The “Y” professionals in the IT environment

de sudamérica hispana

Daniel de Souza

How is a CIO (Chief Information Officer) supposed to treat his young and talented minds? How does he see them and what is he supposed to do with them? We are talking about the " Generation Y" brilliant and fresh young professionals you have just hired. But doesn`t he seem to be always about to leave?
Those are just a few questions that go through the minds of IT managers all over the world, from the far East in Japan and China to the Silicon Valley in the Western Coast of the USA, either in emerging or developed economies. In Brazil, that topic is going to be the theme for a panel during the CIO Weekend SP 2012 that took place in the paradise location of Arraial D` Ajuda, in the coast of the State of Bahia, between September 13th and 16th.
To understand better what goes through the minds of these young professionals born in the 80`s, and who tend to think faster about how much they want to grow in their carrier than their companies allow them to, the attendants heard a lecture from Sidnei Oliveira, one of the biggest authorities in the country in the analysis of the famous "Generation Y.
"Those professionals are naturally entrepreneurs and are thrilled by technology and globalization. In several moments we observe the lack of preparation of managers in promoting the changes that are necessary and urgent [regarding them]", said Oliveira, in a statement that is just a sample of the conversation that took place in Bahia during that weekend.
But how does an IT manager recognize a "Y employee" in his team? It is not very hard. In the IT area, there tend to be a lot of them.
They were born and grew up during the Internet area. They are in their mid/upper 20`s; are very dynamic and creative; have many ideas at the same time (which does not mean they always execute them); do a lot of tasks at the same time (and try, just try, to finish most of them); tend to be "real time" (most part of the time) and think more "global" than "local."
At first, those characteristics tend to create, at the top of any manager`s mind, a typical professional in the beginning of his/her carrier. But mostly CIO`s today that have grown and built their carrier at a completely different environment. For them, those professionals can be charming; at the same time they can be tricky.

Those same fascinating "Y professionals" tend to get bored fast and easily; want to earn quite a lot without having to put up with years and years of challenges, as they parents did in the past; have little or no attachment to their employers or to the company (they can change at any time), and have a tendency to work just to earn some money before they open their own startup (which is even stronger for employed in IT companies).
They convince themselves, very easily, that they are going to be much, much happier that way. And work hard for that to happen.
Denis Lee is a typical "Generation Y" young professional. In this video (in Portuguese) he tries to explain, in a little longer than four minutes, what are is this all about. In a creative, fast and little chaotic way, just like a typical "Y Generation" boy.

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