You have probably already read alot about the Twenty-Something population. For the past few years articles have been popping up referring to them as Generation Y, Generation Why?, Generation Next, Millenials, Echo Boomers, Boomlets, Boomerangs, The Second Greatest Generation, i-Generation, Netizens, Net Generation, and  DotNets.

GeNext Consulting™ refers to them as Twenty-Somethings. For our work, that is the segment of the age cohort that is already on the job. Most studies place their birth anywhere between 1978 and 2000. We actually found that there are three stages of a Twenty-Something.

• Age 18-23: The Fun
• Age 24-26: The Reckoning
• Age 27-30: The Career
  

Interestingly, it is during the reckoning stage that they move out of mom and dad's home for the last time. Whatever the stage, they are still heavily influenced by the socio-cultural forces that have shaped their beliefs and attitudes about work.

Not unlike the Baby-Boomers they are garnering lots of attention because of their numbers (78-81 million strong). However, their similarites with the Boomers end about there. They are ethnically diverse (1 in 3 are not caucasian). They are very social-responsibilty minded. They are concerned about work/life balance. They work to live and play rather than live to work. They believe that they may not enjoy the same lifestyle as their parents. They are multi-taskers. Some suggest they are the best-educated generation ever. They are digital. They believe their voice should be considered from day one. They desire instant feedback (praise in particular). They feel entitled. They are both high maintenance and high performing.

The very characteristics that allow the Twenty-Something to be outstanding can also make them stand-out in a negative way. An observation we have made is that they are the first generation to not need an authority figure to access information. Relationships have always been critical to acquiring knowledge–particularly tacit-knowledge. Through no fault of their own, Twenty-Somethings are not presenting themselves as "blank slates" ready and willing to be molded into the image of their seasoned managers. Worse, they are sometimes perceived to be arrogant and even abraisive to their managers. Our view is that relationships are still critical to the transfer of knowledge and one's overall development.

We are always asked at training events, "What can we do to change them?" The key is to start by changing your management approach. We developed the Generational Rapport Inventory™ to help create organizational environments in which both managers and Twenty-Somethings feel valued, respected, and successful.