The Gen Y

The Gen Y - The Genuine People

Okay, so I have been reading a lot about how Gen Y needs to be managed & how things have to be modified to suit Gen Y. Before I continue writing, let me make it clear that I think I belong to the Gen Y too. To, whatever this Gen Y means. And I think so because I relate to the traits of this Gen Y - upfront, curious, not scared to ask why, opinionated, questioning, not believing everything blindly and above all genuine.

But why really, do we need to specifically categorize this sect of people as Gen Y ? One thing that comes to my mind clearly when I ask this question is that, Gen Y is called so because in the corporate world, things haven't been like this always. Employees, were told what to do & were expected to just do it. Simple ? Well, okay this may really sound medieval but it isn't. Even to this day, there exist Organizations or rather Leaders that expect employees to be mere followers. And this is very much a part of the culture since everything, every process is created around this particular philosophy.

Untill some time ago, employees did as they were told. Very few would really question anything. I am guessing, they were labeled "Rebels". Then gradually, the percentage of these questioners increased & so they had to be accommodated & identified. Eventually, the "Rebels" became Gen Y. Now that they were identified & accommodated, their ways of working had to be normalized & reasoned. The reasons for why they behaved the way they behaved were analysed & thoughtfully written about on various occasions.

Based on the reasons identified & considering the rapid increase in employment of Gen Y, ways of working had to be modified, Managers had to unlearn & learn ways of managing Gen Y. The work environment had to be revamped to suit Gen Y.

Amidst all this chaos however, two things seem to have gone completely unnoticed. One, the assumption that the Gen Y traits are specific & restricted to Gen Y may not be true. These are traits of progressive society & are a part of personality of thousands of individuals. And if these traits are being evident now, it may simply be because the society is progressing, we are giving things a thought, we are trying to learn more, know more & reason out things. So, may be instead of categorizing Gen Y, we must simply accept this as a step towards being better. Universalize the new ways of working & accept it.

Two, if everything is being modified, should the Leadership style change too ? We shouldn't forget that a progressive generation is smart too. Smarter than our Smart phones, after all they made them. They cannot be fooled by immature, weak & superficial leadership. Employees & the society at large need inspiring leaders, who really have substance. Those who cannot convince, may not stand a chance. Only a genuinely good Leader will be able to influence today & have believers & not just followers.