Or be safe and secure?
Please discuss.
Or be safe and secure?
Please discuss.
Are your referencing today’s NPR story? Got a link?
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My son is taking a risk. Instead of us paying for college, he decided to develop a video game.
Today he is in San Francisco for a game designers’ conference.
A major game console company approached him to develop his game for their console.
My son just graduated from high school last June.
Risk and independence seems like it will pay off.
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I think it really depends on the child. Some people are natural risk takers while other people hold on to their security blankets until they are far, far too old. I think if my child would often act without thinking or questioning anything I would be more likely to guide them towards safety and security and if they were way too dependant I would encourage them to take a risk now and then. Try to develop both mindsets with a lot of critical thinking and eventually let them decide what type of person they are most comfortable being. You can be successful both ways, and you can fail miserably both ways as well.
Either way I think I would push Independence. You can be independent while still making safe and secure choices and I don’t think one’s level of dependency has much to do with one’s comfort in risk taking.
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I did hear part of it in the car. Couldn’t find a link though. They were talking about kids playing in the 70s vs now.
Depends on what you mean by “embrace risk.” Too many kids are raised to be afraid of their own shadows. That said, too many kids are ignorant to the dangers present in every day life.
“Embrace risk” is not necessarily synonymous with “independent.” IMO, all kids should be raised to be independent. Unfortunately, too many parents are ignorant as to what that means. Being independent does not mean introverted and is not inapposite to the ability to embrace teamwork.
Last month, I gave a presentation on “Generations at Work.” It focused on the Millenials, who are the complete opposite of us Gen Xers. They are the most risk adverse generation the country has ever seen. I cited the findings from a 2013 report. Here are the conclusions:
- The skills managers look for when promoting Gen Y. Managers and Gen Y’s both agree that soft skills are the most important, followed by hard skills and then digital/tech savvy skills (social media). 61% of managers and 65% of Gen Y’s believe that soft skills are the most important. Both managers and Gen Y’s agree that being a subject matter expert is important to career advancement. 65% of managers and 66% of Gen Y’s say it’s either important or very important. The top three most important skills that managers are looking for when promoting millennials is the ability to prioritize work (87%), a positive attitude (86%) and teamwork skills (86%).
- Managers are supportive of Gen Y’s entrepreneurial ambitions. Managers are willing to support entrepreneurial Gen Y’s who want to chase business opportunities but fewer Gen Y’s are interested in that pursuit. 58% of managers are either very willing or extremely willing in supporting Gen Y’s while only 40% of Gen Y’s are either very interested or extremely interested in taking on new business opportunities.
- Managers are willing to support Gen Y’s who want to move around. 73% of managers are very willing or extremely willing to support Gen Y’s who want to move within the corporation but fewer than half of Gen Y’s surveyed (48%) are either very interested or extremely interested in making the move.
- Social media’s role in and out of the workplace. Gen Y employees feel that they should own the rights to their own social media profiles even if they use them during work hours. Fewer managers agree that their Gen Y’s should. Out of the managers, 54% said that Gen Y’s should have the rights to the profiles, yet 69% of Gen Y’s said they should have them. Only 16% of managers and 17% of Gen Y’s view using social media profiles to actively contribute to online industry conversations as either very important or extremely important.
- The manager and Gen Y relationship on social media. When it comes to Facebook, only 14% of managers are either very comfortable or extremely comfortable being friends with Gen Y’s, while 24% of Gen Y’s said the same. When it comes to connecting on LinkedIn, 32% of Gen Y’s and 24% of their managers are either very comfortable or extremely comfortable. Gen Y’s (38%) are more comfortable making social media introductions than managers (19%).
- Gen Y’s don’t get enough feedback at work and want mentors. Both managers (48%) and Gen Y’s (46%) give and receive annual performance reviews. 20% of managers and 19% of Gen Y’s don’t give or receive any type of formal review. 53% of Gen Y’s said that a mentoring relationship would help them become a better and more productive contributor to their company.
