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The New Generation Has Strength To Defy The Odds West Point made history with a record number of African American women - 32, which is the most in the United States Military Academy's history. The entire graduating class of 2019 consisted of 1,270 students of which black women constituted 3%.

Additionally, the graduating class of 2019, was made up of 280 women which is around 22%. There were 189 black students in the class, which is around 15%.

THE NEW GENERATION OF WARRIORS

THEORY AND RESERCHPart 2

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Gaining cross-cultural competence starts with understanding each generational class.

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Look at the infographic of PEI’s involvement during the technology evolution. Due to Moore’s law, technology doubles every two years, making its growth exponential.

The Hybrid Generation Millennials (especially those born 1981-1996) are hybrids. They comprehend both analog and digital systems, as most can toggle between the two worlds successfully. Millennials pioneered the tech-revolution, positioning them perfectly to develop and advance the military forward. Because of their age and brain development during the tech-revolution, they became early adopters. This means learning new tech is as routine as driving a new vehicle. In fact, they may be your most important asset in leading the next generation (Generation Z). (For those of Gen Z, early adoption is a daily occurrence).

THE HYBRID

GENERATION

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“Entitled and Lazy” is how some describe the youth of today. Leadership across all organizations often complain that Millennials are entitled and lazy. These are two of the most common stereotypes that Millennials hear regularly. More often than not Millennials do behave like they’re entitled but the root of this is impatience and distraction. (It gets even worse with Gen Z, which will be highlighted later). As stated before technology advances at an exponential pace, as a result Millennials often apply this same mentality to every aspect of their life. They divorce their end goals/vision from the effort and time it actually takes to accomplish that. They look at the mountain, recognize that they are in the valley but discount the effort, preparation, obstacles, surprises and time it’s going to take to get to the summit. Tech has disillusioned the younger generations to the reality of what it takes to accomplish the majority of life’s challenges.

Most Millennials insist that they are amazing at multitasking, unfortunately research on the brain tells us otherwise. True multitasking doesn't exist, we just switch back and forth between the two tasks This gives the appearance of multitasking but reality it lengthens the process. Millennials spend a majority of their time “multitasking,” switching back and forth between tasks and distractions (entertainment, Social Media, etc.). Most are on two screens at once (Gen Z uses 5 screens at once), this renders them less effective than those who are solely focus on one task. As a result, when compared to their predecessors, they seem lazy. Eliminating distractions will help them be more efficient, but will prove to be difficult, as you will learn later.

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Millennial’s Disconnect Is The Military’s In To Influence And Enhance The tech-revolution, parenting styles and the climate of Millennials resulted in a perfect candidate for service in the Military. Take advantage of this, as youth:

• Prefer collaboration over independent working environments.• Pioneered the tech-revolution and have the skills to update the current antiquated systems.

• Growing up in a quickly evolving world caused many Millennials to become divergentthinkers, using the quantum model of endless possibilities over the Newtonian model ofcause and effect.

• The previous generations have valued staunch tradition and typically think convergently(preferring the Newtonian model). As a result, Millennials are actively seeking for newways to disrupt industries and old beliefs.

• Cause-Oriented, therefore, without a cause they don’t see the point of doing something. They arenot satisfied with just working for money. Most actually value experiences over possessions.

• Need strong leadership, direction and feedback due to parenting.• As a result of the prevalent “Helicopter Parenting” style (removing obstacles from a child’s

life - common in baby boomers), Millennials tend to struggle making decisions and preferto have everything spelled out.

• Even though they “think outside the box” they crave structure.• They want to be given direction and constant feedback. This is something that the

Military excels at. It’s a perfect environment for them.

An egregious mistake leadership inevitably makes is to treat these two generations the same, simply because they both use technology with ease. Millennials and Gen Z have very different cultures due to a myriad of factors, some are listed above.

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Technology fused.

Generation Z, or Gen Z are technology natives. If you thought Millennials were early adopters of tech, wait till you interact with Gen Z. Early adoption is a daily routine for them. Again, due to Moore’s Law, technology has an exponential growth pattern (essentially doubling every two years). When Gen Z were in the developmental stages of childhood, they were immersed in technology and as a result gained the skills needed to keep up with tech’s constantly changing landscape. Learning new technology is less like driving a new vehicle and more like walking in a new pair of shoes.

GEN ZA HARD SELL

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Independence Over Collaboration This is where the sell for joining the Military becomes a bit difficult. Gen Z grew up in an extremely turbulent world. The Recession, post-9/11 and watching Millennials struggle to find jobs after taking on crushing student debt has molded the outlook of their own futures. Seventy-five percent of Gen Z say college is not the best form of Education. “YouTube University” has given Gen Z the ability learn new skills about any subject possible. Their ability to duplicate what they learned is how most Gen Z learns anything, resulting in a preference for independent working environments. They also tend to have a lack of trust for large corporations, organizations and government due to the Recession. This makes the Military a hard sell, trusting a large faceless organization is what caused many of their families to struggle for so many years.

Treat The Disease Not The Symptoms Most of Gen Z wants to start their own cause-oriented business. Unlike their predecessors, they don’t want to take over the world and be the next Facebook or Amazon, they simply want a small sustainable business that benefits the world. Another important characteristic of Gen Z is their interpretation of “giving back.” Gen Z considers treating the symptoms of an issue meaningless. Instead they want to treat the disease as a whole. For example, instead of volunteering at a soup kitchen, they would prefer to build a business that works towards finding a solution for world hunger.

Gen Z, sometimes called iGen or NetGen (ages 22 and under)are your toughest sell. Gen Z already makes up 15% of the Active Duty Marine Corps.

40% Say They’d Rather Have Reliable

WIFI Than Bathrooms

Don’t Know A World Without The Internet

Grew Up During The Economic Recession

72% Want To Start Their Own Business

Born After 9/11

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The New Recruits All cadets that enter the academies are now Gen Z, which is the most diverse generation (49% non-white) to date. Seventy-two percent say they value racial equality as a top issue. If the Military’s goal is to reflect the population of America, there’s some work to be done. “According to 2017 Pentagon data, 71 percent of young Americans between 17 and 24 are ineligible to serve in the United States military. Put another way: Over 24 million of the 34 million people of that age group cannot join the armed forces—even if they wanted to.”3 As mentioned on slide 11, an expansion into the autonomous and technological savvy warrior will hopefully make room for a different kind of candidate.

Cause Based Living This may be the biggest draw for Gen Z to the Military. Being cause centralized, is one of the things Gen Z has said is most important to them including equality in all forms. Similar to Millennials, if they aren’t working for a cause, they don’t see the point in doing it. The younger generations are cause loyal, but not organization loyal. Gen Z is very sensitive to corruption. Social Media has made speaking truth to power easy and effective. The majority of Gen Z gets their news from trending hashtags and the viral things that get attention. This generation cannot abide injustices. If an organization becomes corrupt or starts to veer away from its original values, Gen Z is quick to cut ties. Unfortunately, not everything is black and white but because of their age and stage of development they think in those terms. For example, boycotting all things Harvey Weinstein, R. Kelly and Bill Cosby is the only reaction they see as acceptable. In other words, poor behavior isunacceptable and will not be tolerated or given attention. The Military needs to be extremely transparent towin the trust of these kids. As long as the DoD’s values are reflected in the actual ranks, Gen Z will stay loyal.

