I’m a classic baby-boomer.  So are you if you were born between 1946 and 1964.  Our parents were Depression children and we picked up many traits from them, like hard work, dedication, long hours, and loyalty to one company.  Sound familiar?

But like most baby-boomers, I have children that are Millennials, and I have learned, from both my reading and my personal experience, that they think differently than I do.  Some would say that Millennials have a sense of entitlement, and maybe some do.  But I think it is much more complex than that.

Every generation is somewhat different than the previous one.  We are all products of the environment and the times we live in, and the lens we see life through.  Millennials have watched their parents work hard and exhibit loyalty to their jobs where it wasn’t necessarily returned.  They have grown up with cell phones and the internet, and they’ve now had the opportunity to live through the “Great Recession” (and its aftermath) just several years ago.

Armed with their smart phones and tablets, Millennials reached their most spirited age with exponentially more information about more things than any generation in history.  And that makes them fearless when it comes accessing products and services through strictly unconventional means.  No wonder things are changing.  Young people are helping to drive that change.

Make no mistake, Millennials are idealistically ambitious, but believe in working reasonable hours while maintaining a life of their own, on their own.  Work is important, but it isn’t the most important thing to them.  It should be fulfilling, but there are many other things in life that can bring them similar fulfillment.  I wonder how many of us baby-boomers figured this out before turning 50!

So before we start judging Millennials, we should be learning about them.  They are our new employees, our present customers, and our innovators of the future.  Embrace them.  It’s good for business.  And learn from them.  After all, they are next in line to take over.

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