This is quite long, but is a summary of one of the best briefs I have ever received in the military. Finally finished typing the notes, but it is quite insightful. The presenter was Dr Leonard Wong who was simply fantastic: Dr. Lenny Wong is a research professor in the Strategic Studies Institute at the U.S. Army War College. He focuses on the human and organizational dimensions of the military. He is a retired lieutenant colonel whose career includes teaching leadership at West Point and serving as an analyst for the Chief of Staff of the Army. The following summary outlines some of the key differences between American generations. At the beginning of the discussion he wanted to outline a few key disclaimers: 1) The outlined bullets are generalizations and do not apply to all people of that generation at all times. However, across the entire population of that generation, they are true. 2) There is no inherent goodness or badness with these characteristics. Everyone generation believes it is doing the right thing, especially given their upbringing and point of reference. 3) The purpose of this is to bring awareness to behavior patterns and to understand why people behave or make the decisions they do. The generation they were born in matters. 4) The year someone was born is not a precise cutoff, so someone born in 1960 could demonstrate traits of a baby boomer or Xer...or both. Baby Boomers (Born 1945-1960) - Viewed by other generations as overindulged, self-absorbed, spoiled, and narcissistic. - Expectations for their generation were that they would change the country and fix a lot of the problems (gender/race). - They pushed the envelope of new frontiers and explorations, a lot of the TV programs created were oriented around this (Star Trek, westerns, etc.). Watched the flag be planted on the moon. - Learned the value of hardwork - Their life and value was determined by their work “work is life” - Often stayed in same job from entry level to retirement, not a lot of “job-hopping” - First generation that witnessed a lot of marriages dissolve and fail. - Kids were of a little importance as they distracted from achieving work success. Families were much smaller. - From a military perspective they had to transform the Army from a broken conscript Army to a volunteer force. - The answer to everything is simply work harder, zero defect mentality, everything can be solved with more effort. - Army motto fit this mode “Be All That You Can Be” - As soon as kids left home, the rooms were transformed into usable space…perhaps storage or office space. - They did not structure the Summer days for their kids. Simply “Go outside” was the order of the day for the kids. Kids would be gone all day “in the neighborhood” with little or no supervision. - If the kid fails in school, it is their fault and they need to just work harder. Generation X (Born 1960-1980s) - MTV generation - Viewed by previous generation as slackers and arrogant - Often grew up in single parent homes, where parents were often not home when the returned from school “latch-key” kids. - Often had to fend for themselves, learned self-reliance, and independence. Confident that they can take care of themselves and did not need their parents. - Very grounded and pragmatic about life, also very cynical especially against authority figures, you can trust very few people and you can only rely on yourself. Stems from promises of “quality time” from parent(s) that never manifested itself. - They did not see the moon landing, they watched the Challenger explode…encapsulates the cynicism. - As soon as they were 16 they got they driver’s license, as soon as they were 18, they moved out of the house and almost never returned. Often dispersed across the country, far from home…the further the better. 40% say they are better off without their parents. - They relish questioning authority; at college will be the first to ask a professor “Is this going to be on the test? If it isn’t than why are we wasting our time?” - Work is NOT life; it is a means to sustain life…”get a life” mentality. - Yearn for meaningful relationships, TV shows largely reflect that…”FRIENDS”…”CHEERS”…”FAMILY TIES” - They tend to not believe what immediate managers; leaders put out to them…will often believe someone outside the chain of authority before their formal leaders. A leader will tell his Soldiers something and they are skeptical…an outside contractor will tell them the same thing and all of a sudden it is believable. - Love being with their kids, having kids became a priority. Created a second baby boom where they increased the birth rate as fast as the rate that caused the baby boom generation. - Structure and regimented their kid’s summer schedule. Rarely, if ever, is there an “open weekend” for the kids to do nothing. - Parents become helicopter parents, involved in every aspect of their kid’s life. In actuality, they are “snowplow” parents, removing all obstacles in the lives of their children. - If the kid fails in school, it is the fault of the school or the teacher, not the child. Millennials (Born 1980s-1995) - Otherwise known as the self-esteem generation. Very optimistic about life, the world, and especially authority figures. Their parents were heavily involved in all aspects of their lives and protected them continually. - 37% are unemployed, yet 90% say they are on track with their future finances, remain very positive. - Overly indulged by their parents. When they succeeded, they were rewarded. When they failed, they were rewarded…”a trophy for everyone”. Had a party for graduating 3rd grade, have a party for “half-birthdays”. - Grew up in the age of technology advancement. 8 out of 10 sleep with their phone, 2 out of every 3 text while driving. 1 out of every 4 has a piercing. 4 out of 10 have a tattoo. - Save the world generation. They are a very generous and giving generation. Often think of others and their well-being. Over spring break, they will volunteer to go and help others, not simply go party. - 91% of millennials get along with their parents. Enjoy living at home with mom and dad. Often return home after college…otherwise known as the “boomerang” generation. You launch them and they boomerang back. - They get along with authority figures and are not afraid of them. - Their parents will never let them ride their bikes without a helmet. - Live a risk free life, as parents remove all obstacles, IE “baby-proofing” their house - Only 29% of 16 year olds will have a driver’s license at age 16. Their parents determine they don’t “need” a license, because the parents can drive them wherever they need to go. - They are maturing later in life. What does this mean for the Army? The Army accentuates these differences throughout the ranks. Baby-boomers are Generals and Colonels, X’ers are Majors and LTCs, Millennials are LTs and CPTs. There are no millennials in the senior ranks. The baby boomers (Generals/Colonels) are defined by their jobs and demand total commitment from subordinates. The X’ers (LTCs and Majors) are cynical of the motives and demands from the higher echelons. They have empathy for subordinates and want to help them be successful, but often overly manage the details of executing tasks and provide a lot of additional structure. In order to eliminate any ambiguity, X’ers provide step-by-step details on how the task should be done (the more documented guidance, the better). Manuals have double and tripled in size. Millennials accept the detailed guidance, but they are not being allowed to experience command and make their own mistakes. For example, the Army had 8 ALARACTs in 1990 and over 600 in 2013. Bottom line is that we are NOT creating dynamic, problem solving junior leaders. We are creating compliant, conforming leaders.
Posted on: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 00:36:50 +0000
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