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Addicted To Distraction Addiction is an epidemic in its own right and is not discriminatory of age, race or sex. Most addictions are rooted in the chemical dopamine, which is a reward that our brain gives us when we complete a task or accomplish a goal. In primitive times we were awarded a shot of dopamine when we would successfully gather or kill food, build a shelter or improve our living situations. It was Mother Nature’s way of ensuring that we wouldn’t get distracted from vital tasks. The bigger the task we accomplish the larger the hit of dopamine and the longer it’s effects. This motivates us to complete bigger and better things than we did yesterday, thereby ensuring progression, expansion and innovation. Unfortunately, in the comfort of flush times, dopamine attaches itself to things that our primitive brain thinks are good but often end up controlling our lives.

Technology addiction is most common among both Millennials and Gen Z, and Social Media has created the perfect storm for these young addicts. Each time you get a message/like/comment on a social media platform, your brain gets a shot of dopamine. For a second, you are intoxicated with positive feelings. Due to our brain’s need for bigger and better accomplishments the effects of this dopamine hit are short. So, we search for more, more, more, more! What gave us an adequate dopamine high before now will not suffice. We now need to “achieve” something bigger to get that same level of dopamine, therefore, the addiction begins, spiraling quickly into something that isolates the user from reality, relationships and actual accomplishments.

Technology is not inherently good or evil, it is how we choose to use it that defines us. The Military has the great opportunity to utilize the youngest two generation’s skill with technology but also has the capacity to show them how to be a part of a cohesive group. Later, we will touch on how cohesion happens through oxytocin and serotonin – which are healthier stronger chemicals. This may be their first

GenZ: Use and Abuse of Tech

“Social media has changed attitudes in the newest generation of service members and that leads to

different ways of interaction. They have different life experiences as they enter the services, and this

requires they receive different instruction.”3

– Dr. Van Winkle

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experience of bonds that are not virtual. As a result, they will be more loyal than any other generation, finding true “happiness” in human relationships.

One Quit Wonder In a one click, two-day shipping world full of immediate results, Gen Z has been disillusioned to the actual reality of time and effort it takes to accomplish things in life. Half of the Millennials, all of Generation X and the Baby Boomers are intimately acquainted with the ratios of effort: results. Gen Z has no grasp on this ratio, which may turn out to be the Military’s biggest challenge. When Gen Z experiences any kind of failure, they quit. They assume the amount of work it takes for them to click a button and the time it takes for something to load is equivalent to the amount of time and effort all other things should take. Pertaining to this mentality, the Military will have to find a way to raise Gen Z’s threshold of defeat.

The Mental Health Fallout In any Psychology 101 class you learn that the two things we value over anything else is that of social acceptance and where we fall in the beauty spectrum - as it is defined in our day. Social Media has expanded these two “values” from the pre-tech-revolution of Celebrities, and those we see every day….to the entire webiverse. As one can imagine, it has not had a positive impact on the mental health of humanity.

Depression and anxiety are rampant in the youngest generation. Although, it’s not clear if mental health is becoming less taboo, as parents are taking their children to therapist and psychiatrists often or if is a result of backlash Gen Z’s lifestyle. As mentioned above Millennials and Gen Z are prone to experience a myriad of negative effects caused by Social Media than the older generation. No matter the cause of the rise in mental health challenges, the Military is going to have to address these as the cadets enter the ranks. This is yet another reason it is imperative to create a culture that is supportive and safe for everyone.

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Circle Of Safety From Simon Sinek’s book Leaders Eat Last, a concept of the best work environment for both the company and the employee are described.

Without question, the military knows how to bond a team together unequaled by any other institution. This “Circle of Safety” is forged through training and tutelage. This shared pain, education and success, releases oxytocin and serotonin

within the ranks of the Military. These two chemicals are healthy and forge strong bonds of trust and loyalty. Those who have served together in the Military often refer to each other as brothers and sisters. These men and women view their work differently than most in the private sector, to them this is a family not a job. Because this bond is so strong, the fall out that happens when that trust is violated is catastrophic in comparison to other less cohesive organizations.

