Just prior to an engagement with a new group of national sales managers, I stood between two middle-aged participants. Within moments, our pre-event banter turned to the challenges of managing those who are now graduating from college and university programs. One manager suddenly looked at the other and asked, “Have you been ‘Duded’ yet?” Afterwards, he explained that he had addressed his first boss as “Mr. Smith” (name changed) throughout the time he was a member of that particular sales team. Yet, just the other day, one of his recruits had begun addressing him with the salutation, “Hey, Dude.”

           

As this year’s graduates enter the workforce, the generations are set to collide.  Of course, such collisions are hardly new.  Still, given the sheer size of today’s workforce and the fact that interactions now occur at hyper speeds, even a minor collision may produce reverberations that haven’t been heard since the Big Bang!

 

Here’s what today’s managers should know about Generation NEXT.

 

 

 

Those born during or after 1982 comprise Generation NEXT. Sometimes also referred to as “Millennials,” “Generation Y,” or “Echo Boomers,” this is the largest youth generation in history. In the U.S. alone, more than 70 million young people belong to this age group. Despite having witnessed 9/11 at a critical point in their young lives, this generation remains confident about their own future and the future in general. To them, international terrorism just “happens.”

 

 

 

Generation NEXT children were generally born to parents who wanted a little tyke or two and carefully planned for their births. Most grew up in small families, with the average household comprised of only one or two siblings. From the day of their conception, Generation NEXT’s parents communicated to their children that they were the most special people in existence.

 

Throughout their young lives, Generation NEXT observed the dissolution of many of their parents’ marriages. Divorce was experienced on a broad scale, something which many Gen NEXTers attribute to workaholic parents. As parents married and remarried, Generation NEXT children adapted to new family structures. (Think of the movie “You’ve Got Mail” and the scene in which an adult Tom Hanks introduces two young children as his aunt and uncle.) They have come to rely on their friends and peers for much of their social structure.

 

 

 

Okay, here we go. I’m no sociologist, but I am absolutely convinced that the invention of T-Ball affected this generation.

 

Two generations ago, if a little boy or girl wanted to play baseball, they had to learn hand-eye coordination fast or suffer the disappointment of being called “Out,” following three quick swings. The parents of Generation NEXT decided this experience might harm their little angel’s self-esteem. So, they invented T-Ball, a game in which a ball is positioned on a stick, and a little tyke is allowed to take as many swings as needed until he or she actually makes contact. There are no runs. There are no outs. No one ever loses. 

 

Compound this with parents who decided at the end of T-Ball season that every player should win a trophy (“No one loses. Everyone is a winner.”), and it comes as no surprise that Generation NEXT feels empowered and confident.

 

 

 

By in large, Generation NEXT understands the need to perform. They were, after all, pushed to attend the best schools and to take the most accelerated classes offered. As they now enter the workplace, expect this generation to struggle with choices. Should they take the job about which they are most passionate? Or, should they take the job that pays them the highest salary and thereby fund their high-level consumption habits? And how will they accomplish either of the above and still achieve the work-life balance they so desperately crave?

 

Be aware that this generation generally shares two very distinct views regarding work:

 

First, job insecurity isn’t that big of a deal. Gen NEXTers are secure with being insecure.

 

Second, they are repelled by the idea of a job for life.

 

 

 

Despite their comfort with insecurity, Generation NEXT craves structure. They want to know the rules for succeeding in your workplace . . . as long as their independence is not curtailed. Be prepared to clearly spell out the rules of success in your organization.

 

Trust me on this one. Whenever I present our Rules of Engagement program (rules for making the most of networking events, managing business meals, and dressing professionally) to NEXTers, at least one member of the audience always follows up with me and comments, “This was so, so needed.” They truly do want to know “the rules.” I have also learned, however, that whenever addressing issues of personal attire, I never tell Generation NEXT, “You must wear xyz.”  Rather, I state, “You’re adults. You can wear whatever you want.  It’s just that you’ve worked awfully hard to earn your degrees, and I want to make sure no client confuses you with administrative staff.”

 

By the way, one out of every five Generation NEXTers was born out of the U.S. (I increasingly encounter new professional employees who were born in the old Soviet Union, Eastern Bloc countries, and China), and one of every eight Generation NEXTers is a first generation American. In my experience, these NEXTers, in particular, are interested in learning the rules of success and fitting in fast.

 

 

 

Management will need to embrace the concepts of “flexibility” and “opportunity.”  Generation NEXT will require flexible working options, including job sharing, flex time, and working from home. They will also reward organizations that encourage them to travel and engage in on-going learning.

 

 

 

Technology is a good friend of Generation NEXT. They are more likely to use their cell phone to text-message than to place a call.

 

They are culturally aware and culturally diverse. About half of Generation NEXT sees immigration as a good thing, and they lead the way in their support of gay marriage and interracial dating.

 

They remain close to their family and friends, with eight in ten saying they spoke with their parents in the past day.

 

About 50% have acquired a tattoo, dyed their hair a non-traditional color, or had a body piercing in a place other than their ear lobe.

They want to be rich and famous. A Pew Research Center poll found that 81% said “getting rich” is their generation’s leading goal, and 51% said the same thing about “becoming famous.”