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“The Opposite of Evolution is Extinction” – Darwin
Written by Buddy Hobart on August 3rd, 2009
There are several great things I like about being a consultant, and one of the best parts of the job is to learn about many different industries and trends. There is a new trend that we are seeing now that is not at all industry specific or regionalized. It is universal. The recent financial market decline that cost Americans trillions of dollars of net worth has also EXTENDED the work life of millions of Baby Boomers. Folks who had their sights set on retirement in the next 2-5 years have in some cases moved that milestone out as much as 10 more years.
In many ways this explains the expanded curiosity surrounding Gen Y. Millions of managers and business leaders realize they now need to learn more about Gen Y since they will be working with this cohort for many more years than they originally planned. It reminds me of early in my career when desk top computers became a reality. Back then, “short timers” (people planning to retire soon) had a great strategy regarding the computer….IGNORE IT! The thought process was that by the time they were required to learn computer skills, they would be long retired. The feeling was “why waste my time learning about something I’ll never need or use”.
I think the same thought process existed regarding Gen Y. Why waste time and energy learning about something that you won’t use next year? By the time it will be required to know about Gen Y, people thought they would be long retired. That is no longer the reality. Just like folks in the early 1980’s who had 10 or more years of work life left needed to learn computing skills, so now does today’s worker with a 10+ year work horizon need to understand leading and working with Gen Y.
The desk top computer/Gen Y analogy works on several levels. Back then, the computer could be intimidating. In fact, some folks thought why not just leave well enough alone and keep our main frame locked in the special room in the basement. Also, there was a wide spread belief that desk top computers were NOT the wave of the future, and “this too shall pass”.
To some folks Gen Y can be intimidating. After all, here is a person more that 30 years younger than me with an opinion, answers, ideas and goals of their own. Many believe this “attitude” is NOT the wave of the future, and “this too shall pass”. Finally…..and it is true…..some folks would just like to leave well enough alone and keep Gen Y “locked in the basement type jobs”.
Just like personal computers WERE the wave of the future, and businesses could not have succeeded without them, Gen Y is the future. Going forward businesses will not succeed without a solid Gen Y recruiting and retention strategy. Gen Y, in many cases, will hold the key to a business’ economic recovery. History shows that business leaders who adapted the quickest to the changing technology and led a great change process in their organization ultimately created extremely successful companies. Those who believed that “this too shall pass” struggled, or even worse, became extinct.
Like Charles Darwin said, the opposite of evolution is extinction.
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