- In-person meetings and email trump technology at work. Despite new technologies like Skype and social networks, traditional forms of communication are still the most common ways that both managers and Gen Y’s interact. 66% of managers say that in-person meetings are their preferred way of communicating with Gen Y’s and 62% of employees feel the same way about how they communicate with their managers. The second most popular way of communicating between managers and Gen Y’s was email. 26% of managers and 25% of Gen Y’s prefer using email.
- It takes time to become a manager so Gen Y’s have to be patient. More managers say that it takes at least four years or more to become a manager than Gen Y’s. 75% of managers say four years or more and 66% of Gen Y’s say the same. 32% of managers say it takes eight years or more and 27% of Gen Y’s say eight years or more.
- Advanced degrees aren’t required for advancement. 43% of managers say that an advanced degree can be an advantage but not required, while a mere 10% say it’s required, which is probably true for certain industries and/or professions. As for Gen Y’s, 60% say an advanced degree is either strongly recommended or recommended but not required. 22% of Gen Y’s think that it’s required.
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Why is this an either or question?
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I think we need to raise kids to meet commitments…In other words do what they say they are going to do. I don’t know if Millennial are risk adverse but they sure as hell don’t want to be held to account. I work in the software world, young company, I see a lot of busy people always wanting to celebrate our companies little successes but not really wanting to reach for the stars (or maybe this is a lack of risk taking)
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Lack of commitment is being taught in school.
We had a constant struggle with getting our son to turn in homework on time, or even turn it in. Teachers were allowed to accept work late and give full credit.
I found that to be a disservice to the kids because it taught bad habits. Apparently I was in the minority as some parents had gone to the principal or above to complain about work not being accepted when it was late.
What is so wrong with being held accountable?
I think we need to raise kids to meet commitments…In other words do what they say they are going to do. I don’t know if Millennial are risk adverse but they sure as hell don’t want to be held to account. I work in the software world, young company, I see a lot of busy people always wanting to celebrate our companies little successes but not really wanting to reach for the stars (or maybe this is a lack of risk taking)
I read many reports and spoke with a number of managers from different types of companies in preparation for my presentation. They are very happy to be part of the pack that continues to advance. They take credit when the entity succeeds and blame someone else for downturns. They do not want to be the one to take the risks, even if the potential rewards are great. They would rather only venture out upon given specific direction to do so, so they cannot be held accountable. As you state above, that certainly is being risk adverse.
The other frightening finding: The Millenials make less money compared to the rest of the working population than any prior generation. This is despite the fact that salary discrepancies across levels of the workforce have stayed relatively consistent (meaning starting salaries up through middle management, not line workers compared to CEOs).
Cracks me up b/c Gen Xers were said to be the “slacker generation” who lacked work ethic. Instead, Gen X became the most successful generation the country has ever seen.
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My father-in-law took a class on this (he was a mid-level manager before he retired) and said it was very interesting.
In a nutshell this is what I remember hearing him say:
Baby Boomers: very teamwork oriented, cooperative, etc (the result of growing up in big families).
Gen X: Very independent and driven
Gen Y: Not nearly as hard working as the previous generations, but VERY tech savy.
I’ll add my own 2 cents (which is worth a lot less, and if you are an expert in this area, please interject):
It seems as though the BBs will work hard if necessary and call it “work ethic” expecting little in return beyond a secure job.
Gen X will work hard and not expect immediate rewards, but are doing so mainly for career advancement opportunities.
Gen Y ain’t playing that game.
I think the attitudes have shifted largely because a) there’s so much more affordable entertainment outside of work that one is less likely to sell their souls to long hours for the company, and b) companies have become less and less loyal to the employe over the years.
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Why is this an “Either or” question? Why does raising ones kids by default mean that you have to push them in a certain direction? Why can’t parents raise their kids by simply providing them with the tools to navigate their own lives?
Seems to me that being a risk taker and independent or conservative and dependant is largely going to be the result of one genetic makeup. As long as the child is given the tools to be able to go any direction they decide best fits them then they will end up being what they think will work best for them.
