go-it-alone bravado that’s characterized many great leaders — bravado that just can’t be cultivated when you have a whole universe of parents, coaches, nannies, teammates and Facebook friends ready to rescue you at a moment’s notice. Like any toddler whose mother runs to him every time he falls, we’ve just learned to cry for help (really loudly), not pick ourselves up.
Gig reader Keith V., a 37-year-old father of four and law student who wrote in about his recent observations of the Yers in his classes, has noticed this, too. “You guys are more skilled and know more than your parents now,” he says. “The only thing you [lack] is confidence. For example, last night in my litigation course, my professor (a baby boomer)…confessed that he didn’t know what a motion in limine was until five years out of law school. A girl in my class (probably about 25) had already done one as an advocate, but had to be coaxed to offer this.” And asked the same evening if they’d ever seen an oral argument, something they’d all witnessed in their legal writing class, nary a peep was heard. Until Keith raised his hand to say they had — after which, of course, everyone chimed in to agree.
One might think that, for students who’ve decided to invest tens of thousands of dollars in law school, it might be worth it to, say, speak up in class and engage in the education they’ve probably paid through the nose for. But as many recent grads could tell you, law school and other graduate work, while obviously valuable, has also for some Yers become just another way of holding the real world — and the purportedly lonely and cutthroat corporate America — at bay. (As a close friend put it to my little sister recently, “You could always just get a PhD to buy some time till you’re 30.” And she’s not wrong; there are definitely people who think this way.)
What is that about, if not confidence? At least that’s what the folks at Hayden-Wilder, a firm that counsels recently minted college grads and rising seniors through the entry-level job search, told me when I spoke to them last year about the emerging Gen Y persona. “These young people don’t understand that they need to distinguish themselves,” says D.A. Hayden. “It’s almost wrong to reach out and say, ‘I’m a leader,’ They’re trained to work in teams — in school, in extracurriculars — they travel in groups of people, they don’t date singly. Everything is in this touchy-feely team environment. That’s all fine and merry when you’re a very junior candidate, but when you start moving up through the ranks, you have to put a stake in the ground.”
But does this explain why those junior staffers didn’t pick up that ringing phone? Hayden thinks so: “This manifests in all sorts of ways, from not having focus to having hyper focus; to being in La-La Land about what they can and can’t do; to what they make in terms of money — some just want to make money, while others don’t care at all. All of that translates into confidence.” So while different Yers might exhibit seemingly opposite behaviors — for instance, one might be too eager while another may seem disinterested — both could be coming from the same feeling of fear and insecurity bred by never having had to be this self-sufficient or self-motivated before. “Because this generation has been so coddled,” says Michael Wilder, pointing to Yers’ ever-present boomer parents, “when they do have to make a decision on their own, they’re looking for affirmation. They have no basic experience to allow them to be confident about the decisions they’re making.”
Which means, it isn’t so much that the Yers can’t answer the phone, it’s that they’ve never had to. And if one of them had decided to take that insane risk and break away from his shrugging cohort, he may well have been labeling himself a rebel, show-off, know-it-all, or any number of other schoolyard slurs for life. In short, he would not have been a team-player. And what worse fate is there than that for this generation of extracurricular-activity-addicts? It’s a funny charge to level, I know, considering the aforementioned assessment of Yers as inherently egomaniacal teacher’s pets. But as anyone who went to elementary school can attest, for both the teacher’s pet and the loudmouth Yer, all that flailing around is often just a desperate attempt to distract from the qualities they don’t possess, be it grade-school social standing or grown-up work experience.
And we see these evasive tactics everywhere: Friends hiding behind “finding themselves,” going from job to job, or even going back to school for no reason other than that they’re afraid they won’t really be able to cut it in the working world. And that’s the trouble. Because how are we ever supposed to believe we can do something if we never actually do it on our own? (Or, to be a complete dork and quote Dr. Wayne, of Batman Begins fame, “Why do we fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves up.”)
It’s scary, but as Michael Wilder puts it, you have to “teach yourself to think like an individual.” Not like a “we,” or like your parents, your friends, your colleagues, or even your company. Just a you. It’s a start. And from there, your employer can begin to see you as an individual, too, instead of as a representative of an entire generation of people s/he doesn’t like much. Which then leads to more opportunities for you, the individual — opportunities that help you to … build your confidence!
Who knows? Before too long, you may even pick up the phone.
Do Gen Yers just need a hug? Or are they the egomaniacs they’ve been made out to be? Tell us what you think…
Given their boss, who would rather stereotype an entire generation than simply ask his team why no one answered the phone, I’m guessing mediocre hiring is a better explanation.
I am 22 and am about to graduate from college. Some of this article rings true to me, especially from what I’ve seen in my classes. There was this one class I had called Consumer Behavior, an upper division marketing class. Marketers are known for being competitive, outgoing, and go-getters, yet in this class I felt like the only person that participated. When I talked to my professor about it, he agreed that all of his classes were like that; the majority of people in the class did not say a word.
To me, that was noticeable and I realized that I had an advantage by being outspoken and confident. I know that I have been extremely successful in my college career because I am truly confident in my abilities and am not afraid to express myself. Sometimes I get flack from people because I come off as arrogant or conceited, but I just feel like my generation is so afraid of standing out as an individual that when I do, it’s out of the ordinary. It’s interesting, because all I hear about Gen Yers is that they want to unique, but I see more conformity around me than I do uniqueness. *Shrugs* Hopefully it’s just a “college thing” and this too shall pass.
This is on target only if you take the very limited logic used. This logic is limited because it is based off of 2 variables, gen Y and the ones before. I am a 31 year man who has had a job since I was 16- the early years because I was told to, so don’t assume I had to ‘insert paid my way rant’. There is a certain truth to the fact that gen Yer’s are not confident. I feel, see, and have tasted this myself since I am right smack in the middle of being a Y or an X. Being the youngest of 3 boys, the oldest 41, I have been around my age group and my brothers’ age groups my whole life. I the 2 years after high school with people several years older as my counterparts, leaving a lasting impression on me. I see both sides. Gen Y- “go team go!” And they do tend to judge those who take charge- believe me. But this is true with every generation ever when you consider that MOST people are not leaders, most people are followers, and most people hesitate in any group discussion anywhere. The lack of leadership- thus confidence- is very evident though, but it seems to be a trend that has been coming down for a lot longer than a generation. More importantly it seems in our world of sitcoms and starbucks that events have not unfolded that require the real leaders to step up. That the day to day of ridged corporate life is just, well, boring and easy, and maybe Gen Y just needs a reality check on life. The greatest leaders come from the greatest circumstances, and filing reports in time or making the big sale, or offering the right motion in court at the right time, frankly are just not that big.
Just an opinion.
Same Story, Different Generation. I am a Gen Xer(39) and when we were coming up through the ranks they said we would fail, not motivated, ect. Ultimately all generations give in and “conform”, I mean afterall the hippies sold out. These kids will turn out fine!
I’m 27, being working for 4 yrs, this makes me laugh. I think the confidence issue depends if your bosses know who they are dealing with. With a company only have few Yers, our bosses don’t know what to do with us because we’re full of ideas, too many questions, want to make changes, love to share information, and believes that we’re important. While the older generations believe “knowledge is power”, either think we’re just kids or afraid to be replaced and not willing to share information. The traditional old fashioned treatment of the lack and only negative feedback was difficult handle. With the lack of information of what is expected and too many questions later, it is easy to look like we’re lack of confidence and behave like idiots. But the main issue is that Yers are use to seeing team goal, short term step by step procedure without end goal just doesn’t work. It is much easier to work in an environment that’s less traditional. People at work thinks us few Y-ers are from another planet still. Lucky you if you work with mostly people in their 20-30s.
I think that they haven’t been able to experience what it’s like to work for something themselves, so they don’t know how to do things for themselves. I see a lot fo Gen Yers that don’t have to work for a lot of things, and then when they do, they crumble under the pressure.. They are afraid to take a chance….
There’s some vague logic to this article. But the premise is ridiculous. Everyone has an upbringing that must be overcome — this article is just pandering to the lowest common denominator.
You need to proofread your messages before posting. That was horrid.
Mr 29 year old CFO. Did you not have your admin proof this prior to posting? What college did you make it through with that poor grammer. If you could let me know so I will make sure that is not one on the list when we start looking.
I’m 29, and to be honest I don t think the fact of being Y-er it’s reason to have or not a lack of confidence, there is no such thing like that, the lack of confidence doesn’t come from your b-day or because you don’t answer the phone.
