I’ve never thought of myself as a creative person. I don’t have any super-cool special talent. I can’t sing (unless I want to kill people)…I can’t play an instrument (unless the recorder in elementary school counts) and well, THIS is an example of my best artwork…
I know, please save your applause until the end!
But lately I’ve realized that I most certainly AM creative! Score! I have about 7.45 million thoughts and ideas throughout my day and so I write them down. My purse is full of post its…
In terms of the workforce, some people have the ability to look at things around them and figure out ways to make them better. They look at processes that are set in place and question them when things don’t make sense. Many Gen Y workers have this ability. We can figure out ways to speed up almost anything. Why? Well some people seem to think it’s because we’re lazy. I prefer to think it’s because we’re awesome.
So what’s the problem? The problem is that some people in management don’t like this. God FORBID we suggest a better way of doing something! How dare we try to veer away from rules and procedures that have worked “just fine” for years!— “Just fine” isn’t awesome, just saying.
And so we’ve been labeled the “workplace rebels”. However, I’m pretty sure that whoever coined that phrase was a bit inebriated when they did so. I believe the word they were looking for was innovative.
Here…I’ve saved you 2.3 seconds and Googled the definition for you:
innovative [in-uh-vey-tiv]. adj. – The only kind of employees that will allow your organization to get to the next level. The kind of employees that should be listened to and encouraged (regardless of their age). synonyms: super awesome people; the kind of people we should all try to be; Steve Jobs
Because if we’re not being innovative and trying to make things better and we adhere to ALL the rules, how lame is that?
How does an organization grow? How does it stay up to date with the latest trends?
Let me just throw a question out there. Don’t most companies have a Performance Improvement department? And their job is what, exactly? Oh yea…to improve performance!
So if the Performance Improvement department was to find a new way of doing something that saves the organization time, therefore saving it money, I’m pretty sure people would think that was awesome.
Well that’s a little strange to me. No one sees THEM as rebels. No one tries to stifle THEIR creativity. So why do that to Gen Y? Why not take a little time to listen to them? 5 minutes is really all it takes…then you can go play golf.
Take advantage of your innovators. They’re not trying to screw stuff up. They’re trying to make things better for everyone.
My purse is full of Post-Its, too!
Also, you draw better than me. I haven’t mastered the stick figure dress and bow yet.
Looking at your artistic abilities as well as your bag it’s easy to see your full of passion in the things you beleive in. How do you turn that passion into action when the big bad managers hold all the cards? It must be done from within. The Mellinials must get on the inside. They have to pursue their passion by becoming part of the system that they are against before they can make the permenant changes they want. Otherwise it’s you against the system and you will always be viewed as “the rebel”.
You probably have a great voice you just haven’t drank enough to hear it.
A few years ago there was a study done that went into kindergarten classes and asked the little students how many of them could draw? In every instance 100% of the children raised their hands. Then they went to third grade classes and asked the same question, this time 2/3 of the class raised their hands. Next they went into fifth grade classes with the same question, but now only about 1/4 of the students raised their hands. The final class they asked were freshman in high school. The response had dwindled to less than a handful who believed they could draw.
The above is something I posted on my blog a few weeks ago. The point I was making had to do not only with drawing, but creativity in general. How much creativity are suppressing as we get older?
Be encouraged.
Stephen, a similar study was done about creativity. Similar to your point, after kindergarten, creativity and critical thinking was on a steady decline in our schools. Yet, research done on the skill set of prospective employees indicates creativity, critical thinking, and problem solving rank very high on the list of business leaders. Somewhere in this there is a substantial disconnect.
It isn’t just Gen Y that gets the short end of the stick, so to speak, when it comes to innovation and creativity. Whether it’s in the workplace, or politically, the dominant culture tries to remain dominant by not allowing for what threatens its supremacy: change. Still, keep innovating and working to change things – that’s how a dominant culture is ultimately replaced by new thoughts, ideas, and processes.
On a lighter note – your stick figures are WAY better than mine! You’re an artist. 🙂
Hi Kayla,
Glad to find your blog.
Most workplaces, despite what they say, are enforcers of the status quo. Although there are many reasons for this, the most important is that too many people still operate out of fear rather than the range of their emotions. Power arrangements are tough to change – and change is difficult even for the most agile thinkers.
The American workplace is a dinosaur in the midst of radical, but glacially slow transformation. Gen Y thinking is and will continue to challenge the outmoded mindsets that have dominated work. Change is a much more comfortable place for them to be – and that will be a real challenge for business models patterned on the past.
