If there’s one thing most bosses agree on … it’s that far too many Millennials entering the workforce are too soft.
I blame their parents, and I blame this movement to remove ALL bullying from life.
Let’s get a couple of things straight … because I’m sure that before many people finished reading the first sentence, they were already triggered.
Bullying sucks. And I’m not talking about:
Extreme bullying
Serious violence
Cyberstalking
Blah blah blah
Now as a parent, I NEVER want to see my kids bullied. It’s heart-wrenching to see your child cry, especially when it’s at the hands of someone else.
But there’s been this extreme movement of overprotection by parents aimed at keeping kids in a bubble.
We’ve got colleges cracking down on “micro aggressions” and creating “safe spaces.”
Many Millennials feel that they need to protect their children from experiencing the difficult things in life that they experienced. They tell their kids they can be anything in the world … despite the fact that their kid is 14 and still eating glue sticks.
You know what all of this “micro aggression” and “you can be anything” garbage is accomplishing? Setting kids up to suffer a lifetime of anxiety and feelings of inadequacy.
Growing up, I was bullied all of the time. It was miserable. And when it got really bad or physical, my parents stepped in appropriately.
But you know what was a BIGGER help? They taught me something more valuable than their intervention. They taught me self-worth. They taught me coping skills. They taught me how to stand up for myself and my beliefs and to fight for the underdogs.
When you enter into the business world, it’s a dog-eat-dog world. You will be bullied. You will be pushed around. You will be belittled. Micro aggressions? No – you’ll receive all-out aggression.
It’s not my job as your boss to pander to your feelings just because mommy, daddy, and your gender studies professor didn’t teach you that in the real world … life is going to punch you in the face.
It’s time to stop sending weak, soft, and sheltered children into the job force. It’s time we start teaching kids how to deal with the world they’re actually going into.
Kyle S. Reyes is the Chief Executive Officer of The Silent Partner Marketing, co-host of The Whiskey Patriots and the National Spokesman for Law Enforcement Today. Reyes is also an acclaimed keynote speaker on patriotism and leadership, entrepreneurship and marketing by storytelling. You can follow him on Facebook.
