Graphic By: Derace Lauderdale
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Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
![Age infused the now-concluded presidential election. It was the factor that made his party push President Joe Biden out of the race. Donald Trump was born in the first year of the baby boom, 1946; and Kamala Harris the last, 1964. Now President-elect Trump <a href="https://federalnewsnetwork.com/congress/2024/11/here-are-the-people-trump-has-picked-for-key-positions-so-far/">has nominated</a> a half dozen millennials to his administration.
Defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth is 44, for example. Attorney General nominee Matt Gaetz 42, intelligence director nominee Tulsi Gabbard 43. For that matter, vice president-elect J. D. Vance is a mere lad at 40.
You see milliennials arriving on the leadership scene in growing numbers and in all fields. No surprise. This is the age when many people hit their fast stride professionally. I recall being in a job when my 35th birthday arrived. A consultant to the company, then in his late 70s, joked in a meeting, "Temin, you're no longer a young man of promise. Now you've got to produce!" At 36 I was solidly in the mid-management layer, with a product and staff all of my own to nurture.
Recall that one of the most influential secretaries of Defense, Robert S. McNamara, was 44 when President-elect Kennedy (43 himself at the time) nominated him. McNamara had already been president of the Ford Motor Company, albeit for only a few weeks. Aside: He'd used data-driven decision making long before it became fashionable.
Generation X and remaining Boomer federal employees might not like the thought of millennials coming in and taking over agencies, but that's the way the world works. I've had bosses younger than me, and I've been the boss of people older than me. The right people render age irrelevant.
Eventually, go-getters in Generation Z will arrive at the managerial and leadership levels. Having had contact with many of them lately, I have confidence in the future of the republic.
On a recent Saturday, I spoke to a class of about 35 freshmen at American University, public administration majors. Thanks to <a href="https://federalnewsnetwork.com/workforce/2024/10/a-premier-college-program-for-public-service-celebrates-90-years/">Russ Robinson</a>, long-serving federal manager, now director of the Key Undergraduate Leadership Program. And yesterday I spent three hours at a recruiting table at a job fair for Penn State majors in communications. I talked to a couple dozen of them.
Alert, businesslike and polite, they both listened and asked pointed, relevant questions. In both situations, the students had clear ideas about what they wanted to do in life. Whatever political agendas they might harbor, they didn't drag along with them. They spoke clearly and earnestly. In one exercise on effective speaking, I called on one of the AU student to prove no one can speak confidently about something they don't know.
That meant asking my standard ice-breaker question for nervous guests: What's your assessment of Mussolini's invasion of Ethiopia. I use that question, once cited by Dale Carnegie, because it's so obscure, anyone would realize I'm kidding. Oops. To my and the class' surprise, he gave a great, off-the-cuff answer!
Because of how factionalized the country has become politically, you hear a lot of worry about the future. Plus, every generation has made predictions of demise because of the perceived failings of the generation after it. Yet the journalism majors I spoke with from just one university sounded just like I and a million other boomers did nearly a half-century ago.
A new fed could be coming your way soon. A sophomore I spoke with is fluent in Japanese and English, by virtue have been born to a Marine serving in Japan who married a Japanese woman. Her skills — and not just language skills, but also writing and communications tools skills — would potentially find a fit in the State, Commerce or Defense Departments. She hadn't thought of that, but said she'd check out <a href="https://www.usajobs.gov/">USAjobs.gov</a>. Note to State Department: If you're looking for a superb intern, let me know.
Yes, the immediate future seems slightly in turmoil. You've been through this before. Most feds are taking it in calmly, and won't rush to the exits. <a href="https://federalnewsnetwork.com/workforce/2024/11/pulse-poll-majority-of-feds-putting-mission-over-politics/">Our survey</a>, conducted by Federal News Network's Jason Miller, found Schedule F and other potential changes from the Trump administration don't have feds sobbing at their desks — or dining room tables.
There's a great new generation coming along. The nation will need some of them in civil service. If government wants to keep attracting the bright and creative, it's important both for the incoming Trump team to carry out its changes — civilly. And for the career ranks to model the ability to stick to civil service neutrality while carrying out policy.
Go to a job fair. You'll realize, we'll be fine.]()
Congress
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Your Turn
Is there an "age gap" in your office?
