Expanding possibilities

I recently came across this interesting article - ‘The "Millennials" are coming’ - about the new generation of graduates. This generation has really gotten that we are all, ultimately, working for ourselves and that what they want matters. Their upbringing, like the English public school system, is proving extremely effective for some ("the best workers ever") and a lot less effective for others.

Learning from feedback

Given the attention lavished on these children, it seems especially sad that the attention givers didn’t learn from the feedback available to them and modify their approach until they found what worked best for that particular individual. This is something we all need to learn to do for ourselves, our friends and family, and most especially, anyone with whom we have some kind of teaching/managing/coaching/leading/guidance role.

Hellicopter parents

Managing millenials is apparently challenging because, having been doted on all their lives, if they don’t get what they think they want, either the millennials leave or their parents (known as ‘helicopter parents’) intervene on their behalf. These parents may help to ensure that the outer circumstances of their child’s life are more comfortable, but they are also keeping their child from taking full responsibility for themselves - something that, in my experience, is key for health, happiness and real freedom.

Society’s ta blame

In fairness to the parents, they have a tough job. Their children have an unprecedented number of options and often benefit from guidance, as well as practical and often considerable financial assistance. This often includes the need to act as guarantor for rent or other payments by installment, such as those for self-funded training courses. If the young adults fail to make payments, the guarantors (often parents) have a legal obligation to bail them out.

To some extent, we have all contributed to this situation, even if only be default of going along with the current trends.

"having witnessed so many sacrifices by their parents to achieve middle class security has had a huge impact." quote from Millennials article

‘Be the change you want to see in the world.’ Ghandi

In addition to learning from feedback and responding to individuals and situations according to the real needs, rather than our pre-conceived ideas, the other way we can help the millennials, their parents and, indeed, ourselves and everyone else, is by living in a congruent, inspirational way, showing that is possible to be ‘grown up’, fully responsible for and true to oneself, and have a fantastic, interesting and fulfilling life which, almost as a bonus, tends to enhance the lives of others.

On a lighter note (it being August bank holiday) I found this video on the urge to conform hilarious.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 25th, 2008 at 11:12 am and is filed under co-creation. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.