GenX

Generation X

The ambivalent overachiever – a new GenX breed?

Nicki Pozos7 Comments

Overachievers of past generations seemed to aim straight for the top – seemingly to presume that if you could get to the top that you should. Alas, I believe GenX has created a new breed – the ambivalent overachiever. This breed is not so obsessed with whether they can get to the top, but whether they want to. There is a sense that such ambivalence would not be so appreciated by the powers that be, so most ambivalent overachievers are out there masquerading as “normal” dedicated employees. They are indeed often quite successful, as GenXers tend to be rather perceptive about how to play the game (if they choose to play it).

The overachievement part is motivated by a variety of factors. First and foremost – success gives you options. And every GenX knows that options are power. Overachievement probably means you can walk out the door, if things are not working out. Very important even if you are actually quite happy with your current employment. 

Of course, ambivalent or not, many of us overachieve simply because we actually care about what we are doing. Even if it not our dream job (our Plan F), there is some meaning to be gained from just doing something well, to doing your best. Part of this is not just about what we are doing, but who we are doing it for. Though GenXers are notoriously cynical about organizations, we can still be inspired by and loyal to people ~ whether those people are clients, coworkers, or “the boss.”

The question is, can this breed become the next generation of leaders? Can leadership and ambivalence coexist? It seems that the GenX habit of having one foot subconsciously out the door may be incompatible with leadership. Or maybe it is just going to change the way leadership looks and feels. The question is, can you be an effective leader in an organization without drinking the kool-aid? What do you think?

Statistically speaking, we’re about to get more miserable

Nicki Pozos1 Comment

According to the economist I am about to take a big dive in life satisfaction – well, actually, it’s “self-reported well being.” As if we GenXers didn’t have it hard enough, it seems that regardless of generational cohort, life satisfaction takes a dive starting in the late 30s and bottoming out at around 50. The way I see it, the bad news is that our life satisfication should be steadily decreasing right now – the good news is that we’re not 50 yet.

The question is what to do about this trend. I can really understand that, given all that people have going on in their 30s and 40s it can be pretty difficult to make space for those things that may increase our sense of happiness. They do note that having children in the house tends to lower one’s score, so I suppose I could just hold my breath until the kids leave. But as Nadia is only 2 months old, this doesn’t seem like a particularly good plan. It seems their main theory is that as we age we are more able to live in the present and be less judgemental and reactive.

The good news about statistics is that you can always beat the mean.

It makes me wonder about how much in these decades we are resisting our lives – resisting the actual careers, children, and homes we have. Striving for the next thing – or perhaps just pining for something different. Or perhaps it’s just that constant stress of feeling that we never have enough time to get to what’s important. The question is how can we still strive to make our lives better and more meaningful, without resisting our lives the way they are now? 

So, my challenge for 2011 is to try to create more time/energy in my life. Because it’s not so much that my life takes up all my time, as much as it takes up all my energy. And I do believe much of that energy drain is indeed resistance to what already is. So, my plan is to use a trick – engage in activities that create energy in the little time that I have, thereby creating more energy/time. That, and do my darndest to not resist all the time I need to spend on all the other necessary things in my life. Hmm, we’ll have to see how that one works out!

Anyone out there been successful in bending the time/space continium and creating the sense of more time?