The case has been made that parents have responsibility for the problems emerging with Gen Y employees in the workplace.
In the blog (http://kimacworth-recruitloop.com.au/y-its-your-fault-parents-y-gens/) some typical behaviours employers experience were discussed. They were –
– need to be told what to do next, lacking initiative.
– take sick leave at the slightest sniffle, sense of entitlement.
– expect the manager’s job without making an effort, self-righteous attitude.
This blog will explore these issues from a psychological point of view to gain some insight into the 3 common mistakes parents make that might contribute to these behaviours.
As parents it’s important to cultivate a “growth mindset”. A growth mindset is when we believe that intelligence and talent can be increased and changed with life experience. That is…the more effort you make the more challenges to take on more success you have.
In contrast parents often do the opposite and actually reinforce a “fixed mindset”. A fixed mindset is when we believe we are born with a certain amount of intelligence and talent that doesn’t change much over a life. That is…making an effort and taking on challenges does not contribute to the level of success we have in life!
So, as parents it is important to promote a healthy mindset. You can do this by going and finding out your own fundamental beliefs about success and then learning to cultivate a growth mindset.
You can check whether you’re promoting a mindset that helps or hinders your child in the workplace by reading the 3 common mistakes parents make which promote a fixed mindset and then thinking about your own behaviour.
Mistake #1 Believe we are born with a certain amount of intelligence and talent which can’t really be changed over time.
Mistake #2 Use praise which promotes fixed mindset such as “you are very very smart” instead of “you are very very dedicated to practising”.
Mistake #3 Focus just on the end result instead of focusing on the process of what you’re doing (i.e. effort!!)
Kate Down is a behavioural scientist and Associate member of Australian Psychological Society, who specialises in social and emotional intelligence and rational thinking. Her passion is fueled by the belief ‘people power people’ and the mission to enhance the quality of life of 1, 000, 000 people across the globe by 2020 through inspiring real conversation on real life issues.
