This week could be called the great coming out. It's not that many weeks ago that Tim Cook, in what at the time was seen as a bold move, announced to the world that he was gay. This was seen as a big deal for a CEO, especially when for so long many of Hollywood's stars have felt it career limiting to share that they are gay. There were rumblings in the mainstream media that customers in 'conservative Asian cultures' would stop buying Apple products. They didn't.
This week, as Gay Marriage is legalised across America, everyone is coming out care of a simple tool provided by Facebook that allows you to put a rainbow filter on your profile picture. Ever since Facebook has had a wonderful trippy feel to it. More critically though Mark Zuckerberg didn't just provide a tool he very clearly stated that Facebook supported and applauded the decision. He was not alone. It seems like we have reached a very welcome generational tipping point.
The timing of this tip is interesting as last week was also the anniversary of the Stone Wall riots in New York in 1969, when the city's gay community made a stand against police harassment in a move that many see as the beginnings of what became the LGBT movement. Using these two moments as measuring points we could say that it shows it takes 46 years for social change to go global. For me though what it shows is that fundamental social and cultural change actually takes three generations. In this case we see that the first generation - The Baby Boomers - raise the issue, a second - Gen X - fight for it, and a third - The Millennials - execute it.
What all this really points at is that a generation has now rolled over. Expect much more change to come. It's time to stop taking about the Millennial Generation like they are some strange subset of the population or new thing. We are now living in the Millennial Age. We now are all the Millennial Generation. And if you're not on the multi coloured bandwagon you are going to get left behind.
I am left shaking my head at many companies attempts at culture change to try and catch up - culture change that is being implemented by using the last generations thinking with 'Drums beats' and top down programs. Really LMAO.
I am currently proud to be working with a company that is allowing us to implement millennial thinking using millennial thinking. It is not about making change, it is about accepting that the world has already changed. That diversity, inclusion, colloboration, and giving a damn are not nice to haves. They are how it works now.