Men are From Mars, Women From Venus…Gen iY is From Another Solar System

My friend Tim Elmore has a great article out that will be helpful to those of us who manage, hire, and work alongside young adults.  Tim is the author of Generation iY: Our Last Chance to Save Their Future and is an expert when it comes to understanding and motivating  the next American generation.

I’ve listed the key attitudes and expectations of the next generation Tim offers below after his introduction.  Be sure to read the entire commentary at his blog for a full understanding.

I had an unforgettable conversation with a friend recently. He employs hundreds of people and just hired some recent college graduates. He told me he planned to begin seeing a therapist. This was a bit surprising since he is a healthy, well-adjusted mid-life company president. When I asked why, he said he wasn’t able to cope with the number of mothers who were accompanying their 22 year-old son or daughter to job interviews—to negotiate their salary package. Yes, you read that right. Furthermore, he mentioned that one mother had returned six months after her son was hired to see why he’d not received a raise yet. After all, he had shown up to work on time for six months.

Such is the new world we are entering into as executives. There is a new breed of employee walking through our front door. They are different than we are and we have a choice. We can either get mad or get busy discovering how to turn their potential into performance.

Tim’s list of characteristics of the generation now entering the work force:

1. Job hopping in search of the perfect career
2. Waves of depression coming and going
3. Innovative new rules for technology
4. Parental involvement in job and salary negotiation
5. The expectation of change, amusement and immediate feedback
6. A search for meaning not just money
7. Deal breaker: can i work with my friends?
8. The pursuit of both influence and affluence

Read detailed commentary on each item here.