Last week I had the opportunity to have a short conversation with a young lady who was most definitely a Millennial. She works for a government agency that handles employee policies and procedures. She received her master’s degree prior to entering the workforce and seemed to describe her first few weeks on the job the same way other Millennials have. I asked her if the job was what she expected it to be. She said that she really thought that people would listen to her ideas more. In fact she was a little disheartened by comments like “that’s the way we’ve always done it” and “you still have a lot to learn”. Oh my, I wonder how many employees have said that to a young person just entering the organization. She said she learned that she did still have a lot to learn and she understands that the process better now, but still feels as though she has a lot to offer and wishes that her ideas were given some merit.
I think this is a very familiar scene in many companies. “It’s always been done that way” seems to be the typical response to new ideas. But I wonder why there is such a resistance to listening to new ideas and implementing some change in an organization. I’m not sure the always been done that way excuse is going to be adequate as we move into a more global marketplace. That attitude may just keep us from being competitive.
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