Good post. Keep writing,
Louise
My hope is that Gen Y will focus on managing our fear, and so that we don’t pass along fear-based decision-making to the next generation. Louise is exactly right, the reason our superiors, coworkers, etc aren’t always open to new ideas, or new ways to add value, is fear. They are afraid of failing – failing their families, their bosses, and the status quo is safe. But not only are they dealing with these surface fears, if you look hard enough you can see the fear-based actions that prevent ANY kind of change (personal or professional) bubbling underneath – social anxiety, shame, fear of disconnection, fear of abandonment, etc – all manifesting themselves in and out of the workplace. And all of this boils down to fear of inadequacy. And if you do not believe you are “enough”, you cannot possibly be willing to embrace and accept your vulnerability (Brene explains this much more eloquently: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Qm9cGRub0). But what it boils down to is that: “Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity, and change,”- Brene Brown. So without this emotional strength and intelligence, we as a society will not be maximizing our potential. And these are real barriers we cannot “fix” in other people. They have to change them themselves. So again, hopefully our generation will take the initiative to “be the change [we] want to see in the world”- Gahndi
I love this! It’s so true! Especially if you work in a situation where you are in the severe minority age-wise, and everyone else has been working there for 40+ years.
A good manager listens to ideas from his subordinates; a great manager explains to subordinates why an idea may or may not work in the hopes that this further stimulates better ideas. A lot has to do with presentation of your idea.. timing… and who you are presenting to. The workplace is not a pure democracy.. and that organization chart is many times just a “suggestion” rather than gospel.
By the way.. what’s a social media, techie-oriented, GenY’er doing with Post-its anyway? Isn’t that a bit of old school?
that’s the beauty of the millennial doug- we remember post its and AOL!
Ahhh, Gen Y is learning the same lesson that Gen X, the Baby Boomers and whatever they were called before then learned: Many organizations preach about improvement and innovation, but precious few actually encourage it. When you find a place that does encourage it, latch on tight. Until, of course, management changes and life reverts back to the “good old days.”
So true. It’s really a shame that so much potential goes to waste because its ignored. Keep trying to get heard! Btw cute drawing :).
Great post ad great points. I like how you write down all of your ideas throughout the day, I do the same but instead of post-its, I use a pocket sized moleskin notebook ( <–Best thing ever).
What really hits a nerve for me here is when you have an idea, tell them, they say it would be a great thing to do, change, implement and so on… then they never do it or bring it to the higher ups.
I found the following to be very relevant to your thoughts here. Its from something called the five Rs which describes the ideal learning environment for this generation:
Relevance: Millennials have grown up being able to Google anything they want to know, therefore they do not typically value information for information’s sake. As a result, the professor’s role is shifting from disseminating information to helping students apply the information. One of the greatest challenges for teachers is to connect course content to the current culture and make learning outcomes and activities relevant, Price said.
Rationale: Unlike Boomers who were raised in a more authoritarian manner in which they more readily accept the chain of command, Millennials were raised in a non-authoritarian manner and are more likely to comply with course policies when teachers provide them with a rationale for specific policies and assignments.
Relaxed: Millennials prefer a less formal learning environment in which they can informally interact with the professor and one another. In interviews with students, the term “laid back” was used repeatedly.
The rest can be found at http://blog.k12.com/2011/12/05/transforming-millennial-generation. Pretty interesting read.
Hi Kayla,
Great blog! It’s my first time visiting you here. I noticed you recently followed one of my breadcrumb blogs and wanted to check you out, so here I am! 😀
I love what you are sharing here. I think that there are some subtle and not-so-subtle aspects at work (and play) which are contributing to much of what you are speaking of.
Energetically, it seems that the world is shifting at an alarming rate in ways. I think a lot of this has to do with the changing of houses in the astrological arena. We are moving out of Capricorn and into Aquarius. Aquarius is often accused of being a rebellious sign, but I think that is just a knee-jerk reaction (much like the one you described in the typical modern officeplace to “innovation”) and that it’s a narrow perspective. From a broader perspective, Aquarius is all about innovation and creative solutions!
It seems to me that with the ushering in of the new age of Aquarius, many original thinkers and problem-solvers such as yourself will be emerging with the intent of assisting humanity in some way to BE BETTER!
It would take a contrary old goat to work at suppressing this. 🙂 C’est la vie…their days are numbered for the “old ways.”
Lasting change doesn’t usually occur so quickly, Kayla. I hope you’ll continue to share your message and working to encourage others to consider new possibilities. There are so many ways for us to be as individuals. There’s room for it all – sometimes people can not see that because they’re too wrapped up in their own ego-fulfilling-notions to see the forest for the trees.
Hope we may stay connected! Come see me at my usual “home” on the web sometime soon! http://www.catherine-alexandra.com And keep on doing what you’re doing – it’s a worthy message and you just earned a RT from me!