Also, I don’t understand how baby boomers, early Gen X-ers, etc. can complain about it, if at the very end that was the people that teach us, we were not teached in college by a Gen Y-er, everything what we ear was, be a team player, don’t stand out, reach your team goals, etc. and then what? suddenly is it wrong because you can’t deal with the education you gave to us? Do I need to remember to boomers that they are our parents, teachers, bosses, etc…?
And for Dave, is not that we have unrealistic expectations, we don’t need to sleep in the office to get the work done (mostly of us), is not the fact of burn out in the office, but at the same time we were told be a team player, we were told that we can reach whatever we want… I have a six figure job, I ve been controller for 6 years and now I m Senior Finance Manager and VP for a fortune 500 … I am 29 .
I’m 52, the Mom of a 31, 19, and 12 year old. They’re all a bit different from each other; the two youngest are more teamates to their peers than the oldest – she was raised in the 80’s – so is a little more competitive and independent (or is it the #1 birth order?). I see all my children trying to connect with their co-workers/classmates on a more intense level than what I knew as a kid–maybe that’s because we (boomers) treated our kids the way we wish we had been treated in the 50’s and 60’s. We didn’t practically burn down the country in 1968 for nothing. We couldn’t stand the “establishment”; the thought of a future as a faceless, nameless worker drone for the rest of our working lives was sheer terror to us – “hell no, we won’t go” didn’t just apply to draftees.
Maybe our “kids” got something valuable from us after all – they seem to truly care about each other as human beings, co-workers and friends. What’s so bad about that? Maybe more teamates is what this poor old world really needs. Maybe they’re terrified of the future world they’re being handed and would rather face things together.
Is that really all that bad? Give ‘em a chance and a little info once in a while, and watch them run with it – do you really want to give them what we got? Speak when you’re spoken to, etc. No pats on the back, just kicks in the ass? The world’s already had enough of that. Give them a break.
Not picking up the phone can sometimes be the right decision, depending on the situation. The phone in one of the conference rooms where I work is always ringing or beeping, and everyone, including the higher-ups, ignores it. If somebody wanted to reach their colleagues at a meeting, a personal cell phone or a pager would be the best way.
That said, I find that some of the negative stereotypes about Gen Y are quite accurate, at least for me. I was a pampered only child. I’m very narcissistic and self-absorbed. (The mirror is my friend, sometimes.) Although I live in a different state from my parents and have a well-paying job, I still receive money from them and rely on them to make major decisions for me. I’m a bit more independent when it comes to my activities outside of work. In that respect I go my own way against my parents’ wishes, and possibly at the expense of my career. Professionally, however, I do not have the confidence to take charge of anything.
First off, I’m a boomer, born in 1954.
It’s hard to judge where one generation ends and another begins.
I looked in Wikipedia (how’s that for a boomer?) and the article implied that the oldest Gen Ys were born around 1989, putting them in the 18-19 age range. This means they probably aren’t yet working in a company with a ringing phone and aren’t yet in law school.
They could just be late Gen Xs, which could also explain their confusion and lack of confidence; they are Gen X by age, but Gen Y by habits.
PS) I’m a college professor who began teaching in 1979 and have successfully survived classes of (late) baby boomers and the entire Gen X.
Mentor,mentor and,oh yeah-mentor.I work in a high pressure public mental health field specializing in forensics. I received no training from my boomer managers- they just assumed I knew what to do. I was lucky to have four(!) mentors when I was working the streets. Once I was a manager mentoring stopped. Utter stupidity. So the Gen Y’s are a little gun shy- who wasn’t. As a Gen Xer I am constantly explaining and repairing the indifference of the boomers to my young charges. The kids in this article need hands on daily coaching. Period. There is no easy way out for managers especially in an era of instant communication but little personal contact. Stop whining and make a difference with actual effort. Email, memos and vmail only go so far. I manage by walking around. I manage three different generations the same way but with individual twists for effect. The manager whose staff couldn’t answer the phone is at fault. By the way if anyone wrote this before I apologize for the redundancy-I didn’t have time to read all the posts. People are people- they all need tailored help. Good comment about job personality- public mental health has the same issues.
I totally disagree with this perception of the Gen Yer. I’m 25 (born 1982), yet extremely independent. All of my friends born from 1978-1982 are also independent.
