One of the complaints I hear most with the newest generation is a lack of long-term commitment. People working jobs for only a few months and moving on. Living in a location for less than a year and growing restless and leaving, etc.
There is a legitimate complaint that is made here. Many young people refuse to commit and thus paint themselves as unreliable. However, there is also an enormous pressure on young people to make life-long decisions without the proper experience or learning under their belt.
Back 200 years ago, you may have only had one thing you could do. If your dad was a miner, that might have been the only thing you ever knew. The only option you had for a career. Since there wasn’t another option that was clear to see, it was simple to be resigned to the choice you had…because you didn’t have much of a choice at all.
But now, there are so many options, especially for a young American, to decide what direction they want to go in. To force at a young age is counter-productive, not only for them, but for society as a whole. You will end up having people who are gifted in one area working in career paths that don’t help them to come alive. And when you don’t have people working in areas that make them come alive, you make a negative impact on the world around them.
The freedom to try things without commitments is an important albeit annoying necessity to helping many youth of today.
Like most things, there is a balance that can be found. The balance comes when you can adjust what commitment looks like.
The commitment problem I see with th newest generation isn’t an action-oriented commitment issue, it’s a mindset. I think kids are so tired of having to commit to things that they’re unsure about that they train their mind to never fully commit to anything.
But what if instead of training people to commit to something for 4 years or more before they go after it, you give them 6 months to fully dive deep and give them a completely open option at the end to leave and pursue something else? This comes with a price for the person. They’ll have to be okay with making less since they won’t be as valuable as someone who knows the company inside and out.
But it gives them the ability to fully commit to something knowing that if they hate it 6 months later then they can pursue something else. It may seem like this is enabling a lack of commitment, but it’s doing the exact opposite. By giving short timelines and open options, you cause people to be much more committed and willing to jump fully in.
If I told you to jump in a pool of water and you didn’t know if you would love it or hate it, would you be more willing to go in if you have to commit to thirty minutes or three minutes? Having a pre-determined potential escape helps people to know that they can fully jump in and focus for the time alloted because the end is always in sight if they don’t like it.
On the flip side, it’s also great because if they end up loving it, nothing is stopping them from staying in the pool longer.
Give people reasonable commitments and you’ll find they’re much more willing to work hard at learning than you thought.