There’s no such thing as Gen Y
I had an interesting conversation with an intelligent gentleman, yesterday afternoon, who held the belief that Gen Y does not exist. We are, he said, “the same as any generation”.
Now I don’t like to be stereotyped on the basis of my age but I would sooner be Gen Y than merely the “same” as the old. Yet there’s always the option to perpetuate a more accurate describer – Gen We.
Y Generation We, not X or B.
That we are different is what we, Gen X & Boomers have in common. Each “generation” has in some way or form changed the status quo on those that came before, it will happen to us too. So this “generational” issue and blame game is more about people’s inability to adapt and accept differences than it is age.
Yes, ideally, people shouldn’t be stereotyped by age. Yet we are simply not that same, and somewhere a line has to be drawn to help us build a clearer understanding of our differences, so that we can all work together.
We have different attitudes and workplace expectations to the other generations.
- That I don’t want a 9 – 5 employee role does not mean that I’m lazy. I just know that my most productive work hours are from 10am – 3:00pm and 7pm – 1am but I’m happy to work 10+ hours to suit my lifestyle.
- That I constantly seek new challenges and ongoing feedback around expectations and performance, I know seems demanding and needy to some. But I grew up in a world that has taught me to be performance orientated and continuously improving.
- & sure, I’ve had more than 5 jobs in five years because I know what I want and if my plans can’t be achieved or my values respected then there’s no mutual benefit and it’s time to move on. I’m instinctive, goal orientated and I adapt quickly to change.
Same Planet, Worlds Apart
Back to yesterdays conversation. I can be a bit of the antagonist, when given cause to express my own beliefs. It’s the same characteristic that made becoming a lawyer the only career option I was ever advised to follow.
I wish I’d had access to more advice before pursuing that education path but oh well, live and learn. Thankfully, I’m not a lawyer and I’ve learnt lessons in tact so I simply asked:-
“OK. Do you use LinkedIn?”
“Yes,” he answered.
To which I replied, “I don’t”.
Point proven. We are not the same.
Worknow Community
If networking involves building connections amongst peers, then clearly LinkedIn has much more to offer the over 30 demographic. With millions of members LinkedIn is indeed a brilliant concept. Yet it is time to tailor the idea for a more entrepreneurial and lifestyle orientated generation.
Here at Worknow, we are gathering a community of talented people that seek new more collaborative and flexible ways to work together. Why? because we believe networking technology can help foster and harness the collective potential of existing communities and distributed groups but we simply don’t connect with LinkedIn