I’ve been in Corporate America since 2004…graduated with a BS in CIS in 2003. My experience, in a predominant workforce of baby boomers who’s not yet ready to retire or TRAIN/MENTOR new hires, is that they don’t really want “us” here. Some feel threaten by our creativity and awareness of new emerging technology. As a result, they are withholding information and refuse to share knowledge – FEAR OF BEING REPLACED BY “ME”! Now does this sound like a lack of confidence…No, its just reality. But why am I getting blamed, I’m not the one doing the firing….I actually want to learn from this generation! Hmmm, who is lacking confidence now?
My interpretation of the group not answering the phone is maybe they didn’t WANT TO ANSWER THE PHONE! That is…are they getting paid what they deserve? Not to be “high maintenance”, but are they getting recognized by the ideas presented to their projects or are they being overlooked by a manager who isn’t ready to accept such innovative solutions by a Gen Yer….Hmm?
If I was in the midst of that group, I also would’ve let the phone rang. Not because I’m incompetent or lack confidence, because I’m fed up with not being respected or challenged. Here you are the boss, late to your meeting! You want me to start the meeting without you….what would’ve been my acknowledgement? Let me answer for you – NOTHING! Again, its not about being “needy” its about EMPLOYEE MORALE! Companies think they can wave benefits in your face or a nice sign-on bonus in my bank account and then we will be satisfied for years on end…Wrong Answer! We are a generation who values our time and energy! We will not commit to a task, job, relationship that will not benefit us! Is that too much to ask for? Shoot, life isn’t promised 25 yrs from now….So I’m not going to wait until then to get recognized or have my time valued!
I believe the schools have not educated us properly about what to expect in this changing workforce. They allow us to think we will get paid all this money…so we graduate expecting such results. They just so happened to leave out the “pay your dues” concept or that the position we really want is going to take moving up levels and levels to achieve (that’s if you’re seeking after the popular Fortune 500 companies).
I do believe there is a need to work in Corporate America for some…but my friends and I are about making a significant difference and change! We’re not conforming to an organizational culture that doesn’t embrace our values. So we’re all becoming entrepreneurs! There is no longer job security or loyalty from employers…so why are we expected to burn ourselves out and drain ourselves of our creative notions. “I’m not sorry for not answering your phone. You should be on time for your meeting. You don’t pay or respect me enough!”
Again, this is my current situation. Maybe the more recent grads are getting more fulfilling jobs. Therefore, my attitude may not be identified by others. Just had to add my 2 cents!
Great Nathan so you basically are “one of us”, me being a part of Gen Y being born in 1988, and you seem to be fully backing this crazy stereotype.
The title itself is very offensive to me. Has the author never made an idiot move before? Clearly she has for forming these opinions and placing all of us into one cookie cutter shape.
I’m 20 years old and enrolled in a University Co-op program in Ontario. I am looking for a placement right now and with articles like this circulating I have a feeling it will be an uphill struggle to shake this stereotype. I’m not going to suggest Gen-Y has no faults, just as other generations cannot say they are perfect, but some understanding and patience will be much appreciated.
Maybe the phone incident has to do with the Y generation using mobile phones. People answer calls directed to their own personal phone. They don’t answer other people’s phones.
There is a level of truth in this just as there is a level of truth in all stereo-types. To me the problem is the same as with all stereo-tpye…the imphasis is on the negative and not on the positive. Buying into the negative and only the negative is a mistake for any company and it’s future.
Perhaps what is being described as a lack of confidence is simply a lack of social skills. The confidence is there, but it takes a while for it to emerge. It’s like a newly adopted shelter dog who takes a while before he starts barking at strangers. Until they establish their territory they are rather docile. Could it be that this generation has grown up with computers AND TV’s spending even less time building interpersonal skills??
Conceptually this blog was a good idea, but I’m afraid if it has done anything, it has convinced me there is no such thing as gen y.
It is one massive conclusion after another about a huge section of the population.
Using the logic that’s been displayed, this article you equally be about Xer’s being chronically late to meetings? Clearly this one Xer was behind.
I would say it’s now a valid conclusion that all Xer’s have no respect for other peoples time, and lack basic time management skills….
The topic of understanding the new wave of workers joining the working world had huge potential. Instead we chose to discuss office dating, and drew massive conclusions off third party stories.
I’m in my 50s. My generation was a big problem. We were disrepectful, lazy dopeheads. Our parents and grandparents saved us from Hitler and all we did to repay them was run away, live in communes, and try out that new birth control pill that was on the market. Now we lament about the youth and their failure to lead. I’ve asked my daughter to euthanize me before I become so old as to forget recent history.
