Whether you are a Millennial, Gen X or Baby Boomer, you have probably lived long enough by now to come face to face with the younger version of yourself in the workplace. For me, it’s my many Gen Z doppelgängers. It’s such a bizarre occurrence. Almost surreal. Like stepping into the goddamn twilight zone. Mirror mirror on the wall…who’s the fairest of us all?
My counterparts have had some of the same characteristics that I had when I was their age—or that I still have. Observing them in the wild gives me a unique, albeit unsettling, perspective. The following traits have been most notable:
First, they are highly reclusive and introverted-bordering-on-social-aloofness. Gen Z doesn’t get paid enough. Hell…most of us don’t get paid enough. But they truly aren’t having it when it comes to in person meetups, office birthdays, pizza parties, and team building events. How truly surreal to watch them say the quiet part out loud. I don’t come to work to make friends! I come to work to make money honey.
True wisdom is realizing that being both highly visible and well-liked by decision makers is a more reliable pathway to promotions and higher wages than competence alone.
The second trait I’ve noticed is that they are highly opinionated know-it-alls. They always got something to say. They never ever know when to just shove it.
And I get it.
Damn. I hate how much I get it.
It’s a weird combination of being overqualified or overeducated in a job that requires little to no specialized skill. And also having a bunch of randomly precise, but also useless knowledge floating around in the brain with absolutely nowhere to put it. Hence why I’m talking into the cyber void right now. All those thoughts gotta go somewhere. Sometimes the unsuspecting colleagues find themselves on the other end of it.
Goodness gracious do I get it.
The final thing I’ve noticed when it comes to the kids that look like me in the workplace is the sheer creativity oozing from my younger counterparts. The beauty of youth is that pure-hearted curiosity that propels them forward out into the world. Their raw talents and natural gifts burst forth brilliantly for all to see. They, and their unbridled creativity, are a true sight to behold.
Those who are still lucky enough to have the financial safety net of supportive parents to fall back on, are free to explore that part of themselves. Into the looking glass I see a version of myself that never fully blossomed. Now I’m Mr. Scrooge. And It’s downright freaky.
I ask them about their artwork and drawings and jewelry-making and music and photography and origami figurines. And I watch them open up. Share a little bit of their world. In the end I tell them this: “I hope that you will find a way to bring your ideas into fruition and that you can cut through the noise and monetize your creative gifts and etch out a niche for yourself.”
Some of them have a real shot, and what that does to my achy heart I will have to deal with later. And others of them are going nowhere fast–through no fault of their own. Because they may never escape the current economic model of overwork and survival mode. And yet again, what that does to my achy heart I will just have to deal with later.
Meeting myself in the workplace over and over again in various forms has been among the most jarring, mystifying, and ethereal encounters I’ve ever had. And now I can begin to see just what the older generation has been grappling with. It’s their own undealt with shadows. How truly terrifying.
That these doppelgängers can invoke such a visceral response. It shows us that whatever chords that they strike leave a profound resonance on the tuning twines of our hearts. Instead of always criticizing them for their shortcomings, we should consider looking within. Remembering who we once were before we settled into the weary bosom of societal expectation.
Truth is that the younger generation of Americans are quickly gaining traction as their numbers are rising in the workforce. They represent a unique opportunity for self-reflection and continued learning. Remember learning never ever stops at any age.
The ultimate enlightenment would be to teach and inspire them, while still finding ways to seamlessly blend their visions into a shared reality.
The Color Cubicle 