Neither of these choices are “Wrong” or “Right”. If having a 9 to 5 job entering data without the risk and the burden of many other choices is what suits you then that is the best possible option for you. If sitting in a cubicle 9 to 5 makes your skin crawl then you will probably end up going another direction. I doubt there is a kid on the planet at the age of 4, when we are parenting already, that has any idea what either of these options are and thus directing one way or the other has a large possibility of being the wrong direction for them.
~Matt
Why is this an either or question?
Guess I should have read your response first 
~Matt
I think we should kill-off all the parents. Then allow the kids to figure it all out, on thier own. You know, a do-over for humanity.
Yep. That is quite consistent with the research I did for my presentation.
Gen Y has in insane entitlement mentality. Their expectations regarding salary and the amount of time it takes advance are unrealistic. It is going to be interesting to see how this works itself out in the near future.
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Yep. That is quite consistent with the research I did for my presentation.
Gen Y has in insane entitlement mentality. Their expectations regarding salary and the amount of time it takes advance are unrealistic. It is going to be interesting to see how this works itself out in the near future.
So who is going to pay for the poor and aged and unhealthy while a whole generation sits on the sideline and broods?
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I think it really depends on the child.
This. ^^^^^^^
A kid who is naturally gifted with a high intellect, good work & study habits and parents that can support him a bit has a high likelihood of being successful and end up with a very comfortable upper-middle class life as doctor, lawyer, etc. Simply by working hard on a well beaten path will give him or her a very good life. This kid should not be taking too many risks with his future.
A kid who is less likely to be successful despite willingness to work hard, needs to take some risks. i.e. If mom was 17 when she had you, dad left, mom likes to smoke and drink, you live at a bad address, the only book in your house was a stolen motel bible, etc. Chances are not in your favour of moving up far in life unless you take some chances.
Unfortunately, too many ‘disadvantaged’ youth decide the best way to ‘embrace risk and be independent’ involves turning to crime (drugs, theft, etc.). It makes sense - the entry barriers and costs to these types of activities are almost non-existent and the perceived potential returns are huge (according to rap videos and Hollywood films). Whereas taking a risk and investing their meager resources to start a business seems complex and unsexy.
Yep. That is quite consistent with the research I did for my presentation.
Gen Y has in insane entitlement mentality. Their expectations regarding salary and the amount of time it takes advance are unrealistic. It is going to be interesting to see how this works itself out in the near future.
So who is going to pay for the poor and aged and unhealthy while a whole generation sits on the sideline and broods?
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I think we need to raise kids to meet commitments…In other words do what they say they are going to do. I don’t know if Millennial are risk adverse but they sure as hell don’t want to be held to account. I work in the software world, young company, I see a lot of busy people always wanting to celebrate our companies little successes but not really wanting to reach for the stars (or maybe this is a lack of risk taking)
I read many reports and spoke with a number of managers from different types of companies in preparation for my presentation. They are very happy to be part of the pack that continues to advance. They take credit when the entity succeeds and blame someone else for downturns. They do not want to be the one to take the risks, even if the potential rewards are great. They would rather only venture out upon given specific direction to do so, so they cannot be held accountable. As you state above, that certainly is being risk adverse.
The other frightening finding: The Millenials make less money compared to the rest of the working population than any prior generation. This is despite the fact that salary discrepancies across levels of the workforce have stayed relatively consistent (meaning starting salaries up through middle management, not line workers compared to CEOs).
Cracks me up b/c Gen Xers were said to be the “slacker generation” who lacked work ethic. Instead, Gen X became the most successful generation the country has ever seen.
I wonder if this is partly due to the massive increase of unpaid internships. Starting salaries may have stayed the same, but I would venture a guess that most young people graduating can’t even get a crack at a job that offers a starting salary. Certainly not with an undergrad degree.
Most Gen X’ers could walk out of an undergrad degree, of almost any subject, and get a decent job. That couldn’t be further from the truth with Gen Y.
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