Some of these observations could possibly be explained by looking the employment opportunities for different generations. During the time when the Baby Boomers were entering the workforce finding a career that fit your personality type and desired level of responsibility was probably a lot easier. If a person wanted to go with the flow, not stand out, and limit job responsibility he/she could most likely find a well paying blue collar job. Opportunities also existed for those who wanted careers with more challenge and responsibility. No matter what direction was taken there was a good chance that the individual could make a decent living, support a family, have outstanding health care benefits, and enjoy a decent pension. Today’s world is an all new game with all new rules.
For the younger generations of today there is great pressure to go to college and enter certain career fields. There is good reason for this pressure. The well paying blue collar jobs are a thing of the past. However, this can definitely lead workers/students to end up in situations that they would not have chosen if they had the same opportunities as their parents. A person that might have been content working at a stamping press in a manufacturing facility now might end up with a business degree resulting in a high pressure white collar job. I’m sure this happens.
I’m a 32 year old plant manager of a manufacturing facility. Most of the production workers are older than I am. Many will freely admit they like their job because it’s low stress and would never want the pressure and responsibility found in the ranks of management. These are often intelligent people that made a career choice that fit their personality. Unfortunately, this type of career choice rarely exists in today’s job market for a young person that wants a similar lifestyle as their parents. The result is younger generations finding themselves in careers they simply do not belong in. The same mix of personality types have always been around. What has changed is the job market. This is just my opinion. I may be wrong.
I could not disagree more with this article. Maybe the company this Gen Y-er works for need to consider who they hire. I myself, a recent college grad and Gen-Xer, consider myself and many people my age confident if not too confident for our own good. This article may hold truth, but to generalize and say that an entire generation lacks confidence is over the top. I am offended by this and maybe those a little older should get their pretentious noses out of the air, stop being so judgemental and realize they too were once young and inexperienced. If there is in fact a severe lack of confidence in the younger generations maybe we need to look at the root of the problem, not the individuals. The youth of today is not trusted – driving restrictions are increasing, heaven forbid we loose our inhibitions and have a sip of alcohol before we are 21, and toddlers are running around with leashes around their waists at the supermarket. If children are not given trust how can they be confident? I believe that todays younger generations are much more well rounded than predecessors and if a little lack of confidence is all that they think we lack well then I say kudos!
People are people. One of the jobs of the “elders” is to help young people by setting good examples, sharing knowledge and wisdom, mentoring, listening. Every “generation” has leaders and followers, confidence and timidity. Don’t fall into a trap of letting others pigeon-hole you.
What I think people fail to mention is that maybe older generations expect too much of the young and inexperienced generation Y. Too many 50+ year old boomers expect an inexperienced 22-23 year old to have MBA skills and experience of a 38 year old. Its youth and inexperience…nothing more
Wow. This is the most idiotic article I have read from this journal thus far. I am what you would call a “Gen Yer” although I don’t stereotype myself or other people in my age range as such. I consider myself a very independent woman and I have many friends and family in my same age range who show similar traits.
Maybe that manager from the beginning of the article has mis/micro-managed his team to the point that they are afraid to take any action, as simple as answering a telephone, without his written approval. I have had horrible bosses like this in the past, but moved on to more humane workplaces.
Before you blame an entire generation, why don’t you take a look at your own practices first.
I am torn on this one. On one hand I agree that we are a very confident bunch and that we are so determined and confident that we have created this veil of invincibility drapped around us that will alow us to take on the world with our eyes closed. But at the same time, I do see how we can be seen as timid and scared to do even the simple task as picking up a phone. And while I am not blaming any one thing, there are several factors that contribute to this. I was born smack dab in the middle in 1985, and since I popped out of my mommy I was being told to shoot for the stars, you can do anything, dream big, be all that you can be, and everyother motivational you are the future speech ever created…hence the feeling of invincibility. But I have also been accustomed to having my hand being held through everything! We were forced to walk in line, ask before you do anything, we cant even go to the bathroom on our own. So it can be expected that when a moment arises in which we have no one looking over us to tell us “yes you can do that” it is only natural for us “Y-ers” to freeze. But we cant use it as an excuse either, we eventually need to break out of this mindset and live up too our reputation of invincible super humans armed with cellphones, Ipods, and this crazy notion that we can actually do something to change the world…if its ok with our parents of course. 
