Millennials Rising “The Millennials are Coming” Dr. Tom drdecoster@earthlink.net IRWA Federal Agency Update.

Millennials Rising

“The Millennials are Coming”

Dr. Tom drdecoster@earthlink.net

IRWA Federal Agency Update

Four Generations of Right of Way Employees- 2008

Veterans

1922-194632 million

Boomers

1946-196476 million

Generation Xs

1964-198045 million

Millennials

1980-200080 million

“ I Remember…”

Veterans

1. Generational Values

1. Work first, pleasure later

2. Appreciate tradition and history

3. Believe in logic, not magic

4. Like the personal touch

5. Chain of Command

Boomers

1. Generational Values

1. Like the fair and level playing field that comes with seniority

2. Securing Promotions

3. Teamwork oriented

4. Think of themselves as the “stars” of the show

5. Put careers first, family second

Boomers

2. On the Job1. Money, title, and the corner office2. Experience with change of

command3. Very sensitive to performance

feedback4. Ignore interpersonal conflict5. Believe in the magic of leadership

Boomers

3. Leadership Practices

1. Consensus decision making

2. Offer socialization opportunities

3. Stress that “we need you”

4. Talk about career paths

5. Reward seniority and work ethic

Generation X

1. Generational Values1. Self-reliant and skeptical

2. Lifestyle balance is a critical concern

3. Have a nontraditional orientation to time and work location

4. Prefer informality in work relationships

5. Technologically savvy

Generation X

2. On the Job1. Prefer to work independently

2. Suspicious of management

3. Attach little value to networking

4. Impatient with non-performers and lack of progress

5. Prefer projects over recurring work

Generation X

3. Leadership Practices1. Facilitate personal competence2. Ask for input 3. Assign projects with limited

controls4. Provide frequent and positive

performance feedback5. Focus on technology and training

awards/rewards

Millennials are also called… Generation Y Gen Y Gen Yers Generation Next Internet Generation Net Generation Digital Generation Dot Com Generation Gaming Generation Nexters Nintendo Generation Echo Boomers Generation 2001 Tethered Generation Generation M (as in “media”) Digital Natives

Why are the Millennials so important?

Their Numbers

They are the largest generation since the Baby Boomers, and nearly twice the size of Generation X immediately preceding them.

The Large-Scale Retirement of the Baby Boomers

An increasing proportion of skilled workers from that generation are fast approaching retirement age and that personnel gap will need to be filled in large part by the Millennials.

They are the Most Techno-Savvy Generation Yet

They have grown up in a world profoundly dominated and defined by technology.

Millennials

1. Generational Values1. Technologically sophisticated2. Have positive expectations about

work and life3. Are comfortable with diversity4. You can do whatever you want to

do5. Comfortable with the team process

Millennials

2. On the Job1. Optimistic2. Comfortable with multi-tasking3. Need supervision and structure4. Avoid “difficult people” work

environments5. Like a “you can be a hero” work

environment

Millennials

3. Leadership Practices1. Foster a teamwork environment2. Don’t command, collaborate3. Provide “value-added”

orientation to work assignments4. Facilitate interactions with

veterans5. High maintenance, high

performance

“The Millennials are Coming”

To get results, avoid the tendency to:“flea-dip” your employeesRemember, no one has better values, they only have different values

Pearl Harbor - Veterans

Pearl Harbor – Veterans

Boomers

Generation Xs

Generation Xs

Millennials