Millennials: The Entitlement Myth

The myth around Millennials being the ‘entitlement’ generation is both pervasive and mysterious.  Pervasive because the seemingly endless barrage of derision toward Millennials has made the word ‘Millennial’ a veritable synonym for ‘entitlement’.  Mysterious because the facts do not support the myth.

Due to the elder-generation’s continued hold on the job market, Millennials barely have a chance…

I happened across an article recently that shook me.

I've never fancied myself as someone who thinks inside the box or is easily influenced by mass appeal. Today I awoke to to realize I am indeed a conformist...through and through.

It is, however, worth expressing that once I swallow the fact that I am like other people, I am somewhat comforted. It's reassuring to know there are many others that feel and think the same way I do; that I'm not alone in my quest.

But here's the problem:

My generation is the most over-confident, entitled, and narcissistic generation the world has ever seen. We grew up being told the "Every single one of you is special, and important, and 'worth it'". We are pathologically individualistic, and the special brand of delusion that emanates from this sort of thinking is a force to be reckoned with, as any employer of millennials will frustratingly tell you.

The irony is that I've had this opinion of my generation for quite some time...but I never EVER thought it applied to ME. There's an old axiom that states, "The things that bother you most about others, are usually things within yourself that you've been expressly avoiding dealing with."

In other words, "You spot it, you got it."

I equate the situation to the phenomenon of "The Hipster":

There are two snappily-dressed, creatively-tasteful individuals sitting at opposing tables in a cafe blogging away on their sticker-covered MacBook Pros. They've never met, yet they condemn one another with the label of "hipster"...and both refuse to own the title themselves.

This is a unique characteristic of the so-called hipster. A punk-rocker, though he/she may bristle when called a "punk", will still own the label. Same thing with a Mod, a Goth, a Hippie, etc. But a hipster?! God forbid we wear that scarlet letter!

This perfectly parallels my point with the characteristics of Millennials. The article I linked to above has a hefty list of statistics showing the percentage of "us" that think a certain way about a certain issue...and to my dismay, I was right there thinking with the majority every damn time.

Why this dismay?

Well, because of this godforsaken conditioning of individuality I've marinated in for so long! In reality, all I've ever wanted was "to be a part of" something greater than myself. So shouldn't we just get over it? Yes, let's get over it.

Like I said, we are a force to be reckoned with. If we can find a way to leave the entitlement and narcissism behind, but keep that deluded over-confidence I believe we can do great things. I've said it before, and those that have come before me have hammered it home: There is a necessary amount of self-delusion that we must have in order to pursue "our things".

I offer you a mantra:

We'll work hard and our entitlement will melt. We'll fall down time and again and our narcissism will fade. But we'll always get back up to do it all again... ...Because our self-deluded overconfidence remains alive and well.

After speaking to a group in South Carolina, I was inspired to write this article to help those struggling to find and recruit top young talent. Never before has the war on finding talent been so fierce. Recruiting and retaining young professionals is not easy. It is difficult to get the competitive advantage in a climate where quality candidates are being sought after by so many companies with a strong financial background, credibility, and with great philanthropy.

Let’s be honest, most millennials are not going to jump into just any job. You need to get them to WANT to jump on your team! Here are my top 5 ways to recruit the top talented millennials:

1.       BUILD A DEMAND – think of “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,” by Mark Twain.  Tom was caught playing hooky from school and had to whitewash the fence as punishment the next day. He cleverly persuades his friends to help paint the fence. His friends tease him at first but then he says he is having a great time painting the fence and that even if his friends wanted to he wouldn’t let them help. He soon “gives in” and allows others to essentially do the work for him.

He built a demand and by doing so he actually got the others to do the boring hard labor. When millennials ask about positions within your company, tell them there’s a limited amount of spaces and that they need to apply ASAP. Everyone is somewhat familiar with the hospitality industry. When you’re at a restaurant, where is the hostess stand at? It’s near the door where people have to gather  making the restaurant appear popular. Where is the door located? Near the busiest street so people drive by and see the “demand” for their place. Furthermore, do you notice how the hostess sometimes won’t seat you even when there are tables available? She is encouraged to let people gather to increase the demand and hype before seating groups.

