“I was a latchkey kid and nobody was there for me” said the GenXr, as if it was a good excuse for not providing leadership or mentorship his Millennials aka GenY, employees. The Millennial workforce, leads in social media, typically got more attention from their parents, even to the point of coddling.
How do the new leaders work with GenY in the workplace? Mentorship is key and for the real newbies, ie. interns, there’s a term ‘transitional parent’. A transitional parent is there to support the dreams of the worker and give them the skills to grow up and out of the a job and into the next.
Constant learning and challenge is what this generation needs. GenXrs, who were raised to be skeptical and fiercely independent, can benefit greatly from the adopting the confident and collaborative nature of Millennials.
GenY is responsible for most of the developments in Social Media, due to their inherently social nature, while the other 3 living generations must constantly adapt to keep up. As one GenXr said “adapt or die”. You won’t die if technology passes you by, but you will miss out on the largest social movement since the telephone.