TACKLES CULTURE

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If an employee/warrior fears for their personal safety, the base part of your brain will take over. Cortisol and dopamine flood in, and then one cannot do their job because they are only able to focus on personal safety. In the corporate world that simply means, a loss in profits. In the military, the result can be loss of life.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU FEAR FOR YOUR SAFETY IN THE CIRCLE?

“Unit cohesion [and] unit trust is

critical to our ability to meet our

missions. These behaviors are so counter to good

order and discipline and completely

fragment cohesion and trust that the

units have.”2

– Dr. Van Winkle

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Authority Shift Originally from Turn the Ship Around by Captain David Marquet, shifting mentalities from blind obedience to that of ownership:

Captain David Marquet was a career submariner, the very best. During his service in the Navy he was ordered to leave his command of the Olympia and take command of the USS Santa Fe – a slightly newer class of submarine. (The important element here being, he did not know the ship’s ins and outs as he did the Olympia’s). The crew he was to take over was ranked last in nearly every readiness and retention measurement the Navy had.

In an attempt to get his crew up to readiness and retention standards, Captain Marquet decided to run a drill. During the drill Captain Marquet gave the order to “Ahead two-thirds.” The order was repeated all the way through the chain of command. When the order reached the junior enlisted crew member who was to execute the order, nothing happened. When Captain Marquet frustratingly asked what the problem was the junior member told him “Sir, there is no two-thirds setting.” Captain Marquet then turned to his navigator, who had been aboard for over two years and asked him if he knew there was no two-thirds setting. His navigator replied in the affirmative.

“Dumfounded, Captain Marquet asked him, “Then why did you issue the order?” “Because you told me to,” said the officer. It was at that point that Captain Marquet was force to face the reality of the situation: his crew had been trained to follow instructions and he had been trained for another submarine. And if everyone was going to blindly follow his orders simply because he was in charge, then something very, very bad could happen.”1

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Captain Marquet decided to shift the responsibility of success or failure from his shoulders alone, to that of each individual crew member. He banned the words, “permission to” and replaced them with “I intend to.” The chain of command remained intact, but it instituted a psychological shift. The person performing the action now owned the action instead of carrying out an assigned task.

Just as Captain David Marquet kept the chain of command intact by changing “Permission to” à “I intend to,” beVoco keeps the chain of command in tact by sending the reports straight to the Company’s Captain but also gives each warrior authority to report misconduct retaining ownership of their own safety and the safety of their brothers and sisters.

The goal is to give power to the those who can actually do something. BeVoco is revolutionary because it puts the power of reporting into every single hand, no matter their rank or rate

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You know that one weird guy? Everybody knows who he is, but no one ever says anything so he just keeps getting weirder…

Women experience this with sexual harassment on a daily basis. Many women want to be nice, accommodating and not be labeled a shrew, so negative behavior often goes unchecked. According to the DoD’s report, 1 in 5 women and 1 in 12 men, who experience sexual assault also experience harassment. BeVoco understands that sexual harassment can lead to sexual assault, which is why the platform is designed to empower everyone to report smaller incidents before the behavior escalates.

1. Cadet Hallie Pound. “History in the Making.” 26 May, 2019. https://www.nbcnews.com/know-your-value/feature/record-number-black-women-just-graduated-west-point-ncna1010171.

2. https://genhq.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/GenerationsDefined.png.3. Image: https://www.armytimes.com/resizer/iKrOh6HVBN0Shuhq9xKtsAzYt3k=/1200x0/filters:quality(100)/arc-anglerfish-arc2-

prod-mco.s3.amazonaws.com/public/WRUP4ZOVZVGRPH7IZY7GF7YTJU.jpg4.5. Images: https://www.wearethemighty.com/articles/7-everyday-struggles-women-deal-serving-military.6. PEI 30 Years of Tech. https://www.pei.com/portfolio/pei-30th-anniversary-timeline/.7. Sinek, Simon. Leaders Eat Last. Portfolio Penguin, 2018.8. Image: https://wpmedia.smartmusic.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Helicopter-Parents_Blog-SM-1024x512.jpg9. Image: https://media.defense.gov/2016/Oct/04/2001643610/600/400/0/161001-Z-RD516-0046.JPG10.Infographic: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/meet-generation-z-the-newest-member-to-the-workforce/.11.Image: https://warontherocks.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/reid.jpg.12.Image:Airmen check their cellphones during a flight aboard a C-17 Globemaster III on Jan. 13, 2014. KENNETH NORMAN/U.S. AIR

