Black Hawk Down

With apologies to Ridley Scott, whose 2001 Oscar-winning movie, Black Hawk Down, remains one of my favorite movies about American geopolitics, I invited a group of millennials to join me in a discussion of the journey they had just begun from college or graduate/professional school to the “grown up” world.  It was a journey that would take them from their parents’ home into one of their own, into the workplace, into the world of finance and investments and into adult relationships.

My inspiration had come from a young friend, who had told me that the biggest difference between being a student and being on his own was the absence of a syllabus.  As a student, he had the advantage of a syllabus – those 3 to 5 easy to follow pages that laid out the course requirements. When he started a new class, he knew exactly what he had to do.  The professor’s expectations were clear. If he followed the syllabus, did the work it called for and went to class, then he felt reasonably sure that he would pass the course, and most likely get a good grade.  After graduation, it didn’t take him long to realize that good grades – that is good outcomes – weren’t assured because he wasn’t sure how to navigate the uncertain world called “adulthood.”

In addition to a syllabus, many of those I invited to the discussion had the benefit of being born to “helicopter parents.”  I admit to having been one myself.  I wore the label proudly and unapologetically.  We helicopter parents hovered over our children.  We paid extremely close attention to their whereabouts, friends, experiences, and problems.  When our children graduated, we wanted them to take flight on their own – Black Hawk was down!

Before we went off duty, I recruited some tactical experts – friends who were experts in various disciplines – to take part in a multi-mission exercise to equip a group of millennials with a virtual syllabus.  We designed and conducted a half-day workshop covering topics:

Corporate America: The Brave New World

Employment: What to Expect from Work and What Work Expects from You

Personal Safety: Rules of the Road

Time Management: Time is Money and Peace of Mind

Relationships:  Friends, Romans, and Countrymen

Physical Well-Being: You Really Are What You Eat and Think

Financial Well-Being:  What is it Really Worth

We were afraid that a half-day workshop wouldn’t hold the attention of this generation.  Were we surprised!  We found the discussion continuing in the parking lot after we overstayed our allotted time at the venue where we held the event.  Since that first mission two years ago, the discussion is still ongoing.  We count over 100 “alumni” who keep in touch with us and with each other.  They report back about how tips and techniques that they learned at BHD have helped them.  They have organized their own gatherings to discuss new topics.  They have even encouraged me to “take BHD global” via social media.  Perhaps Black Hawk isn’t down after all.  Perhaps a newer generation of helicopters has taken flight.