Dear Dan,
Without having been there, I can only assume one of two things about the person/people that were upset. One, they wrongly assumed there was a negative judgment about Millennials on your part or two, they are either younger or older than the actual Millennial Generation and they didn’t appreciate being lumped in with them because, well, see number one again.
If it was the latter, this list might help:
- Silent Generation, born between 1928 and 1945
- Baby Boomers, born between 1946 and 1964
- Generation X, born between 1965 and 1980
- Generation Y, or Millennials, typically thought of as those born between 1981 and 1996, now ages 25 to 40, the average age being over 30. (That’s right – not the technology-obsessed, instant gratification-seeking teenagers we all keep referring to.)
- Generation Z, those born between 1997 and 2011
- Generation A, those born between 2012 through at least 2025
If it was the former, the best course of action is to hear them out to try and understand their point of view before attempting to explain yours. People want to be heard and validated before they are able to hear and be open to your perspective.
Millennials may feel they got a bad rap and for many of that generation, they are tired of hearing how they are lazy and entitled.
Bottom line, this is a good reminder not to label people – because when we do – we are generally operating with a false narrative about that group in our minds.
“When we choose to label, we have chosen not to understand. Where the labels fly, the critical thinking has ceased.”
I don’t know who said this. For all I know, it could be one of those old Boomers! 😉
~ The DISC Wizard
