Every generation is, of course, different. We all have schisms with our parents, of some sort, whether it was playing loud rock
& roll music, wearing different hairstyles or making radically different lifestyle choices of one kind or another. This
is a wholly natural and mostly painless process that allows adolescent s to achieve a healthy separation from the parents while forming
their own distinctive identities.
Because some version of this generational bifurcation has been occurring for most of human
history, it isn’t particularly surprising that the apparently similar but, in truth, highly divergent separation of the Millennials
has gone not so much unnoticed as unrecognized for the cataclysmic shift it truly is.
The group of young people born between
1982 and 2001 are commonly referred to as Generation-Y or just Gen-Y. This nomenclature is unfortunate for several reasons,
not the least of which, is that it makes them sound somehow contiguous with, or worse yet, a derivative of Generation-X. Generation-X
was the population born between 1965 and 1982 subsequent to the end of the Baby Boom.
Gen-X was in most respects, more similar
to their Boomer parents than they were different. Gen-Y (more appropriately referred to as Millennials) are not only different
from the 2 previous generations but as significant a departure in every substantive regard as any generation in human history.
They could and perhaps rightly should be considered Human Beings version 2.0.
The nature and degree of the differences in generations
have become the focus of exhaustive research by both myself and many others. Because I am accountable for creating an effective
and harmonious work environment for Millennials, my experience of them has been somewhat different than those of parents, educators
or purely academic researchers.
While many aspects of their behavior may occur for older generations as something between
mildly disturbing and wildly alarming, they are in fact refreshing and in some ways frighteningly appropriate adaptations to the environment
that created them.
It is my great honor and privilege to serve as a sort of guide and interpreter for those who realize the value
of understanding them. At the same time, I have found myself as their de facto ombudsman convincing employers, educators and
parents that they are not damaged and need no repair.
This generation deserves to be embraced and encouraged where they
have been largely marginalized and maligned. Thank you for allowing me to introduce you to them.
