So, just because I have been changing diapers for a living doesn’t mean that I have completely resigned in my position as headline news correspondant to the stars. (The Captain never ceases having opinions, sometimes she just resigns to share them entirely with her family…lucky them!)

So, a while back I heard a presentation done by a management consultant. He was attempting to show the aging “Baby Boomers” how to let go and let the next generation lead. Basically, his topic was succession planning. Anyone in the workplace knows that we are about to experience a major managment drain in the next 5 years as the Boomers head to Sunnyhill Manor.

Now, first off, we all know that the Boomer generation has some mad leadership skills that have served this country and many, many companies very well. However, some of them are in their 70’s now and it is time to retire and go fishing/golfing/drinking/whatever. So, as they exit the workplace who are they to leave in charge?

Typically this would be the next generation, which in this case is Generation X. Gen X is usually defined as those born from 1965-1980 (dates vary). The way I like to think of it is Gen Xr’s should know the following: the first video played on MTV, the name of U2’s first hit single, what night the Cosby Show was on, who Alex P Keaton is, why Zach and Kelly broke up, what Grunge is and who the two Corey’s are.

So back to the consultant. Well, Mr. Brilliant had this to say, “Skip Generation X completely, too few of them are management material, and go straight to training Generation Y (the Millenials).”

What?

Did he just say that? Before I could put on my cape and go WWF on this guy, some jokes were made about how he wasn’t entirely serious but basically Gen X was a bunch of overpaid slackers with inappropriate expectations due to the scars left from their parents’ divorces in the 80’s. Well, that and it is mostly Madonna’s fault.

Alight look, we all know that Generation X has its’ flaws. I mean, those of us who watched Reality Bites and said “Hell yes! Fight the Man! Don’t work at the Gap!” have some tendencies toward belief in corporate espionage and tend to be a bit too sarcastic for our own good. But does that mean that an entire generation should be discounted for leading this country and it’s corporations into the next era? Hell no!

After I took a deep breathe and realized this was just another typical Boomer talking I did some self-reflection. What does Generation X stand for and what do we have to offer? Everyone knows the Boomers are smart and motivated by their WW II era work ethic. However, they also tend to be stuck in their ways and unable to see the forest through the trees. They invented the 70-80 hour work week and they think that anything less is proof of non-committment.

So, what does Gen X we bring to the table? (besides a belief that Eddie Vedder is a demi-god and that flannel was a fashion trend worth recognizing?) Here’s what I think (I know you were waiting for this). I think that we haven’t yet shown the world what we have to offer. We haven’t stood as a collective voice and said that we want to be the leaders. We experienced a totally different reality than the Boomers, we saw divorce and MTV and a general lack of commitment from those who were leading us. Because of this, Gen X has an overdeveloped sense of entitlement about what we deserve from the world and highly attuned sense of sarcasm. But we are also smart, really smart. Some of my fellow X’rs are incredibly educated and also really committed to making family life a priority. I think we might be the generation to show the world what a real work-life balance can look like.

Yes, we demand a lot from our employers. We are the generation that saw the Family Leave Act come to fruition and we also have demanded equal rights for domestic partners. We care about the family (no matter what it looks like) because a lot of us were lonely kids. We want more for our kids and sometimes our work life takes a back seat.

However, America I ask you…is that such a bad thing? Does that disqualify us for leadership like that jackass consultant said? Or does it mean that we can show the next generation that you don’t have to work 70 hours a week in order to be the boss? I vote for the latter.

I have to say, as with most things that make me mad - like the scale, or So You Think You Can Dance result show night - this motivated me. This consultant threw down the gauntlet and said our generation wasn’t worth it. I say, not only are we worth it, we can be damn funny and real while we prove that we are. Come on people, show those Boomers’ who is boss (no not the 80’s television show, you Tony Danza lovers).

I don’t know about you, but I just want to make Mr. Huxtable proud.

Update: you must read this article. I found it after I wrote this and it is really great.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS