Is X ready to meet Y?

What makes a person a good manager? What makes a person a good employee? Why the answers conflict in X generation?

Currently people born in 60s-70s are in power in business life who are being followed by people born in 80s and being forced by people born in 90s. In such an environment with different generations, what makes a middle level manager a successful leader for her/his team while trying to get support from upper level management whose expectations are conservative? What best describes the post-modern era is speed and Y generation is applying this rule to all aspects of their life. We are more result oriented, impatient, dynamic and self confident about what we are doing and always ready to defend our ideas and rights. So the middle level manager should satisfy an open environment where different ideas can be discussed and agreed best ones can be applied. We cannot stand spending effort on an output that will never be delivered or will not create value. Unreachable speed around us makes us understand the value of time. We born into knowledge era and have a chance to access variety of resources to develop ourselves on different topics. This ability helps us to come up with our own ideas, own solutions, own proposals. Therefore, we want managers who ask "what do you think?" instead of hearing commands. We prefer "we" instead of "you". We care about equality, rights and humanity independently of age, title or power. We respect "experience" but impressed by knowledge level rather than level in hierarchy.

Compared to expectations of Y generation, X generation is expected to behave in a totally different way by upper management mainly held by the last members of baby boomers in business. Management style which they came across in the past and got as a role model is based on respect to older people and titles. Therefore X generation is forced in different directions by baby boomers and Y generation which have completely different characteristics and expectations. They have experience how to deal with baby boomers but newly met Y generation in business is a challenge for X generation. 

The most common complain about Y generation in business is having lack of loyalty. It is expected for a Y-gene to change job ten times on average (it does not seem so realistic to me). Therefore, companies worry about not having enough return on investment to young people. It is true that we are a bit demanding but companies should be aware that in order to be sustainable, they need to keep promising Y generation members in organization or build a clear corporate culture that can be easily understood and adopted. 

A few quick clues about Y generation from my point of view as a member;

• Y generation is not a generation that can be managed! Instead of managing them, you should lead them.
• Tree structure hierarchies should collapse and network structures should appear as organizational chart.
• The generation of sharing! So instead of behaving as just operators/practitioners to Y generation, you should also let them to take responsibilities as designers/decision makers to give them chance to share their ideas.
• They are self-confident but realistic! Do not forget to appreciate their efforts, but never overestimate the results! Nothing is a big deal ;)
• To reveal their potential, provide flexibility instead of setting rules.
• The generation of technology and rapid development! This is the era of speed and nothing is expected to be traditional anymore. Leave your traditions and be innovative to attract them.
• Listen! Listen! Listen! And hear what they are saying.

You bequeath to us knowledge accumulation of all human history, ability to develop new technologies, a world full of but finite resources and unfortunately a consumption culture! Providing all these and then complaining about us because of being demanding is not fair! :)