Kind words for generation Y
Today I am writing my first -woohoo- blog post on Medium and, given my work as a solutions architect, the usual suspects to write about would be things like coding, architecture, and whatnot. Although tempting, and probably easier to write about, I wanted to start with something positive.
I often hear older folk complaining about how everything used to be better in the past. They tend to get carried away with nostalgia and, I gotta hand it to them, they did make some incredible cars back in the day.
They also rejoice when pointing out how today’s generation is not as motivated as they were back in the day. They worked their asses off, had an incredible work ethic and actually did something with their lives. Sounds familiar?
“They lack the motivation, perseverance and work ethic.”
Well, I don’t know about that one though… Let's agree to disagree.
First up, I was born in the year of our lord 1984 and, since I am in my mid 30s, I can no longer consider myself a greenhorn. Then again, according to my bff wikipedia, I am still labeled a millennial (cfr. ~1980–1995) and thus kind of in the mids of an identity crisis. Not to worry though, in the end, I am just me. I don’t believe in labels anyway and, although I have many, many flaws, I don’t think I lack any of the above traits the elderly attribute to generation Y.
Work ethic, you say?
As a solutions architect, I work with young people all the time. Not a day goes by in which they cease to amaze me in some kind of way. Truth be told, they make mistakes all the time, but don't we all? I sure as hell do.
The thing I seem to notice though is that they are transparent about their struggles and don’t dwell on mistakes that much. This is exactly the kind of open culture that we expect from our colleagues at the company I work at (iDA Mediafoundry) because it fosters cooperation and trust within our team. In my time as a junior, I tended to be less open about my struggles because I had this strange belief that I had to ace at everything I did, and it took me a while to understand that I shouldn’t be so insecure about my lack of knowledge or skills. It’s a process you have to go through and that takes time.
Another thing I observe, is that they tend to keep a positive mindset while inevitably bumping into the next challenge that comes along their digital crusade. As true knights in search of their holy grail, they just dive in head first with a can-do, will struggle, don’t mind, keep calm and carry on, “Que Sera, Sera”, and by-the-way-live-a-little attitude.
Everything seems to bounce off some kind of invisible armour.
Although I know that’s not entirely true, they do possess the power of optimism, very similar to the Black Knight in Monty Python's timeless scene in the Holy Grail. And, just like the Black Knight, that makes them vulnerable. It goes without saying that I would like them to keep all their limbs during their career, but I do remind them from time to time that it’s okay to fail as long as we persevere in our quest to become better in what we do.
Persevere you must, young padawans.
Just the other day, one of my gen Y colleagues decided to pull an all-nighter because he thought it was a point of honour to reach a deadline. While I very much appreciate the incredible perseverance that was displayed, I had to insist that he'd take the day off. Obviously, we overestimated our joint team capacity and — as a result — we were not going to catch our deadline anyway.
Although, from time to time, we need to show our teeth and grind it out by going the extra mile, in this case the team decided that it was not possible to reach the deadline and thus revised a plan to be able to close the gap in the next sprint.
However, as far as perseverance goes, I think the anecdote above proves that we can not generalize the fact that generation Y has a lack thereof.
“Perseverantia omnia vincit”
You also often hear the quote: “it’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon”, and within the field of digital this is so very true because it is such a multi-disciplinary journey to embark on. The expertise required is so extensive that it takes time to become an expert even in only a small subset of the digital ecosystem.
The drive required to get there must be fuelled by tremendous passion and when combined with work ethic and perseverance, in time we can get to the sweet spot of excellence in our field of digital.
Motivation is key
What is it that motivates our generation Y colleagues?
The incredible author of the book Start With Why, Simon Sinek stated in an interview in 2016 that the things they pursue in life are being able to make an impact and to work in a place with purpose.
Well the good thing for them is that, in the field of digital, young talent makes all the difference in the world. They have the talent of youth which brings things to the table like out-of-the-box thinking, endless enthusiasm and a passion for technology. So, as far as I am concerned, making an impact is definitely within their grasp — at least if they can stay motivated.
However, Simon also states that they are rather impatient. I, myself, perceive this as their biggest adversary. I am convinced that, if the impatience would take over, they would never be able to live up to the big expectations they have set for themselves.
The best advice I have to give is to take your time to live up to these big expectations and, if you are in a bit of struggle, well, simply ask for help. Your senior colleagues will be happy to help. After all, it gives them a sense of purpose as well, you know ;-)
So plan ahead and accept the fact that it takes time to mature into new roles during the long and exhausting marathon that is your career. and know that it is okay to fail as long as you pull together and persevere in becoming the best version of yourself.
Yours truly.
