It’s happened with almost every leadership group I’ve met with. Someone will say some version of, “I don’t understand the young generation in our workforce. They have no work ethic. When I was a new paramedic my job was my life.” I usually point out to them that 20 years ago there was a group of folks with a touch of gray in their hair sitting around a conference table saying the same thing about them. My guess is that these same conversations have been going on for thousands of years in one form or another.

I’ve noticed that “young folks” (I can’t believe that I’m writing about young folks rather than being one of them when did this happen?) today seem kinder, more polite, and more willing to help than any generation I’ve experienced. I was just talking about this with my life long friend Thom Dick who reminded me that it is much more important to treat people as individuals, rather than lump them into some generational label. That’s good advice.