I've been reading, and thinking, a lot about the generation gaps in the workforce today, especially out here in Silicon Valley where we are a little bit self-absorbed.
I just found an interesting article in Fast Company that is a defense of Millenials, Why Bashing Millenials is Wrong. The article is by Nancy Lublin, the CEO of Do Something and author of several book and many more magazine articles. Here's a sample of what she has to say:
Millennials don't have traditional boundaries or an old-fashioned sense of privacy. They live out loud, sharing details of their lives with thousands of other people. Of course there are the obvious risks to this -- say, that unflattering, reputation-damaging photo that should have been deleted from Facebook -- but while you shake your cane at them for indulging in TMI, I see their openness as a great opportunity. For instance, when our summer intern @jimmyaungchen tweets and Facebooks about something he achieved at work, that's free marketing for Do Something to the 1,500 people in his immediate network. I now ask job applicants how many Facebook friends and Twitter followers they have.
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Maybe the real problem isn't this generation -- maybe it's that the rest of us don't manage them for greatness, for maximum effect. What we often forget is that this generational clash is a timeworn tale. Whatever side of the divide you're on, it feels new. Yet it happens over and over -- say, once a generation. And in the end, the kids will always win. They're sort of like cats. [more]
