The Great Millennial Divide

I find myself writing this blog post due to a recent experience. I am still not quite yet sure how i feel about the whole ordeal as I feel I do not have enough of the facts to form a justified opinion. For the sake of a technicality I am absolutely a Millennial and quite frankly I am proud of it. However with that being said I think my half of the Millennial generation embodies the best parts of both worlds. We embody the fine tuned work ethic and tenured persistence of our Baby Boomer parents along with the wayward innovation of the younger new birth of Millennials.

Suffice it to say that we have always been dreamers, innovators, people who push the boundaries of the box and think outwardly as well as inwardly. I think the disconnect is communication. The short version of the story is I attended a network mixer. I met an amazing young lady who just so happened to be a Millennial. We spoke about an upcoming event that she was working to produce, along with others, who also just so happened to be Millennials. The conversation was both engaging and refreshing the young lady really seemed to have her “head on her shoulders” as the term goes.

I called to follow up after the mixer since during our conversation we spoke about collaborating. After the phone rang several times eventually the voicemail picked up and I left a message. I like to be specific with regard to the messages I leave regarding business to ensure a follow up response. Weeks passed without a response. I later see advertisements for the event requesting volunteers, help, collaboration and assistance of the sort. I then responded, completed the form on the website that asked a few questions and requested contact information.

Days pass by again, I finally received an email asking to schedule a phone conference. I make it known that I will not be available on the upcoming Saturday. The young lady then suggested Sunday, it is outside of my office hours but I am willing to accommodate after all it is just a phone conference. Sunday arrives and I do not get a phone call. Now here it was on a Friday at a little after 8PM I received an email. “Hi Ezra I just wanted to follow up with you on this.” The email did not have an email signature, there was no name and and it was void of contact information. There were no preexisting messages attached for context.

My response"

Hello Admin Team,

I received a message generated message "Hi, Ezra, just wanted to follow up with you on this." I am writing to inquire about what the follow up is in regards to?

Warmest regard,

My email signature is at the bottom of every email. It includes my contact information along with our agency policies for theFstate.

The response

Hi, I received a volunteer submission through (insert the website were the from was completed here) from Ezra, I was trying to set up a time to talk.

The trouble I was having is that I am still uncertain as to whom I am communicating with. The previous two emails prior to the last email did not list any context. There was still no contact information provided or even an introduction of who it was I was communicating with. Although I was a little disturbed with the level of communication as I found it to be lacking in efficiency, I am a problem solver. I took a step back and offered my assistance in the very area I felt was lacking I offered assistance in few other areas as. Only time will tell what comes of it at this point. What I know is that if it does not open it is not my door. I am a firm believer that what is for us is for us.

In my experience and humble opinion what I love and adore about the younger latter millennial generation is their tenacity and boldness. They think and they do. While I second the notion I also think that planning and effective communication are equally valuable. Even if there is loose planning involved there should always be a system. In my experience I feel the disconnect…the divide between Millennials is in the level of communication. Many young millennials are running full blown businesses that are quite successful but lack effective communication and a high level of consistency along with some form of organizational structure. It would seem as though many are flying and holding onto the seat of their pants. Many are so focused on running the business, creating the businesses that they have not taken the time to analyze and reevaluate the business. Reevaluation is a key integral part of a successful business with longevity. No business is perfect because every business has people in it and everyone has at least one flaw.

I am such an avid proponent that in business and in life our most valuable assets are the people we surround ourselves with. The state of people….who they are and how they feel absolutely matters. Rather than judging or finger pointing and allowing frustration to overcome us I think we would all do well to communicate and reach for solutions. If you see an apparent problem don’t just point it out…”Fix it” or at the very least offer up a solution.

The Great Millennial Divide is a lot less of a Millennial Divide and perhaps more of an educational one. I think it is important that we learn from each other and find the balance.

Millennials what are your thoughts? [please comment]