Era of Entitlement

Quoting from Wikipedia, entitlement is a guarantee of access to benefits because of rights, or by agreement through law and/or policy. It can also refer, in a more casual sense to someone's belief that he/she is deserving of some particular reward or benefit. It is often used as a negative term in popular parlance (i.e. a 'sense of entitlement'). The legal term, however, carries no value judgment: it simply denotes a right granted.

Hmm .. where am I heading to on this subject? Keep on reading ..

Ms. Marci A. Hamilton, who is the Paul R. Verkuil Chair in Public Law at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University, wrote in her legal column back in 2003 that:

This is the Age of Entitlement. She [I] does [do] not mean entitlement only in the
sense of the belief that one is entitled to a government handout. She [I] also
means [mean] entitlement in the simpler sense of the belief that one deserves
to get exactly what one wants - regardless of the law and despite the public good.

Okay Roving Soul seems to get it based on the comment in this blog but I am divided on this subject. I could be dead wrong and would not want to generalise such issue but somehow I think those (people I know, of course) including myself who were born between 1970 to 1974 are in the grey zone. It seems those who were born from 1975 onwards have a strong inclination towards demanding entitlement as compared to those born before 1970's.

The comments from Ms. Hamilton were made 5 years ago, however, as recent as December last year, an editorial from Automotive Engineering International (AEI) that I came across while trying to prepare for my upcoming technical assessment that confirms what I have been thinking all along i.e. there is a whole new generation expecting entitlement as aforesaid. The excerpt from the editorial (conversation between AEI editor and Mr. Jack Curcio - former President and CEO of Mack Truck) will hopefully clarify my point further:

Jack attributed his success in life to always doing the best job possible. Jack told me (AEI editor) that this message is one that he communicates in his numerous speaking engagements, particularly to college students: "Take the hand that is dealt to you and do the best job ever."
This philosophy is not unlike that of my own father's. He constantly reminded me and the rest of my family members that, if you do the best job possible, you will ultimately be recognized and rewarded. Be rewarded with more responsibility, more authority, and more money. I always believed that self-interest was better served by doing good work than by getting good things. Too many times I see in younger generations the desire and need for immediate reward. Too often, it seems, our youth is unwilling to accept special assignments or take on additional responsibilities unless these are accompanied by immediate reward. Entitlement is a word that I never grew up with, yet now I hear it all the time. Interestingly, I searched for the word in my 1960 edition of the Webster's Dictionary, and found that it did not exist. In my 1998 edition, however, "entitlement" was an entry. I
believe that this relatively new concept has been born out of the drive within
organizations to empower people. Some individuals clearly equate "empowerment"
with getting what they want.

Okay, the reason why I mention I belong in the grey zone is because I have witnessed and also gone through both experiences as written by AEI editor above. At work, I would do my best in everything I do as I know that it will make me stronger and better at my tasks. When I happen to stumble upon spare time, I would volunteer to do work that are beyond my job scope to broaden my experiences and of course, I would not hesitate to work with all sort of people regardless of rank, gender, race, level of education and age because the experience gained will nurture me into a better person personally and professionally. At the end I know all that I have gained so far will make me a better leader and person for my family, friends and people I work with. Instant reward was never an issue but, I do expect recognition, respect and trust from them.

Sadly, in place there is the performance appraisal system (when it is not done correctly) that to many people at my workplace replaces the human interaction from superiors to/from subordinates and co-workers to co-workers, as it is done at most twice a year. This is simply insufficient to nurture positive values amongst employees which makes it even more difficult to manage expectations. It cannot replace the simple pat on the back when one does well, reassurance for another that his/her mistake is a learning experience, the advice and moral boost amongst fellow workers i.e. the human touch part of it.

On one hand, one may feel that he/she is doing very well only to find out six months or one year later that he/she is merely meeting expectations. Wassup!?!? On the other hand, one may feel that he/she deserves to get good appraisals just because he/she did a token more than the previous year without considering his/her actual contribution to the company.

Mr. Paulo Coelho, the author of Alchemist, wrote, "... everything you do in life will leave a mark, so try to be conscious of that in your every action." I know that there are people out there who work because they want to make the world around them a better place. I hope I have the strength and will to be one of them and not be sucked into the vortex of entitlement. Don't get me wrong, I would like to be rewarded as a recognition for all the great things I have done so far but not just because ...