Is Business Trying Too Hard To Be Millenial?

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Here I am once again playing Devil’s Advocate to some degree, as I have been once again seeing a recent trend within industries. While I already touched upon my personal issue with modern Start-Up mentality, I have left one aspect open on which I actually have a much stronger opinion. Before I say anything, I am a Millenial myself, as I grew up in the new digital age, but I have a almost “old-fashioned” sense of tradition due to my upbringing. In a sense, I stick out like a sore thumb among my own generation simply due to me maybe having set my own standards and morals that aren’t always shared with many people, but this is I simply giving my subjective view and experiences. Still, with young entrepreneurs from my generation trying to break the mold I have come to realize that this and the next generation have lost an important sense of professionalism.

Social Media has opened up the possibility to connect with people on a completely new level. Rather than being the strange and hidden corporation, companies can now interact with people on a much more personal level. Yet the problem has arisen that through the digital age certain barriers have disappeared. No longer is Public Relations about being a leader, but rather trying to create leads by integrating into a group. Naturally, the best at doing such actions is the generation that grew up with it, the Millenials. However, this new generation has lead to a complete re-evaluation of the way companies interact or communicate with the public. No longer is wording an issue anymore, as we try to stick with whatever is popular now. I wrote an entire article on this matter as well with marketing trying its hardest to be “cool”.

Yet you might be wondering why exactly am I pinpointing out Millenials in this regard. Well, the reason is actually quite a simple one, as I had experienced it. I was participating at convention regarding future technology in sports science and they introduced a young entrepreneur of sorts, who cleaned up a soccer field he used to frequent when he was younger. The entire concept was a great one, seeing him help organize funds to bring the park back to its former glory, which I highly admired. Two moments afterwards lost me completely, as he not only got down from the podium and high-fived his crew as if he had just won a football match, but also moments later one of the older men in the organization kept stating how the young generation has to be admired for keeping the stale corporate world “fresh”.

My issue with the high-five lies more in the fact that as a former employee at a variety of banks I learned that respect and dignity is an essential element for a businessman. Yet here comes a guy that acts as if being an entrepreneur is pretty much like owning a frat house and after seeing another former student colleague of mine running around with a literal entourage and his name in glitter on his jacket after founding three failed companies, and starting another, I could only question how far this will go. I understand that the times are changing, but we as the supposed “future” of corporations need to at least respect the past and still try to keep some dignity in our actions. I fhe wants to high-five his friends that is fine, but at least do it privately and not after holding a five minute speech of how great you are at a convention.

You might be wondering what my issue was with the older gentleman’s opinion on keeping the corporate world “fresh”. Well, the issue here is rather connected with the fact that I think companies have become scared of the digital age to a certain degree through which they see the younger generation as the new gatekeeper for them. The generation that switches jobs more than any other needs a bit more pampering to keep them around longer, so some corporations praise them highly yet some even go as far as to worship the ground they walk on. I personally simply have a hard time taking someone serious, as I simply grew up with a generation that tries to keep you on your grounds. Praising someone for their achievement is absolutely fine and granted, but not at the price that this person won’t take you serious anymore as a senior, especially not as you made it clear to him that without him you’d be doomed.

Am I being a bit harsh here? I actually feel a bit bad about what I am writing, but as a quite opinionated person I have a harder time not speaking my mind. This is something that as of right now is only looming over our heads. It is something that is going to loom over our heads until it implodes on itself. Up to now, people didn’t trust companies because they were too greedy, but will that mind truly change when they start acting like teenagers? The older generation will probably have even more distrust and the next generation won’t take us serous as we try to prove that we can shape the future. Maybe I am trying to warn the world of what could happen, or I am simply a Millenial who values his own opinion too much, but I simply want to be able to take future employers, co-workers or entrepreneurs serious, instead of having to question what road we are taking.

What are your opinions on the matter? Leave a comment below!

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