An American reader shared with me an article from The Wall Street Journal, "The 'Trophy Kids' Go to Work," and asked whether there were "trophy kids" in France.

What a great question!

The article summarizes WSJ contributor Ron Alsop's latest book, The Trophy Kids Grow Up: How the Millennial Generation Is Shaking Up the Workplace, which comes out this week. Alsop considers young people who came of age at the Millennium, or in plain English, those born after 1980.

In what I take to be a spin on the expression "trophy wife" (a pejorative term for the glamorous, younger spouse of a successful, older man; trophy wives tend to be second wives), Alsop labels his subjects "trophy kids," who when growing up "were lavishly praised and often received trophies when they excelled, and sometimes when they didn't, to avoid damaging their self-esteem."

The "trophy kids" label is catchy but dragged down by its association with trophy wives. Parents have always been proud of their kids. Just as the trophy wife is a status symbol for her husband, trophy kids can be a status symbol for their parents. I'm not sure Alsop's labeling exercise works –being another's trophy and receiving trophies personally are different ideas– or says anything about the workplace.

There's a rough equivalent in France: the "Tanguy generation", named after a 2001 motion picture, "Tanguy", about a middle-aged couple's unsuccessful efforts to encourage their brilliant and only son to leave the family nest and make a life for himself. This isn't what most interests Alsop, who focuses instead on those born a few years later and now entering the work force.

Workplace issues are central to Alsop's message. He reports on the reactions provoked and challenges presented by these new entrants in the work force.

Chief among these are an inflated sense of self-worth and an exaggerated sense of entitlement. I'll accept the observations but don't know what to make of this knowledge or what others are supposed to do, apart from adjusting.

Other of Alsop's observations struck a responsive chord with me. I spend lots of time with European twentysomethings and concur in these points:
  • Instructions must be complete and comprehensive. Nothing is too basic. As Alsop observes, this includes showing up on time or turning off a cell phone ringtone at a meeting. Likewise, younger workers seem to prefer very structured work environments. I'd like to meet more tinkerers or self-starters, but understand that most younger workers I have contact with love process, guidelines, and signposts. 
  •  "Millenials want loads of attention and guidance from employers." I'd have trouble exaggerating this point and am stunned by the intensity of younger workers' demands for attention and guidance.
  • Criticize with caution. Alsop notes, "Some managers have seen millennials break down in tears after a negative performance review and even quit their jobs." I have seen this myself, and I'm far from alone in this observation: this sensitivity came up today in a discussion with an in-house lawyer. There's subtle pressure to find that everyone is above average. And negative comments are quick to be (mis-)read as personal attacks.