Ciao for now,
Cat Alexandra
Blogging good. Your blog is fantastic. So here I am following it.
I see you follow my blog, why, I have no clue.
The stuff I write must, in comparison, seem unbelievably boring but, hey, I studied engineering.
Congratulations . . .
Good post. Throughout American history, radical changes have challenged every generation. Our challenge now is deciding what is the most important to us – change for sake of change, or change that makes a difference in our present and future. I believe the biggest challenge for Gen Y is looking beyond today and making decisions that are insightful, mature, and prosperous for the future. That’s all any previous generation has wanted in our young people.
HI Kayla
I like your blog. Just know that as Louise has said, most workplaces like the status quo, but that doesn’t mean we should let it stay that way. I’ve known situations where the bosses think they are the only ones that can come up with ideas and hence try to stifle your ideas. Don’t let it stop you though Keep doing what your doing!
Remember It’s not only okay to be different, it’s necessary!
Thank you also for following my blog!
Great article, Kayla.
I’m a contributor to a think-tank called Innovative Excellence and you’d be surprised to know that innovation isn’t owned by any particular generation…there are still MANY people who don’t “get it”. I wrote about the importance of understanding the significance of disruption – and, to your point, traditional management paradigms are fostered by leaders/managers who would rather travel a worn path instead of forging a new one. Disruption helps jolt the senses and causes reorientation – and that’s when the true innovator adjusts accordingly.
Unfortunately, some traditionally-minded managers don’t recognize the innovative nature of GenYer’s, and that contributes to the erosion of organizational performance and achievement.
Thank you for following my blog! Some of the stuff I post on my page comes from the Marine Corps fighting manual and I would say that just like the young Devil Doggs (Marines) out fighting our nations battles today, Gen Yers are not affraid to make bold decisions and take initiative. Everyone must accept change and be willing to listen when new, innovative, ideas are brought to the table. One of my recent posts, “Not only must we not stifle boldness or initiative, but we must continue to encourage both traits in spite of mistakes.” These Gen Y youngsters are going to make mistakes but these must be looked at as learning opportunities by upper management by providing constructive criticism.
Love, love, love this! I was running into the proverbial “glass ceiling” at my current job, and instead of pitching my ideas differently, I chose to pitch myself differently. The corporate world is notorious for dragging their feet and being stuck in their ways, it’s up to us millennials to shake them up and show them what they’re missing 🙂
Great thoughts!
Reminds me of my family dynamic.
I have a step-brother who is roughly two years younger than I am, and twice as impetuous. My dad is a very stubborn man, so much so that he irritates mules! When my family became blended and we added impetuous youth with stubborn experience, sparks flew!
The biggest problem was that dad couldn’t see things from my brother’s perspective, and my brother hardly ever approached dad in way that he could understand. The generational gap was huge and to make matters worse they weren’t working on the same bridge.
To this day they don’t work well together. I believe it’s because they never learned to slow down and give concession to each other. A problem with being out in front: if no one comes with you, you’re all alone.
Hey Gen Y Girl,
One thing is for sure. I am no Gen Y Guy. Gen X is my schtick but that doesn’t mean much to me anyway. never been much for labels. I love the fact that you think above your ability and challenge the status quo. That will only get you somewhere in life.
Good on ya!
But you know talk is cheap, right? Would like to read your comments on some of the responses you receive and I would love to hear about HOW you think you can innovate in your line of business. I, personally, have a pretty big team of millenials working with me and unfortunately only a few of them are like you. I think (hmmmm).
Now that might be because of regional demographics but really who cares, right? Keep on pushing the issues. The more people out there that challenge the status quo the better.
So glad to have found your blog…we are like 2 peas in a pod! Don’t know if you are into these “awards”, but I was given this versatile blogger award, and I’m passing it on to you! http://lifeaisle.wordpress.com/2012/03/24/apparently-i-am-a-very-inspiring-blogger/
I love the way you think and the fire you have inside you. It’s awesome. The beauty of your generation is you’re fearless. You’re not afraid to stand up for what you believe in and, though I still think there is in the workplace, a way to get your voice heard without spoiling your stance in the company, I believe you guys can transform the way things work in this world. You’re a smart, innovative, creative group. 😀 (O, that little guy smiling right there … that’s about the extent of my artistic ability. So, you’re lightyears ahead.)
haha! I love this. So true. I deal with this all the time. And yes I have notebooks full of everything I am thinking about.
Glad your breaking some rules. It’s the rule breakers that make a difference!
Zack
You are spot on for so many things! You’re blog is what I’m trying to aim for with my “thefyre.wordpress.com” blog. I think every student should read your blog. I would love to have you write a guest post for my blog!
Reblogged this on Reckless-Ly.