What are your perceptions of the younger generation, particularly in your agency or office? Is it that they are lazy and/or entitled, or that they bring a special set of skills to the table?
Penelope Trunk, founder of Brazen Careerist, a social networking website for Generation Y, writes on BNET that the older generation often has several shortcomings when it comes to competing in today's workforce. The difference, she writes, is that managers of the 20th century were trained to supervise people to perform certain tasks. But now that more employees are knowledge workers, we need managers today who inspire, motivate and encourage collaboration, she says.
What advantages do younger people have, then? Trunk argues they are more productive, particularly through the use of technology tools and social networking. They also have better communication skills thanks to technology, as well as career mobility and resilience, she writes.
"No matter how old you are, you can learn Gen Y skills," she writes. "Learn to communicate as they do, and learn to collaborate as they do. Stop worrying that the younger crowd is getting the jobs you want, and start thinking more like a Gen-y-er."
My thought is that it's a give-and-take in the workplace, and all generations bring a positive set of skills to the table. Learning from one another and emulating the most positive skill sets of all generations will put you leaps and bounds ahead in your agency or office. At the same time, many would agree that managers need to play a more active role in inspiring, motivating and encouraging collaboration among employees.
Do you agree with Trunk's assessment? What generation do you represent, and how have you leveraged the skills of other generations in your office?
Brittany Ballenstedt
Brittany Ballenstedt writes Nextgov's Wired Workplace blog, which delves into the issues facing employees who work in the federal information technology sector. Before joining Nextgov, Brittany covered federal pay and benefits issues as a staff correspondent for Government Executive and served as an associate editor for National Journal's Technology Daily. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Mansfield University and originally hails from Pennsylvania. She currently lives near Travis Air Force Base, Calif., where her husband is stationed.
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