Are millennials the worst generation ever? You might think so from listening to the barrage of negative comments in the media. However, WilmU DBA student Bryan Yakulic helps put that hot topic in perspective in his presentation, “The Next Worst Generation” for TEDxDover.
As an adjunct professor at The American College of Financial Services, Yakulic teaches cross-generational leadership. He has been featured as a keynote speaker at industry events, and has contributed articles and quotes to industry publications, as well as popular press such as Forbes.
Yakulic notes that disparaging comments about young adults have been made for decades and even centuries, going back as far as Socrates. Generations are just different, not inherently better or worse, he feels. The key to success is for the generations to learn from each other and leverage the positives.
Yakulic ends his talk with an appeal to millennials to reach out to the next “worst” generation — Generation Z — in order to foster innovation and competitiveness in the marketplace. He thinks that by respecting these differences, we might make the world a better place.
Beyond his TEDx talk, Yackulic has been delving deeper into cross-generational issues in his doctoral dissertation research, in which he is assessing the diversity climate of a major airline. The objectives of the research are to find ways for the airline to leverage diversity and increase retention.
Yackulic praises the DBA program as an incredibly impactful and authentic learning experience. The deep conversations with faculty and peers have opened his mind and enabled him to think differently. As demonstrated by his TEDx talk, the program helped Yackulic hone his presentation and executive writing skills. He looks forward to using those tools to promote diversity in the workplace and community and credits the DBA program and
WilmU faculty for giving him the ability to do so.
—Ruth Norman