Hey Susan! Thanks for the comment. You are hardly alone in your experience. And I don’t plan on defending any of the behaviors of the people you’re describing. I will, however, say that this generation isn’t actually unique in its approach to the working world. Back in the 1960s, adults everywhere thought that the up-and-coming Baby Boomers were lazy, entitled, pot-smoking hippies with no real work ethic. Some of them never grew out of that, but most did. And most of today’s Gen Z’ers who act like your most recent trainees will eventually figure out everything you’re trying to tell them. That tends to be what our 20s are for, no matter what decade we were born in, and it will always annoy those of us who have already successfully graduated from that stage of life.

So I have a few pieces of advice. The first is to try not to get overly irritated with them. They aren’t actually unique; they’re in their 20s, and they’re acting like people in their 20s have always acted. That might help reduce your frustration. The second piece of advice is to focus on the fact that ignorance (however you choose to define that word) can be taught. Some of them are genuinely ignorant of how things are supposed to work, because they’re new at it. If they show an inclination to listen and learn, then they have a lot of potential, and of course as their leader it’s your job to teach them. It’s the ones that are ignorant AND uninterested in correcting that ignorance who will pose the most intractable problems.

So when you find someone who has no idea how things are supposed to work, or who does things in ways that make no sense to you, just take a breath and try to educate them. If they show any interest in learning, then I think you’ll eventually get them where you want them to be. And if they don’t, then get rid of them as fast as you can. Those are the ones who are not likely to get with the program, which has always been true of some percentage of 20-somethings through all of modern history, and you will be better served to spend your time focusing on the ones eager to meet you halfway than on the ones who insist on marching to their own drummer.

I hope that helps!

Thank for the comment Michelle! Great idea on how to break the ice.