2.       MARKET TO MILLENNIALS – You don’t expect a cow to come to you to get milked, so don’t market to millennials and expect them to find it. You have to go to them and recruit where they will be.

a.       Use technology – create a short video using pictures and clips (Animoto is very user friendly).If you don’t feel up to creating a video then have a millennial on your team create a social media site that is linked into your company’s website and social media pages. You can post on virtual job fairs!

b.      Speed dating concept – have your current millennials talk about their experiences to potential candidates at a job or career fair. A candidate may back out or not go in at all because of what your worker may say but that’s good! You probably just weeded someone out that would have quit later anyways.

c.       Talk to the parents – recognize the parent’s involvement and use them as an asset. Parents want the best for their children, so talk to them about why a position within your company will jumpstart their career. Parents are so involved in their kids’ lives; once I had a parent come and talk to be after I sent their kid home from work for poor behavior! Here are some stats to help drive this point: The Collegiate Employment Research Institute reports that, “Nearly a quarter of all employers have ‘sometimes’ or ‘very often’ seen parents involved in the recruitment and employment of recent college graduates. Forty percent of employers report that parents have called them requesting information about the company; 4 percent report parents actually attending the interview.”

3.       BUILD MEANING – This is something that I hope I have driven into the minds of many learners. Do you know the premise behind Tom’s Shoes? (Tom’s Shoes will make another pair of shoes and send them to a third world country for every pair sold) A normal everyday shoe has sold 10s to 100s of millions of dollars’ worth because they had a cause, a “meaning” behind their business. Success will come when you can differentiate yourselves from your competition.. You need to get them interested early on. Like the cause behind Toms Shoes created a positive “buzz”, you can too. Here is how:

a.       Explaining “WHY” they should be a part of your company.

b.      Setting expectations for position: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

c.       Remembering that your “WHY” is not the same as your employees and your employee’s “WHY” is not a one size fits all.

A learner in a recent talk I gave said, “Chris, you millennials aren’t much different than previous generations, we have all done those things and we, too, expected respect and recognition. We just didn’t have the technology capabilities to get things as quick and be as social about it.” I want you all to be as successful as possible. I want to see you all be profitable and hire more millennials!

I encourage you to contact me with any questions, comments, or concerns you may have. Remember, I am a millennial so I expect quick feedback! ;)

PS check out this YouTube video of where millennials come from and why they are the way they are.

Chris Langlois

[email protected]

chrislanglois.com

There is a large gap between millennials (20 somethings) and other generations when it comes to the speed of things. Elder generations are pulling their hair out because millennials don’t stop asking for more. On the other side of the coin, millennials are going insane because they struggle with the glacial speeds of their mentors and bosses. Let’s explain the reasoning behind both and bridge this gap together!

Why do millennials ask for so damn much and expect an answer right away?

We, millennials, are also known as the “microwave generation” and here’s why:

·         Our grandparents and parents had stoves, we have microwaves

·         Our parents had rotary phones, we have cell phones with a 4G network

·         Our parents had encyclopedias, we have Wikipedia and Google

·         Our parents had to wait in line at the grocery store, we have self-checkout stations

·         Our parents had to write checks and mail them, we pay online… and automate it

·         Our parents had Blockbuster, we have Netflix and Hulu

·         Our parents had to write letters and mail them, we email, instant message, and text

·         Our parents had to develop and print pictures, we have Facebook and electronic picture frames

·         Our parents had to wait for formal employee reviews, we demand to know how we are doing right away

With all of that being said, I hope you can understand why we struggle when you don’t answer us right away. We have always been able to go get what we needed at lighting speeds. The only time we get bogged down is when we can’t connect to our 4G network, we get stuck in traffic, or we have to wait on our managers. When we have to wait to pick up the pace at work, either we have to adapt or (you) the manager does.

To the Managers

Do you really want to slow down progress or potentially revenue? When possible, adapt to the speed and great things will come! We want to teach you everything we know to speed things up. If you’re willing to learn from us, you too may be able to finish your work and go home to your kids or even go see that movie you’ve wanted to see with your spouse. It will be uncomfortable, change always is.

Caution

·         Set speed limits – don’t let us stray away from what’s important

·         Manage the pace – what level of completion does your guest want? ·         Don’t bog down the face lane – no one likes when you come on to the person in the fast lane that is driving under the speed limit… don’t be that guy! So, when we suggest an improvement, don’t let it get so bogged down with policies and red tape that we lose heart and give up.

To the Millennials

·         Be patient – it may be a struggle, but it’s important

·         Don’t get discouraged if what you proposed doesn’t get picked. It may not fit the companies goals

·         Teach your peers what you know!

It’s time to bridge the gap and capitalize on this every growing force to be reckoned with…. these trophy kids, millennials. I hope this article helps everyone understand a little more!

Chris Langlois

Chrislanglois.com