I started this week off with a great Monday morning high. I had a perfectly toasted, honey wheat K Street Bagel and began to read through the Brazen Careerist email digest. I normally skim the headlines, pick out the ones that I’m really interested in and come back for a full read later on. One story featured in Fortune really got my blood boiling. I have to give writer Nadira Hira some credit, she really knows how to write some eye-catching headlines for her posts on The Gig: ” Gen Yers lack confidence, behave like idiots.”
First, if you haven’t read the story, please take a couple minutes to check it out. That said, let’s pick this thing apart.
Nadira begins by sharing the story of an Xer (Gen X member) who was running late for a meeting and called down to tell the Yers to start without him. Noone answered, so the Xer went down and found seven Yers looking at each other, “unsure of what to do in the presence of ringing phone.”
According to Nadira: “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.”
Nadira I think you’re a good writer, but on this point, I really couldn’t disagree with you more.
Yes, Yers generally like groups and team environments, but we can handle the responsibility when it is time to step up to the plate. Even if I were to accept the idea that Yers lack confidence when in Xer-dominated environments, anyone in the group knows that Yers aren’t have no trouble being leaders in their own groups. There was most definitely a reason why none of the seven Yers picked that phone up, and I think the most likely answer can be found in the Fast Company story by Made to Stick authors Dan Heath and Chip Heath, “Your Boss is a Monkey: ‘Managing up’ using the tricks of exotic-animal training”.
In this very nice read, the authors argue that by taking an approach with your boss that rewards behavior that you like, you will be able to effectively train your boss to interact with you in that way. Many bosses reward employees for behavior they like and actively punish them for behavior they don’t like, instead of allowing the punishment to be simply missing out on the opportunity for a reward.
Active punishment tends to train employees and knock the leader out of them, at least in Xer-dominated environments. I suspect that those seven Yers had been trained not to answer that phone. They knew what to do but probably had either experienced first hand or heard of potential repercussions for answering that phone in that setting. Sad scenario, but a possible one.
That’s just my take. Any thoughts?
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I partially agree with both you and the original author of the “Idiots” article.
First, Nadira wrote that Gen Y seems coddled. This is partly true, but misses out on an important point – a specific subculture of Gen Y is coddled. Just as not all Gen Xers have white collar jobs, a house in the suburbs, two kids, and an SUV, so too do Gen Yers not all conform to the coddled, passive mindset.
However, as there is that perception among older generations, it’s a situation we can’t just ignore. We must deal with it quickly and decisively when it arises, and then move on. This can be something as simple as taking charge when others are waffling (which I occasionally do at meetings, much to the surprise, and perhaps chagrin, of some of my older coworkers).
Second, with regard to reward-versus-punishment motivation, that’s a topic that has been discussed at length for many decades, if not centuries. My personal opinion is that positive reinforcement of behavior trumps punishment on most occasions, but that force is a necessary tool in the toolbox. Which tool you use should depend on what the person in question is most likely to respond well to.
Nadira’s article isn’t bad. But she does fall into the mistake of assuming why these Millennials acted the way they did in that conference room. On that note, I think it’s the same case with your assumption that they are reacting to a prior experience with the phone, or even something less specific.
We don’t know why this group of people didn’t answer that phone. We have anecdotal evidence and suppositions that abound, but we don’t know, and even speculating about the cause of their inaction is probably a waste of time.
I could think of a bunch of reasons why no one would have picked up a ringing phone, but I don’t think that’s really the issue here. The question is why is there the perception that Gen Y lacks confidence. I suspect it could be that this is a common issue with Millennials, but it could also be that there are better reasons for their actions than lack of confidence.
As a millennial, I’ve never been the type to not raise my hand in class or share my experiences. I have noticed that lots of people seem reluctant to share their own experiences. I suspect there is something more important at work here than a ‘lack of confidence.’
I can’t speak for everyone, but one of the trends that I’ve noticed in school and among my peers, is that authority figures are always telling us that we don’t have any real world experience, and that without that experience our thoughts and opinions don’t matter. I would hope we all know that this isn’t true, but it explains this perceived lack of confidence. I would postulate that it’s not lack of confidence at all, but lack of valuation. My peers have been told by teachers, parents, and bosses of the last couple generations that their words aren’t valuable without X or Y experience to back it up.
Two generations of people obsessed with the dogma of ‘the right way to do things’ is enough to make even the most self-confident person cease valuing their opinion.
There is no easy solution, but it’s a good start for millennials to value themselves even in comparison with boomers and xers, and for boomers and xers to value us truly.
Now, I didn’t agree with everything in Nadira’s article, but I also didn’t agree with everything in yours. I’m 22, right smack in the middle of Gen Y and I’ve noticed there is a lack of confidence in this segment. I have had to consistently and frequently step up as a leader in many situations, because no one else would. Maybe that just makes me a very strong and aggressive leader, but I also think that there are many people that ARE lacking the confidence necessary to put themselves out there. More Gen Yers are moving home after college… what is this about? We flee the coup to go to college only to delay the “real world” of responsibility and independence once we finish. Sure, maybe it’s masked as some going to save money and what not, but there’s something hidden there about this, something worth examining, an answer to the question, “Why are so many young people not enthusiastic about leading their own lives after a long and daunting career in college?”
For me, I couldn’t be MORE EXCITED to enter the so-called “real world.” I want it so badly and I want the best job out there, not move back with my parents.
The lack of confidence is noticeable, or at least, something similar to low self-esteem.
Thanks for the comments thus far.
Ben: I see your points, particularly the one reagrding the different tools in the box. I’m just not sure how many people get motivated by direct punishment. Is it the most evil thing in the world? No. But I do think it can lead to situations where people become afraid to step up.
Theo: You bring up a great point with what at times is made out to be the “all powerful Gen-X experience.” I can’t speak for all millenials, but I get the Gen-X experience thing and I respect…but I like to have my ideas heard and I like to experiment. You’re right, the valuation of opinion/confidence thing is not an easy fix.
Jamie: I’m not sure about confidence fully playing into things like moving home after college and trying to delay the real world. It could just be avoidance of responsibility and a bit of laziness, couldn’t it?