And they want their parents to help them figure out adult life. Gen Y are hard workers, achievers, and rule followers.

According to Rebecca Ryan, author of the new book Live First, Work Second, violence, abortion and drug use are down; education, global vision, and career focus are up.

This is not a generation of mavericks. This is not about self-reliance, it’s about teamwork. But teamwork is inherently conservative because there’s consensus. There’s no infighting– Gen Y hates conflict.

Baby boomers got their start as people who bucked the system to protect their own interests by protesting Vietnam. Who was fighting the war? Baby boomers. But they hated the war. So they argued against it. Who’s fighting today’s war? Gen Y. And they hate it. But they almost never complain.

Similarly, young people hold all the power in the workplace today, but they choose to be consensus builders. They say, “Talk with us, work with us, let’s understand each other.”

Gen Y are hard workers. The speed with which they sift and synthesize information puts their elders’ skills to shame. So why complain about their demands? They’re great at work, and they want to have work that’s meaningful and challenging.