http://www.lemondrop.com/2010/05/10/why-twentysomethings-make-better-workers-than-gen-x-or-boomers/?sms_ss=email
If you’ve ever wondered why you just don’t get your boss — or she doesn’t seem to get you — a new book may have the answer. In “The M Factor: How the Millennial Generation Is Rocking The Workplace,” Lynne C. Lancaster and David Stillman set out to explain the generational divide currently rocking cubicles across America.
They take on everything from the stereotypes of the “spoiled, entitled” Millennials (read: 20-somethings) to their threatened Gen X bosses (read: 30-somethings), and, on the top of the food chain, the set-in-their-way boomer managers who spent decades toiling to get an office with a door. In short, through their eyes, the workplace is a petri dish teeming with inter-generational misunderstanding.
But as consultants who run a company called Bridgeworks — trying to create understanding between professionals born half a century apart — they truly believe two things: 1) We can all just get along, and 2) You are the future of the American workplace, and any company that doesn’t know how to talk to, work with or retain a bright, able 20-something worker isn’t going to last.
Lemondrop sat down with Lynne to find out why that is — and how you can get ahead.
Lemondrop: Why did you write a book specifically about Millennials?
Lancaster: Interestingly, when our first book, “When Generations Collide” came out in 2002, it was about looking at the points of view of all the generations. Then five years ago, we pitched the book on the Millennials, and the pushback was, “We don’t care about Millennials yet. They’re not at work.” Now the leading edge is in the workplace.
Can you define for us what a Millennial is exactly?
They were born between 1982 and 2000, so the Millennials are between 10 and 28 years old now. If you’re 28, 39, 30, you’re on the cusp. A lot of those people are managers, trying to translate to the Millennials, and that can be stressful job.