Agree completely with Garrick.
It just so happens that the Gen Yers are in that phase of their life at the moment. The other differences are not about the people themselves, but the environment. Education is longer , there are more choices in a person’s line of work (and everything else), and information is everywhere.
Part of growing up is about getting through the FUD and figuring out what you want and how to accomplish it.
First of all, “message to Garcia” is a story about initiative which relates somewhat to this problem, but doesn’t really get to the heart of the matter. I don’t know what I am (born 1978), but this is definitely a problem in a what I more commonly refer to as the MTV generation. We, as a group, are more concerned about doing what’s popular than what’s right. Our own well-being currently outweighs our concern for our co-worker’s or subordinate’s welfare. What we fail to see is that our welfare is built on their success as the manager. We have painted ourselves into the corners of the specific responsibilities of our job and we are unwilling to make the leap and start influencing other aspects of our workplace. We are the reason that Lee Ioacoaca writes books called “Where have all the Leaders gone?”. We all aspire to be financial CEO giants like Warren Buffett, but we have no idea how to get there. We all want it though so, in our minds, we’re entitled to it tomorrow. Congress and the Fed can do anything they want, but periods like this are the times that breed leaders through only one thing: the confidence to get back up on the horse over and over again.
Hard to say. I am 52. I have a BA in polisci from Furman University, which in the main provided oral and written communication skills, and a great but fundamental understanding of all things governmental. After ten years of frustration in the workplace, “be a team player, keep your head down, DO NOT STAND OUT”, and watching twenty people fail at projects I could easily accomplish alone, I went back to school and got an mechanical engineering degree. Wow! Now, not only could I explain “something”, I could draw it also, spec it out, purchase parts, account, go into the shop and make, get in my car and deliver if I had to. The Catch? Honestly? As objectively as I can figure: the corporate world doesn’t like my competence. They like me personally, but they resent my ability. Quess what I am doing for a living? Have my own small biz, selling repossessed mobile homes.
My experience has been very similar. I am a baby boomer (1960) and many of the new hires don’t have realistic expectations. One they don’t work the hours (public accounting) and expect the benefits. A friend of mine in another firm told me how many of the new hires expect to work “a couple of years” and then get a cushy six figure job as a controller / CFO in the corporate world. Now I know when I was young my goal was to make over six figures but at least I knew it was going to take around 10 to 15 years of experience.
The knowledge and information the Yers excelled from the Xers have to be paid dearly by the massive exposures of extremely opinionated and judgmental public.
Weighing the risk and reward, ’silence is golden’ is proven to be more rewarding than being permanently judged. Nobody cares to give a pat in the back and says ‘everybody makes mistakes’ anymore
This is a horrible blog entry.
This has nothing to do with being Generation Yers. It has to do with a lack of confidence and experience that all young people go through. Is work that hard for a young person fresh out of college? Why has work become so “challenging” for this generation?
Nothing is hard about work. It is the same as it always was. The strong will take over and the weak will be used as pawns. This phenomenon has been going on since the beginning of time.
Hopefully, these young people will stay weak so that corporations can overwork them and underpay them for their cowardice.
“he may well have been labeling himself a rebel, show-off, know-it-all, or any number of other schoolyard slurs for life.”
Y people do not have a problem. The problem is created by articles like this and other labels that “professionals” insist on imposing on gorups of people.
To me there is just old, older, young and younger people. Stupid, smart, outgoing, shy, leaders and non-leaders.
If you categorize people into cohorts, and then look hard and closely enough, of course you are going to find a “trend”, characteristic, or regularity common to all. But you know what, the old lady at my apartment complex lacks confidence to speak up for the continuous malfunctioning of her heater. Is she an outlier? or has she been hanging out with the Ys too much? See MY point?
We now need to think of a label for the old ladies with lack of confidence, because they surely were not raised in the same environment as the Ys.
I’m not so sure about this. Here’s an article written in 1899 about this exact same problem. It’s called “A Message To Garcia.” I think it’s a bit too easy to call this a generational problem, which its really a humanity problem.
