By Debra Fiterman
Debra Fiterman is a speaker, researcher, writer, and consultant at BridgeWorks. She often writes from the perspective of Millennials—her generation of plugged-in and tech-savvy 20–somethings.
Anyone who has ever eaten a chocolate chip cookie knows that when it’s “from scratch,” it is always better. However, when one generation defines from scratch as flour and eggs, and another defines it as putting refrigerated cookie dough on a pan and baking, you might run into some problems.
The younger generations have been given “from-scratch-shortcuts” since we were kids. From coloring on paper that helps you stay in the lines to having templates in Microsoft that make resume writing a snap, Millennials are able to get things done quickly and with less effort. But at what cost?
From the moment my generation, the Millennials, started entering the workplace, it didn’t take long for the other generations to label us as entitled and lazy. As experts and consultants, we hear that Millennials just don’t seem willing to put in the same effort as the other generations did.
It’s not that my generation doesn’t want to yield good results. Of course we do. But when we don’t see a difference in the end result if we do it the long way or if we take a shortcut, we might think, “Why not just use the pre-made, refrigerated cookie dough?” Or at the office, “Why not just use the ‘find-replace’ tool and resubmit this proposal to all of our clients?”
Of course there is often a price to efficiency and convenience. Details get overlooked, mistakes are made, and it can affect the bottom line. But to be honest, it might be difficult for Millennials to see it. This is when my generation needs the guidance of the more experienced generations to help us. And Millennials—we need to be listening!
But be warned, it will not be enough to convince Millennials to change by saying, “We do it that way because it’s the way it’s always been done.” However, if you can explain why the long way is better, Millennials will listen.
On the other hand, I’d like to challenge the Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, and Gen Xers to ask themselves if there isn’t a new way to go about things. Because let’s be honest, those cookies that come out of a tube are pretty darn good! And they can be made in half the time with a fraction of the dishes.
So ask yourself, what can you do in your company that will save you some effort, some clean-up, and maybe even some money?
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