FORCE. https://www.stripes.com/polopoly_fs/1.491127.1507213551!/image/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_900/image.jpg.

13.Image: An American soldier takes a selfie at a U.S. Army base in Iraq.ALAA AL-MARJANI / REUTERS). https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/06/tan-books/530319/.

14.Infographic: https://www.collegefactual.com/colleges/united-states-military-academy/student-life/diversity/.15.Image: https://static.lakana.com/nxsglobal/feedsite/photo/2019/05/25/West_Point_76397_89081507_ver1.0_640_360.jpg.16.Spoehr, Thomas and Handy, Bridget. The Looming National Security Crisis: Young Americans Unable to Serve in the Military. 13

Feb, 2018. https://www.heritage.org/defense/report/the-looming-national-security-crisis-young-americans-unable-serve-the-military.

17.Sinek, Simon. Leaders Eat Last. Portfolio Penguin, 2018.18.Van Winkle, Dr. Elizabeth. “Latest Sex Assault Stats are ‘Call to Action’ for DOD Leaders, Official says.” Interviewed by Jim

Garamone. 2 May, 2019. https://dod.defense.gov/News/Article/Article/1833511/latest-sex-assault-stats-are-call-to-action-for-dod-leaders-official-says/.

19.Image: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/meet-generation-z-the-newest-member-to-the-workforce/.20.Burkhart, Navy Rear Adm. Ann M. “DOD Leaders Concerned Over Revelations in Sexual Assault Report.” Interviewed by Jim

Garamone. 2 May, 2019. https://dod.defense.gov/News/Article/Article/1833549/dod-leaders-concerned-over-revelations-in-sexual-assault-report/.

21.Image: Coalition force member maintains security during a presence patrol in the Farah province of Afghanistan By DoD photo bySgt. Pete Thibodeau, U.S. Marine Corps., via Wikimedia Commons.

22.Image: Airmen group huddle at the conclusion of the Police Week Memorial 5K Ruck March at Yokota Air Base, Japan, May 15,2017. (Air Force photo/Donald Hudson) https://images03.military.com/sites/default/files/styles/full/public/media/people/2017/05/airmen-huddle-1200x800.jpg?itok=fUzX-3kd.

23.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtIojDWOsgg.24.Sinek, Simon. Leaders Eat Last. Portfolio Penguin, 2018.25.Sinek, Simon. Leaders Eat Last. Portfolio Penguin, 2018.26.Van Winkle, Dr. Elizabeth. “Latest Sex Assault Stats are ‘Call to Action’ for DOD Leaders, Official says.” Interviewed by Jim

Garamone. 2 May, 2019. https://dod.defense.gov/News/Article/Article/1833511/latest-sex-assault-stats-are-call-to-action-for-dod-leaders-official-says/.

27.https://www.guybutlerphotography.com/portfolio/military-photography/#28.Brené Brown. The Call to Courage. Netflix. 19 April 201929.Sinek, Simon. Leaders Eat Last. Portfolio Penguin, 2018, p 177-181.30.Sinek, Simon. Leaders Eat Last. Portfolio Penguin, 2018.31.United States, Department of Defense Office of Force Resiliency. “Annual Report on Sexual Assault in the Military.” 2 May 2019,

https://int.nyt.com/data/documenthelper/800-dod-annual-report-on-sexual-as/d659d6d0126ad2b19c18/optimized/full.pdf#page=1.

Works Cited:.

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