Millennials In The Workplace: The Importance of Self-Reflection and Patience

Within the last month, I’ve engaged in multiple conversations with coworkers, family, and friends about millennials in the workplace. This increasingly popular topic seems to be controversial among young professionals, who (myself included) feel attacked and defensive when the subject is brought up. At first, I found myself innately trying to distance myself from the “typical millennial”, but watching Simon Sinek’s “Millennials in the Workplace” video forced me to self-reflect and discover some very important weaknesses that I have.

Roughly half-a-year into my career, I am already beginning to succumb into thoughts of “what’s next” and how I can make a bigger impact. This is caused by one of the biggest weaknesses of millennials, instant gratification. Neil Patel defines this as the desire to experience pleasure or fulfillment without delay or deferment. Basically, it’s when you want it; and you want it now. Our entire generation has grown up with instant gratification. You don’t need to wait a week to watch the next episode of House of Cards because the next episode is available instantly. You have a question? A quick Google search can bring up an answer. Our lives are filled with being able to immediately satisfy our cravings for anything we want as conveniently as possible, and while this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it does come at a price. Young people are struggling with a lack of patience in their careers, and this is undoubtedly my greatest weakness. However, diagnosing my weakness is an important first step in being able to mitigate the damages caused by instant gratification and my lack of patience. For those, like me, who spend considerable time planning their future and mapping out their steps to advance in their careers, it’s incredibly important to balance the desire to accelerate as quickly as possible. It’s important to find this balance by having patience, and realizing that it takes time to get to where you want to go.

Canadian Astronaut Chris Hadfield wrote a fantastic book called An Astronauts Guide To Life, where he describes individuals as being a ‘plus-one’, a ‘zero’, or a ‘minus-one’. Plus-one’s mean you’re adding value. Zero’s mean you’re competent and don’t get in the way. Minus-one’s means you’re a liability. Hadfield advises people that are new to a situation to strive to be a zero, specifically focusing on listening and observing rather than proving how great they are. This, to me, is especially important to people beginning their careers, who try and focus on making an instant impact rather than sitting back and taking in their new environment. Be curious, ask questions, but ultimately understand that you’re in an environment where taking the time to examine your surroundings is going to leave you in a much better light than trying to get noticed and make an “all-star” impression. Most importantly, you need to exercise patience. People will see your talent, hard work, and other positive attributes naturally without you having to broadcast them yourself.

Ultimately, self-reflection and patience are some of the most important strengths that young people need to possess to be successful as they start their career. The ability to self-reflect and exercise patience allows oneself to be aware of their weaknesses, and opens themselves up to learning at an accelerated rate. Whether you’re in university or entering your career, possessing these two traits will set yourself up to be prepared for any new situation you find yourself in.

Tyler

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