Here’s a bit of information you already know: research shows that each generation thinks that they are smarter than the last. That’s right. Your kids? Smarter than you. Their kids? Guaranteed to be smarter than you. That new, millennial apprentice you’ve been training? Most likely smarter than you; they probably just don’t know it yet, but it is only a matter of time until they do.
The good news is, if you care to look at it that way, studies show that each generation is also more ambivalent than the next — something to do with a general anxiety and fear for the future of humanity (Hello, climate change!). Therefore, a hostile takeover by any generation is unlikely. The bad news is — again, if you care to look at it that way — the next generation’s fears will quickly become your fears. But more good news: their strengths will be yours, too.