Interesting commentary on the generation that is now knocking on the doors of our lodges. How does this compare with what we are seeing in our lodges?From USAToday:
Unlike the generations that have gone before them, Gen Y has been pampered, nurtured and programmed with a slew of activities since they were toddlers, meaning they are both high-performance and high-maintenance, Tulgan says. They also believe in their own worth.
"Generation Y is much less likely to respond to the traditional command-and-control type of management still popular in much of today's workforce," says Jordan Kaplan, an associate managerial science professor at Long Island University-Brooklyn in New York. "They've grown up questioning their parents, and now they're questioning their employers. They don't know how to shut up, which is great, but that's aggravating to the 50-year-old manager who says, 'Do it and do it now.' "…
Change, change, change. Generation Yers don't expect to stay in a job, or even a career, for too long…They don't like to stay too long on any one assignment. This is a generation of multitaskers, and they can juggle e-mail on their BlackBerrys while talking on cellphones while trolling online.
And they believe in their own self worth and value enough that they're not shy about trying to change the companies they work for. That compares somewhat with Gen X, a generation born from the mid-1960s to the late-1970s, known for its independent thinking, addiction to change and emphasis on family…
Gen Yers have grown up getting constant feedback and recognition from teachers, parents and coaches and can resent it or feel lost if communication from bosses isn't more regular.
"The millennium generation has been brought up in the most child-centered generation ever. They've been programmed and nurtured," says Cathy O'Neill, senior vice president at career management company Lee Hecht Harrison in Woodcliff Lake, N.J. "Their expectations are different. The millennial expects to be told how they're doing." (Matt Berkley, 24, says,) "We're surprised we have to work for our money. We want the corner office right away," he says. "It seems like our parents just groomed us. Anything is possible. We had karate class, soccer practice, everything. But they deprived us of social skills." They don't treat older employees as well as they should.…
Gen Y is one of the most diverse demographic groups - one out of three is a minority…
Some conflict is inevitable. More than 60% of employers say they are experiencing tension between employees from different generations, according to a survey by Lee Hecht Harrison. The survey found more than 70% of older employees are dismissive of younger workers' abilities. And nearly half of employers say that younger employees are dismissive of the abilities of their older co-workers.
Did you ever read "Generations"? The "Y-Gen" is coming along nicely to become our next "Civic" generation...
ReplyDeleteInteresting information, Brother. Many thanks for posting this, and giving us some food for thought.
ReplyDeleteI am actually both a Millennial and a Freemason and I really do take to the Craft differently than the previous generation. I joined because my Grandfather was a Mason but also I wanted a way to network and join a community and to serve my community. The main purpose of my blog is to show that Freemasonry is still relevant in today's world. I think Masonry has opportunities for young men to grow and network. I think networking is the key and the true secret of the Craft.
ReplyDeleteYes, I suppose I am of Generation X, as I was born in the mid-70s, and as such, I do like change, but only if it is necessary and prudent to do so, I despise change for changes sake, and much prefer the 'usual way of doing things' as long as it works, and I'm of the opinion that if it ain't broke, then don't fix it. I appreciate this analysis, brother and I appreciate this Blog. I for one, do not believe that our system of Grand Lodges is anywhere close to being 'broken', so why all of the uproar from disgruntled brethren who wish to 'fix it' or should I say rather, 'leave it' instead?
ReplyDeleteWhen I attended Grand lodge twice this past year for both of the Grand Lodges that I am under, I felt like a Congressman in Congress amongst brethren whom I had just met, but felt like I knew for many years prior...if any of you young Masons haven't made it to a Grand Lodge session in your state, you're really missing out on quite an experience! Make plans to go next year, and if your Grand lodge is still yet to be held in December, make plans to go this year! You won't regret it!
I am an Gen Yer. I do believe some of what you and others have stated about my "contemporaries" is legit. But most of these assessments have been made by baby boomers, so I think that it is just a sentiment baby boomers have for us youngins'.
ReplyDeleteI honestly feel there is somewhat of a resentment for us because we have better self awareness of who we are more than those who were classified as 'baby boomers' and given that label since birth.
I see more of an interest from men my age about the craft than I have heard most baby boomers had when they were my age.
I can only speak for myself. But perhaps it is the baby boomers perception of us that comes through when we are analyzed instead of people sitting back, watching and helping us lead; letting us show you what we are truly capable of doing with this world. :)