We all know that I think being a Millennial is just wonderful. But, I still think there are some common mistakes that we as Millennials make. Of course nobody is perfect, but here are a few traits I think Millennials could do without!
1. Fear- Millennials are smart, and we know what we are doing. Yet, sometimes we still feel afraid at work. We want to be perfect and appreciated, and sometimes the pressure goes to our head and makes us scared of those who are supposedly older and wiser than us. I think it would do Millennials (myself included) a world of good to show no fear, especially in the workplace.
2. A need to “rise to the top”- Millennials are always being criticized for wanting to rise to the top of a company too quickly. Instead of climbing the corporate ladder, we Millennials think it would be much more fun to just start as CEO of a company. I think this is one of the worst traits that Millennials have, and a trait we could all certainly do without. I know I am guilty of carrying this trait, and probably many Millennials out there are too. The only advice I can offer is that of Margaret Thatcher, who said, “One only gets to the top rung of the ladder by steadily climbing up one at a time, and suddenly all sorts of powers, all sorts of abilities which you thought never belonged to you — suddenly become within your own possibility and you think, Well, I’ll have a go, too.”
3. Wishing to be older- I once worked with a girl named Jane (not her real name, but who cares). Jane was a Millennial who had just started at a huge global company, and she was working with people at least 3x her age. But instead of using her age as an advantage, Jane tried to act older than she was. And by older I mean MUCH, MUCH older. She wore ugly old people suits, and pretended she didn’t “get” Facebook. Instead of wishing she was older, Jane should have shown her coworkers that Millennials are full of new and great business ideas.
What traits do you think Millennials could do without?
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I think Mellennials could do without such a strong desire for independence. We’re smart, but we still have a lot to learn, and sometimes a desire to overcome a young age is met with strong-headedness that doesn’t allow us to be approachable and learn new things from older folks.