Who’s the boss? Or rather, who wants to be the boss?
Posted On March 13, 2014
That’s the question the Pew Research Center asked recently. And the answer is, the kids. Millennials want to be the boss, Gen Xers are split, and Boomers say, no thanks. More scientifically, 32% of Boomer, 58% of Gen Xers and 70% of Millennials males (and 21%, 41% and 61%, respectively for females) want to be the boss.
That may or may not come as a surprise to you. Often those with the least power are most hungry for it, and those in power better understand the burden. So, from a generational and age perspective it makes sense that the youngest workers are most eager to become the boss. But what does that really mean?
If you apply what we know about each generation – Millennials’ desire for independence and self-reliace, Gen Xers wish to better balance personal and professional achievement – it may be that there is a slightly different definition of “boss” at play. Does the younger generation want to be the boss of others? Or just the boss of themselves?