Earlier today I published an article in Personal Branding Magazine about that cadre of millions of Americans born between 1980 and 1993, known as the Millennial Generation. These more than 80 million citizens have been derided by many as coddled from birth, impatient for excitement, arrogant with confidence and full of a sense of entitlement. As usual, generalizations have led to a lack of understanding of the nuances of a diverse group. But even if we were to make broad statements about these 15 – 28 year olds (which I will do here), acknowledging the fallacy of over generalizing, these pervasive critiques seem to be a little off the mark.
There is no doubt the Millennials were beneficiaries of relatively strong economic times during there childhoods and parents took extra care to shield their kids from hardship. But lets not forget this generation has seen some of the most visible examples of terror and human unity during the 21st century. As impressionable children and teenagers they saw on the television the bombing of the Oklahoma Federal Building in 1993, genocide in Kosovo and Africa and of course the events of 9/11. They also were shaped by the hope and optimism that the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War represented.
Together, these events have left Millennials as driven to ensure atrocity does not happen at the individual or community wide level. They are also idealistic and
In the end, Millennials want to build and tell a unique narrative story that shows how they are changing the world for the better.
In my article, “Story Time for the Millennials,” I compare this generation with others by saying
The Greatest Generation sat down near the radio to hear fireside chat stories from FDR. The Baby Boomers heard their collective angst played back to them by the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Doors and the like. This generation, the Millennials, do not want to hear a story told to them; they want to tell their own story – each and every one of them.
To read the entire article please go to the following link, download the issue and turn to page 19.
http://personalbrandingsample.com/
And please be kind to Millennials, they don’t mean any harm, they just want to be heard.
