Millennials Rising “The Millennials are Coming” Dr. Tom IRWA Federal Agency Update

Four Generations of Right of Way Employees Veterans million Boomers million Generation Xs million Millennials 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 Job 1. Money, title, and the corner office 2. Experience with change of command 3. Very sensitive to performance feedback 4. Ignore interpersonal conflict 5. 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 Values 1. 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 Job 1. 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 Practices 1. Facilitate personal competence 2. Ask for input 3. Assign projects with limited controls 4. Provide frequent and positive performance feedback 5. 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 Values 1. Technologically sophisticated 2. Have positive expectations about work and life 3. Are comfortable with diversity 4. You can do whatever you want to do 5. Comfortable with the team process

Millennials 2. On the Job 1. Optimistic 2. Comfortable with multi-tasking 3. Need supervision and structure 4. Avoid “difficult people” work environments 5. Like a “you can be a hero” work environment

Millennials 3. Leadership Practices 1. Foster a teamwork environment 2. Don’t command, collaborate 3. Provide “value-added” orientation to work assignments 4. Facilitate interactions with veterans 5. High maintenance, high performance

“The Millennials are Coming” To get results, avoid the tendency to: “flea-dip” your employees Remember, no one has better values, they only have different values

Pearl Harbor - Veterans

Pearl Harbor – Veterans

Boomers

Generation Xs

Millennials