“Why am I always the bad guy?”
I used this last week and it is a funny question, isn’t it? The statement not only asks the question but it also confirms the premise. If you are the one asking, you already know you are the bad guy and you probably already know why too.
In HR, you’re always the bad guy because that’s the role you are playing. No manager wants HR to handle the job offer. That’s good news, that’s easy. But what happens when it is time for discipline or termination? Call HR, they want us involved. Being the bad guy isn’t all negative though. If you are being the bad guy for one person, you are probably the good guy for another. Also, being the bad guy means that you have to make an unpleasant decision. It shows courage and reliability in the face of conflict.
So why am I talking about Gen Y (or Millennials or whatever)?
People use me as a sounding board for Generation Y angst. Why not? I occasionally post about generational issues in this blog. I think that generational issues are generally overblown. I think that people that speak for an entire diverse group of people are full of it. I think that people that want to stereotype a huge group of people are also full of it.
On the Recruiting Animal’s Talk Show, we spent the last few minutes talking about generational issues. He gave me a quiz on Gen Y and summarized that I wasn’t a real Gen Y (or a Gen Y in age only). And I had to agree: I don’t identify with the Gen Y “culture” very much. I read Brazen Careerist (basically “the” Gen Y blog portal) and really only connect with a few authors there.
So I was talking to Chuck Westbrook about this and he felt the same as me. I don’t like Gen Y’ers that talk about being Gen Y all the time and/or who confirm people’s biases about the sense of entitlement that our generation supposedly possesses. In fact, the whole idea of blogging in this way confirms people’s biases about Gen Y being self-centered.
Many of my friends who are in the same generation as me have great stories. They’ve worked hard and done things beyond the stereotypes of our generation. They’ve reaped the rewards in both a job satisfaction and monetary sense. Teachers, accountants, lawyers, marketers, executives, sales, PR … and they probably work with you every single day in some way. They help their bosses, they put in the overtime, and they are generally silent on generational issues because they are too busy being successful.
What does that say about me? (Haha, that was a joke. Everyone laugh. Seriously.)
So I wanted to link to some of my favorite blogs written by Gen Y’ers (mainly from my interactions on Brazen Careerist). They are exceptional because they blog about issues that are transcendent of generational differences. I think these are powerful voices in Gen Y and have greater influence because of these characteristics.
- Chuck Westbrook
- Milena Thomas
- Dan Schawbel
- Ben Casnocha
- Breanne Potter
- Chris Ferdinandi
- Jacob Share
- Jaclyn Schiff
- Rachel Robbins
- Dorie Morgan
Do you have any others that you would add to the list?
{ 1 trackback }
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for the compliments, Lance.
Although I clearly don’t blog for a Gen-Y audience specifically, I once had a 60+ reader tell me that she wasn’t sure my blogging was for her. She found my straight-talking somewhat ‘young’. My occasional funny roundup articles weren’t helping in that regard either. However, that’s the only comment of that kind I’ve ever had and ultimately, that reader became a subscriber.
Abraham Simpson and Mr. Burns are always dating themselves and I just did too, but keep it to a well-placed minimum while sharing honest advice and you’ll attract willing readers of all ages.
We ought to have a panel of you and some of these pals back for a full hour discussion. (Some I know already, some I don’t).
I didn’t read the blog posting that Jacob Share’s 60 year old reader found alienating. But for all we know she might have felt the same way when she was 25, right?
There are generational shifts. And sometimes they are very fast but are the changes Gen Y brings so very large?
They don’t seem so to me but I’m not working with people in their 20s inside a big corporation so maybe I’m missing something (not).
Lance you can cut my earlier comment. Just post this.
Lance on Gen Y: http://is.gd/4zO3
Lance, thanks for the mention!
I agree with your thoughts on Gen Y bloggers blogging about Gen Y. One of the things I find most frustrating about this is that often these bloggers are talking about the frustrations/challenges etc. of life as a recent college grad using the lense of generational analysis. There are a lot of meaningful observations that can be made about generations/groups of people, but not when that perspective is thrown around casually and applied to situations that aren’t unique to the generation, for instance: struggling to figure out what you want to do in life. There are aspects of how Gen. Y is dealing with this that is specific to this generation, but the discussion should start there. It’s a casualty of the blogosphere, blogging gives people a platform to participate in conversations that they might not add very much to…
@Recruiting Animal, happy to discuss further!
That’s pretty cool. I know I’ve looked at the demos of my site and I am popular with the 35+ age groups. I’ve never heard the “you little whipper snapper” line though
Thanks Animal.
No need to discuss further, Jacquie. I’m in agreeance with you.
Jaclyn,
That’s a good point. Writing about things that are common among all people (difficulty with school, growing up, etc…) and branding it as Gen Y is very different. Heck, even having differences with other generations is not unique (even though their specific challenges may be unique).
Thanks!
I may be a bit biased, but the Tools for Life blog over at Qvisory.org addresses Gen Y issues without focusing on Gen Y itself.
Funny, I was just thinking about this the other day after I read the “Gen Y are not brats” (or whatever) post. I’ve also had similar conversations with a couple of the Brazen bloggers and I think several of us are on the same page:
There’s no doubt generational differences exist, but they’re definitely blown way out of proportion.
But hey- someone needs to make money right? I’m thinking of getting a jump start on the GenZ crowd!!
Thanks for the link!
Part of why I try to stay away from the Gen Y generalizations is that I was raised by my “Greatest Generation” Grandparents. My baby boomer mother and uncle always felt more like siblings than like a generation that came before me. Who am I to try to make those generalizations when I’m not even sure how I fit into it?
Making excuses for my behavior or anyone else’s behavior based on what generation they belong to is only enabling poor behavior.
That Q&A is too funny. ‘26 going on 27′
Great questions, Animal. When I was growing up there were definitely connotations to being a Gen-X-er but looking back, every generation has a phase that could be given a name. People don’t change so much but the context does which is why I agree with Lance that (to sum up) there aren’t as many philosophical differences across the generations as it would seem.
Hey - thanks for the props! It means a lot coming from someone like you!