Today, I saw a few people discussing a 60 Minutes segment on “The Millennials” or “Generation Y.”
While I’d seen the clip before, it did get my wheels turning a little bit when I saw some of the passionate responses to the video. Why such an outrage? It’s simple:
- 60 Minutes does not really entertain the general Gen Y audience. (They lose my interest at the outset with their name … It feels like watching this show is an hour-long commitment that I’m not willing to make. I may be the only one, but it’s just an observation.)
- The entire segment was positioned to say “Hey Baby Boomers, you can’t do anything to stop these crazy kids … look how crazy they are.” (Just watch the intro.)
- Morley Safer may have investigated, but wasn’t really pursuing an understanding of the perspective … he just gives advice on how to deal with Millennials in the work place. (And as Millennials, we are offended by the generalization … which is one of the points made in relating the generation to Mr. Rogers and being “special.”)
Before I really get into how I would explain my Generation Y mentality, I have to immortalize the most cynical line in the video:
While we’re having this delayed adolescence, are we getting behind as an economy and as a workforce because we’re just all playing computer games at work while we wait to grow up.
Wow. That’s a perfect example of the corporate mentality I choose to ignore with the help of computer games.
A Necessary Disclaimer
First, I will disclaim that my thoughts are not indicative of the collective Generation Y. Generation Y is marked by significant individuality, and you don’t have to look too far to see how “members” of the generation are actively pursuing their own voices … In fact, you are reading a medium of that pursuit right now. To build an analysis around a generalized idea of Millennials is to build a house on a flawed foundation.
An Interest in Meaning
I’m looking for meaning … professional meaning, spiritual meaning, personal meaning … I want to know that what I am doing is significant. It’s a backlash against the “this is how we do it because this is how it’s always been done” mentality. (Guy Kawasaki speaks to this mentality when he evaluates Western Union’s failure to evolve: They didn’t realize that “wiring money” via telegraph could essentially become obsolete as technology enabled people to find other means to money transfer, and now PayPal has significant control of the market.)
I’m always looking for a way to work smarter … to extract the intended results without the “needless” running around. If you rob me of my freedom/ability to do a project my way, I won’t be as invested in producing the best results. I want some kind of ownership in the situation. Praise isn’t the goal. Praise is a byproduct of doing significant work well.
That perspective, along with my lofty goals of money, power and fame may come across as selfish, but those driving forces certainly differentiate me from generations of twenty-somethings before me who were content with biding their time and doing as they were told only to see their kids taking advantage of the lack of passionate competition/opposition.
The Ego
I want to be known.
I’d actually feel comfortable in generalizing that feeling to my generation.
We want to be known.
We did grow up with Mr. Rogers, and a lot of us always heard that we are special and original and we can do anything we want. It was normal to think you were special. It’s like you walk into an In’n’Out and order a three-by-three “Animal Style” with well-done cheese fries and a Neapolitan shake … At least half of the people in the restaurant could have placed the same order, but because none of those items are actually on the published menu, you tell yourself that you are special, that you are an In’n’Out professional. You think “Let the Baby Boomers order a normal #2 … that’s why I’ll be taking their job (and their salary) within three years.”
Having that subconscious edge drives our desire to always be a step ahead, to confidently pursue the ambitious opportunities that are often written off as childish naivety.
It’s almost like we’ve seen older generations go through their mid-life crises, and we don’t want to waste a dozen years of our lives before answering those questions. Affirming our place in the world.
Each of us stands up and echoes in our own distinct fashion:
