‘ kids these d
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Overcoming
Seeking to understand the values and expectations of younger generations to build better teams
By Scott Greenberg
At age 13 I got my first job working at our family ice cream store in Southern California . The business was managed by my grandfather , who learned leadership in the army . You could tell . His approach was very top-down . He told people what to do and expected them to do it .
Unfortunately , the approach that worked with soldiers didn ’ t resonate with teenage workers . They didn ’ t respond to commands and expectations the way people did in the military . That frustrated him deeply .
“ I don ’ t understand these kids ! They ’ re so lazy , so entitled . What ’ s this country coming to ?”
Managers from my grandfather ’ s generation weren ’ t the first or last to complain about ‘ kids these days .’ In 2013 , Time magazine published a story called ‘ The ME ME ME GENERATION ,’ describing millennials as ‘ lazy , entitled narcissists who still live with their parents .’ New York magazine ran a similar piece years earlier called ‘ The Me Decade ,’ referring to the 1970s . Even farther back one influencer wrote , ‘ Young people are high-minded because they have not yet been humbled by life , nor have they experienced the force of circumstances .
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