For the longest time, millennials have been dubbed ‘strawberry generation’ for their perceived inability to withstand social pressure and perform under stress at the workplace.
So, a Malaysian netizen named Joe Najib, wrote on his Facebook page and explained exactly why harsh treatment or so called ‘tough love’ is needed to bring out the best in someone.
Here’s what he wrote.
“You’re f**king stupid or what? If you cannot even do such a simple thing then what the f**k did I hire you for?!? Useless!”
“Those were the most painful words ever directed towards me at work. I was then a client servicing executive, barely two years in the advertising industry.”
“What made it more painful and humiliating was the fact that my boss screamed it out loud for the entire department to hear. The people around us pretended not to notice.”
“But you can tell they did. Because all the click-clacks from everyone’s keyboards stopped at that moment. The whole area fell eerily silent.”
“It felt like the longest 30 seconds of my life, before I was ‘blessed’ with the words ‘go away!’ to end my misery.”
“It took months to regain my boss’ trust and acknowledgement. I had to make sure that whatever I had to deliver was inch-perfect, on time, and not to put her in a spot when she speaks to her own bosses.”
“The agency (with the same boss) was then tasked to handle an annual dance music festival, and I was part of the team that built the event from ground up.”
“And when everyone else was partying, our boss was constantly yelling over the walkie telling us to check on things.”
“At 1am, our boss radioed in again, telling the crew to meet her behind the main stage. Crap. Something must be wrong.”
“We regrouped, and she told us to walk up on stage with her, behind Johan Gielen, the DJ that was spinning at that time.
“We formed a single file, arms on each others’ shoulders, and my boss told us,
‘Look at that. Lights. Music. 30,000 people enjoying themselves. Boys, you made this happen. All of you. From a piece of paper. From nothing but an idea. We brought this to life.’
“She then proceeded to tell us, ‘Switch off your walkies. Have fun. We all deserve it. See you guys tomorrow’.”
The point Joe was trying to make is this.
“They don’t make tough, resilient, thick-skinned people like they used to anymore. The sense of self-righteousness and entitlement has long taken over our young ones. Which, to me, is sad.
“Sad because they choose not to stay long enough to witness the beauty in being genuinely commended and praised when you actually do put your stellar performance hats on.”
In other words, tough love (as well as having perseverance) is necessary to mould a bright and driven star that millennials can be.
What’s your opinion on this? Do you believe in this way of empowering the youth? Tell us what you think in the comment section!
Also read: “I Have a Student Who is Quiet and Shy, It’s Difficult Just to Get Him to Speak”