By Rachel Hill
How do we inspire the next generation of senior living leaders? There’s a lot of the myths surrounding millennials, and I’m here to shed some light on this and break down five of those myths!
Myth 1: Millennials Are Lazy
Millennials aren’t these lazy, uninspired, languishing-in-a-pool-of-mediocracy people the media portrays us as. When we organize our ideas and thoughts, we can turn them into tangible actions.
One great example of this is back in 2019, when Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez won her political race over veteran Democrat Joe Crowley to represents New York’s 14th District. She was believed to be “too young” and “too naive” to take on the challenge. She had bold new ideas that resonated with a younger generation to move us forward, but more importantly, she executed those ideas properly by putting in the work from the ground up! She knocked on doors, she showed up at every debate, she took time out to speak with members from all different communities. And she wasn’t bogged down about her message coming off off “perfect” and “curated.” She wanted it to be raw and real and just get it out there!
And that is why she succeeded. She didn’t just have an idea, she brought it to fruition!
Myth 2: Millennials Don’t Care
There’s this idea that millennials are opposed to hard work and getting their hands dirty. This misunderstanding tends to come from millennials advocating for doing work they’re passionate about and that fills them with purpose.
It’s not that we don’t want to work. It’s about having rewarding work! Work where we serve a greater purpose and can escape the the confines of a standard 9-to-5.
Myth 3: Millennials Can’t Take Direction
Maybe it’s all the therapy I partake in, but it seems that a breakdown in communication is the real source of this problem. We just want to know our opinions hold some weight and are valued in our organizations. It’s not a control thing; it’s just wanting to feel valued.
Myth 4: Millennials Reject the Old
One of the biggest things millennials get flack for is this notion that we believe our way is the right way and that old concepts no longer apply. Obliviously, I don’t reject the old, because well, what millennial uses the word flack?! But seriously, it’s more about combing the old and new for a way forward. Most millennials, like generations before us, value family, hard work, and making a difference.
Myth 5: Millennials Aren’t Interested in a Career in Senior Living
Not true. Honestly, I don’t think most millennials know that there’s an option to have a career in senior living beyond long-known roles like that of a caregiver. The industry has to start speaking to them! Shout it from the rooftops that there opportunities in marketing, in life enrichment, to run a building, to make a real change in someone’s life!
We can’t know it if we don’t see it, so put it out there, I beg you!
