How the Millennials Will Save the World

The Millennials are set to inherit the world and there is a lot of talk about whether they are up to the task. Short answer is, they will crush it. How do I know this? 

I consider myself a bit of an expert on Millennials. I raised three of them. Truth be told, I helped to raise a whole bunch of them, because they live in tribes. My house was always full of Millennials for the better part of 20 years. I never had to worry about my daughter going on a date, or on sleepovers, because there were always 10-12 of her tribe with her. Yes, they even date in groups. I carted them around to countless sports practices, games, community events, homecomings, proms and graduations.

My closest friends were the parents of my kid’s friends. It was an unspoken rule among my friends that we were not allowed to associate with people who didn’t revolve their lives around their kids. As a consequence, Millennials have gotten the most attention of any generation in the history of the world. This is the antithesis of my parent’s generation. They could hardly remember my name and never knew where I was, who I was with, or what I was doing. 

Today, I employ and mentor Millennials. They are all grown up and they are a force to be reckoned with. They were brought up not to be denied.

Many of my peers (all from the Baby Boomer generation) share their frustrations with trying to hire and motivate Millennials. They just don’t “get them,” in the way the Greatest Generation probably didn’t get the Baby Boomers. Millennials simply see the world, and their place in it, differently than do the Baby Boomers and Gen X’ers.

Before how, comes WHY, so why do I think Millennials will change the world?

? Millennials are the largest generation in history.

? Millennials are the most highly educated generation in history.

? Millennials are the most technically-savvy generation in history.

? Millennials are the most nurtured and mentored generation in history. 

? Millennials are the most entitled generation in history (and that’s a good thing).

? Millennials are the most non-racist, non-sexist, and ethnically diverse generation in history. 

? Millennials will inherit the most wealth ever transferred in the history of the world. 

? Millennials are the most aspirational generation in history.

That all said, the WHY is obvious. The world desperately needs saving and not since the Greatest Generation (WWII) has any generation done much to save it. In fact, it could be argued the Baby Boomers and Gen X’ers largely abdicated their responsibility to save the world. The Baby Boomers had their chance and squandered it in favor of a self-serving lifestyle centered around consumerism. 

The Baby Boomers are the generation of ME and the Millennials are the generation of WE. 

(Sorry Gen X, you are the generation of, WHO?) 

So, just HOW will Millennials save the world?

1. Millennials will only work for companies and buy from companies who are socially responsible and serve the greater good. They call it, "purpose over profit." Companies that are only about the bottom line and shareholder value, with no authentic mission to help save the world, will find it very difficult to recruit and sell to Millennials. The employer-employee paradigm will be turned on its head. Employers will be catering to their Millennial employees and customers if they want to stay in business, not the other way around. The Baby Boomers were just happy to have a job. Corporations could drive them like dogs and toss them a few bones. The Millennials will tell those type bosses to go f@ck themselves. (I'm not being crass, that's literally what they would say to an oppressive and authoritarian boss.)

2. Millennials will inherit $30 Trillion in wealth from their Baby Boomer parents (thanks Mom and Dad!) and will use it to start ventures designed to save the world or invest in startups trying to save the world. If you want them to invest, you better have a proposition that aligns with their values. If you are an unscrupulous entrepreneur or banker who hopes to prey on people’s natural penchant for greed and a fast-buck, you will find Millennials to be a tough sell.  

3. Millennials don’t give a shit about political party affiliation, organized religion, or tired old social divides around a single, emotional issue, like abortion and guns. They are not single-issue thinkers. They can’t be manipulated as easily as those in previous generations. They are NOT afraid of immigrants, LBGT, or people of color and diverse ethnicity coming to power in America. They embrace it. If you are taken aback by the Black Lives Matter Movement, the Pussy Movement, or how embolden mere high school students have been over the Parkland shooting…well, you haven’t seen nothing yet. Millennials will be vocal, undeterred, and unrelenting…and no, they will not just sit down, shut up, and do what they are told by their elders and those in power. 

4. Millennials believe in creative destruction. They are not the least bit afraid of tearing down institutions that no longer work or have become corrupted. Expect them to do so and rebuild the world in their ideal image of it. They are the most idealistic and aspirational generation in history. Yes, they believe EVERYONE should get a trophy – a fair shake, due recognition for putting themselves out there and doing their best, win or lose. They don’t believe in survival of the fittest. They believe the most fit ensure everyone’s survival (and happiness) 

This is just a hunch, but I believe Millennials will do away with money as we know it. Money will not be the currency for the exchange of goods and services and living. Power will shift away from banks and money brokers. The Millennials will take this trend way beyond “health care for all” as a human right. They will extend this to education and meaningful work for all. They truly believe in “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” for all. The Millennials may be the first generation that actually lives up to the principles set down in the U.S. Constitution. 

If the world can be saved, I’m betting on the Millennials.