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The Millennial Generation has dominated writing and research, water cooler discussion and hand-wringing for a decade and a half of this millennium. They are the largest generation since the Baby Boomers, and have lived through the most immense technology shift of any generation in history. But what of the next? What happens now that the Millennial Generation is taking the workforce and having children of their own?
The Post-Millennial Generation is on it’s way, and they have a few surprising shifts up their sleeve characterizing what is happening in the dimensions of vocation, education, and the ideas they bring to the conversation. Mentoring Post-Millennials will become the new topic of conversation in the coming years, and the keys to unlocking this next generation will be just as shocking to the world as their predecessors. Here are three keys:
1. Fluidity is Normal
Remember when working for the same company for a career was normal? The shift in the workforce began in the early 90’s, and the millennials took their work life to an all-new height of fluidity. Grant, one of the millennials I work with told me recently, “I’m happy to work in Silicon Valley. I can work on a project for six months, make a lot of money, and then work on something different.” The first rule in mentoring the Post-Millennial generation is NOTHING IS SOLID.
With the influx of the social media distraction, Post-Millenials are growing up in a world where consistency is boring. They don’t know what life is like playing in the backyard for hours on end making up their own imaginary scenarios. They’ve been playing mind-craft on an iPad since they were born.
They want fluid life change. Be it a career choice, a friendship, or more dangerous – a committed relationship, we’ll have a lot of work helping Post-Millennials see the value of a stick-to-it-ness attitude. Where our organizations might need to endure the hard and slogging work to reach a goal, this generation will benefit from significant mentoring and coaching.
On the other hand, since everything is fluid, and often they excel inside a model of rapid change and the flow of new ideas. Where our organizations need to react quickly to changes in the world or circumstances or markets, this generation will be quite comfortable. They will be able to teach us a stretch us in needful ways.
2. Being Human is Being Connected
The Millennials brought us Social media, and Post-Millennials base their entire value on quantifiable connection. They count their followers on Twitter and Snap chat, and the ultimate social media platform INSTAGRAM, has become the relationship value proposition. They don’t wait for people to take in and contemplate; everything they do is designed for immediate gratification.
The beauty in this way of thinking is the vast array of options and ideas they bring to the conversation. They think quickly, and act even more quickly. If you want a company or organization that can move, you can count on the next generation to bring the “can do” attitude. Because sitting and waiting is boring. Which brings me to the problem.
The essence of being a human being is being able to sit within oneself and think about the beauty around us. We think about our relationships. We can think about our career choices. We can find energy from whatever our hobbies are. But if we’re constantly looking for change, we never find that contemplative place of contentment.
To mentor the Post-Millennial student is to help them understand that quiet is valuable and beauty can be in the moment, not in the next.
3. They want a voice
But don’t we all?
Those of the Post-Millennial generation have been able to voice their opinion on the Internet at every turn. There’s no hierarchy of ideas, and every idea they’ve given has been validated by their ability to post it to the world.
We’re seeing this concept play out in the way educators are having to re-tool the classroom.
No longer is it normative for a student to sit and listen to a lecture and be expected to be quiet and learn. Most Post-Millennial students thrive in an environment where they can participate in the discussion. This leads to vibrant classrooms, a group full of leaders, and a boardroom filled with ideas.
It will be our job to help harness these conversations towards a movement that is constructive. Mentoring these students will be essential, but the future is bright.
While technology may have categorized the millennial generation, the new generation is poised to build on the tools already built over the last 2 decades. I’m excited to see how the new generation puts its own stamp on the way the world spins.
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