42 DC VELOCITY AUGUST 2015 www.dcvelocity.com
WHENEVER SOME RICHLY EXPERIENCED FAC TO TUM BEGINS
a rant with, “Now, in my day ...,” it is all I can do to not jump into
his grille, screaming, “If your day has passed, what are you doing taking the chair of someone who might actually get something done?”
Sheesh!
The descent into senility is rapid, like the first plunge on a roller
coaster at Six Flags Over Dementia. It seems that the principal annoyance is the rising generation—its sass, lack of work ethic, absence of
common sense, and permeating self-absorption.
Never mind that this generational friction has been with us since
the beginning of recorded history; the insult and disrespect is fresh
and new to the Codger Cadre. The latest incar-
nation of imminent signs of the Apocalypse lies
within the so-called “Millennial Generation.”
In our supply chain management and logis-
tics Milky Way, a large chunk of the business
universe, the generational challenges and the
management of expectations and senses of enti-
tlement are real, looming, and becoming more
critical to survival, let alone to success.
THE RAP ON THE MILLENNIALS
Pop psychology maintains that each generation
presents its own set of identifying behaviors
and attitudes. The millennials are said (and I
really don’t know how much of this is harrumphing opinion of those
who know better than the rest of us, and how much is genuinely
research-based) to require or demand the following: immediate and
continuous feedback; rapid organizational elevation (with respect
to position and compensation); freedom and autonomy; a steady
stream of meaningful work; recognition and respect for insight, conclusions, and observations; technology tools, supporting continuous
multitasking; and collaborative leadership and acceptance of their
confidence and optimism.
They are often characterized as the “Why” Generation, or the
Trophy Generation. The conventional wisdom holds that they’ve
been conditioned to receive rewards for ordinary outcomes and that
they have not learned well how to lose or fail.
But here are three news flashes: The generational differences are
largely superficial. Research around style and preference assessment
BY ART VAN BODEGRAVEN AND
KENNETH B. ACKERMAN basictraining
We are all millennials now.
Or not.
tools shows that the basic categorizations and/
or reflections of the human brain’s wiring continue to identify the same distribution of styles
as they always have. Further, within any set of
generational attributes, significant numbers of
individuals do not map to the generalities usually
presented.
GREAT EXPECTATIONS
Much is made of unrealistic expectations and
an entitlement mentality in the current rising
generation. It could be time
to climb down from our high
horses. We—many, if not all—
are shackled by dependence
on entitlements and expectations as well. That’s right. Baby
boomers, gen “X,” traditionalists, millennials, and all. How
so, you ask?
Start with Social Security.
What began innocently as a
bailout for older folks, who
typically did not live much
longer than the eligibility date,
Then, look at Medicare, a sinkhole into which
dollars disappear to no particular purpose. That
is, the system is vulnerable to abuse both by users
who have no idea of what health care costs, and,
exponentially, by providers who do and really
know how to game the program. It has become
