I watched my boomer mother give unsolicited opinions about my parenting, my marriage, my weight, and my career for fifteen years with the certainty of someone who had never once been wrong about anything - and the day I finally said something back was the day I understood that her certainty was not about me at all, it was the one thing she had that still made her feel like she mattered - Silicon Canals
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I watched my boomer mother give unsolicited opinions about my parenting, my marriage, my weight, and my career for fifteen years with the certainty of someone who had never once been wrong about anything - and the day I finally said something back was the day I understood that her certainty was not about me at all, it was the one thing she had that still made her feel like she mattered - Silicon Canals
"The constant advice-giving from the boomer generation isn't just annoying-it's a symptom of something bigger. Behind all that certainty, all that need to dispense wisdom, was fear. The fear of becoming irrelevant."
"They grew up in an era where authority meant something, where experience automatically translated to wisdom, where seniors' words were gospel. They built their identities around being the ones who knew better."
Unsolicited advice from older colleagues often stems from a deeper fear of becoming irrelevant. Many from the boomer generation built their identities around being authoritative figures, believing their experience equates to wisdom. This need to dispense advice can be overwhelming, as it reflects their desire to remain significant in a changing workplace. The constant commentary on younger generations' career choices and methods reveals an underlying anxiety about their own relevance and the shifting dynamics of authority in professional settings.
#workplace-dynamics #generational-differences #career-advice #authority #organizational-behavior
Read at Silicon Canals
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