30/07/2024
In 2002, when I quit my first job out of college after just two years in the workforce, my Baby Boomer parents were dumbfounded by their Gen X son's decision to leave a solid, well-paying job. Today, my wife and I are often left scratching our heads (and sometimes gritting our teeth) at the decisions made by our own Gen Z teenagers.
How would you explain these generational disconnects?
OPTION (1)
My Gen X wife and I were shaped by the rise of The Internet, the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and the grunge ethos of Eddie Vedder; whereas my Boomer parents were shaped by the rise of color TV, the Vietnam War, and Beatle-mania; versus my Gen Z kids who were shaped by COVID-19, social media, and Travis Scott.
Sounds reasonable. The problem with this explanation?
According to actual scientific research, "generational differences" have about as much in common with workplace reality as the Tooth Fairy.
So, what's the alternative explanation?
OPTION (2)
Single, childless, early-career twenty-somethings hold different priorities and work habits than middle-aged parents with mortgages and retirement plans, who also hold different priorities than teenagers and the elderly.
And yet, generational explanations for workplace challenges ranging from recruitment and retention problems to leadership development and succession planning problems are so sticky that we just can't seem to let them go. (I wrote an article just last year full of snarky barbs aimed at Gen Z.)
Back in the early 2000s when the hot topic was the rampant narcissism of "Generation Me" (i.e. Millennials), I interviewed a leading researcher who told me "we can literally point to cave paintings that convey the message of kids these days are so entitled, irresponsible, self-absorbed... " This is not new.
Is the world of work changing? Absolutely.
Is the way we interact with technology changing? Certainly.
Do those changes need to be actively addressed by leaders? Definitely.
But here's the thing: Millennials, Gen Z, Gen Alpha—and whatever fun new label we come up with next to lump together tens of millions of people with incredibly diverse backgrounds, life experiences, skills, personalities, and aspirations who happen to have been born within 15 to 20 years of each other—are not the problem.
There is no such thing as an inherently deficient generation.
There is no such thing as an inherently virtuous generation—not yours, not mine, and not even Grandma and Grandpa's.
There are only individual people adapting to their environment. It's what humans of every generation do best.
I wonder what would happen if we all finally let go of the generational crutch and leaned into our adaptive superpowers instead?
I wonder how many more creative solutions we could come up with if we redirected our efforts away from trying to make work great again, and started fully embracing change instead?