Uhhh… scratch my comment. According to Wikipedia, I am actually a generation XY cusper… or part of the mtv generation… LOL
I am a generation Yer myself and I agree somewhat with this article. In my own opinion, some of this lack of confidence is definately insecurity, but most has to do with always having to ask for permission to do anything! In school we had to raise our hands to go to the bathroom for crissakes. We were constantly told what to do and when… so this whole “taking charge” thing may be completely new to us. I know I am VERY timid in a lot of social situations… I can totally relate to the classroom example… but I think once us generation Yers get comfortable in a situation, it all changes and we speak out and can become “leaders”.
Interesting post. Funnily enough, I’ve experienced the ringing phone phenomenon as well. It’s like the Gen Y version of the bystander effect.
One thought regarding Y-ers being hesitant to “take charge” by making an important decision or expressing an unpopular opinion. We’ve grown up in a world of 24/7 news coverage, where every mistake a public personality makes is documented and discussed endlessly. On top of that, due to email, MySpace and Facebook even those of us who aren’t famous have every opinion and event preserved for posterity. Celebrities and politicians are expected to speak and act perfectly at all times, and can lose respect, sometimes permanently, even for a small miscue.
So, perhaps it’s no wonder that Gen Y has come to believe that it’s better to remain silent then to risk screwing up. If we make the wrong decision, or answer a question incorrectly, it’s documented for all to see. With only a few years of experience it’s hard to remember that mistakes are OK – even expected. You won’t be fired for them. Hopefully.
As a Gen X’er, IMHO, you Gen Y’ers just need a hug. About all that you’re lacking (to make a gross generalization) is just a little seasoning, a bit more world & life experience. You’ll be just fine.
Wow. This blog has so much pent up anger? disgust? towards Gen-Yers, I am amazed that Fortune took the time to post it. Some facts, stats, or any type of substance would make this so much more credible. This is a sham.
wow.
for the first time, i couldn’t disagree more.
this is so far and different from my experience as yer and what i have witnessed, i don’t really even know where to begin.
we may need to make up our stereotypical mind here. are yers egomaniacs that are too confident to settle for entry level positions, or are we too timid and meek to answer a phone?
call me crazy, but is there a possibility that these 7 either had another reason for not answering the phone, or perhaps not all 30 Million of us act the same way? just a thought.
in earlier writings we are said to be so confident that we can justify departing the career ladder for a few years to explore and enjoy life. but in this post we claim that we lack the confidence to venture out, and “hide behind finding ourselves”
if i am going to be able to swallow a massive sterotype assigned to me, it will at least have to be consistent.
I’m a part of the tweener generation between X and Y (I was born at the end of 1980). I can say without hesitation that most of the people my age and especially younger have a severe confidence problem. They may yell, scream, throw tantrems, etc. But what it always comes down to is that somebody else has always been there to help them. Asking them to do something on their own or to give an original thought/comment elicits a deer-in-the-headlights look and several seconds of silence. I’m not sure what most of them are afraid of, but I’m thankful for it every day. It makes me look that much better when I stick my neck out on the line and make a call that nobody else was willing to even attempt. Volunteering for projects, offering opinions (informed ones, not fluff) in meetings, and picking up the phone has done more for my career than any amount of teamwork and group think. At the end of the day, the top of any pyramid is a lonely place. If you ever want to get to the top, you have to be willing to go it alone sometimes.
Isn’t it possible that Gen Y’ers are merely suffering from being young? Doesn’t that typically include a lack of confidence? Give them a break, we’ve all been there.
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What started as a quirky Fortune cover story on Generation Y in 2007 has turned into a full-time job covering the fastest growing segment of the American workforce for Nadira A. Hira. But it's on The Gig that she's been able to speak directly to the much discussed, much maligned, and she thinks, very much underestimated Yers themselves, reflecting with them on everything from finding meaningful work to hiding meaningful body art. Herself a Yer, Hira has always been interested in engaging her peers, from her time writing for MTV News' Choose or Lose 2004 campaign, to her work spreading the Gen Y story as a speaker and television personality, from CNN to VH1 and back again. A recipient of the NewsBios 30 Under 30 award, showcasing business journalists on the rise, the would-be poet, sometime bartender, and professional sports fan, calls downtown Manhattan - and The Gig - home.
From an Xer: What this article fails to recognize is that the current structure of corporate America isn’t necessarily the right one, and it could very well be that an aversion to the “look at me”-type power struggles — the ones that work to help one distinguish oneself in that environment — is an early sign of a change in structure. The world’s going to belong to Yers one day, and they’ll reshape it in their image. They don’t need to force themselves into a dying generation’s work model.