We are creatures of the 21st Century.

I recently started watching House of Cards, per the recommendation of every single person on the Internet, and I’m officially aboard the bandwagon. In addition to the incredibly engaging directional style, the provocative plot line, and the brilliant character development – the show (thus far) does a fantastic job of showcasing the millennial movement in one perfect scene.

Zoe Barnes, twenty-something cub reporter at the Washington Herald, is trying to make waves in a dying industry and attempting to reinvent the way news is broadcast – but it falls on deaf ears. Her boss, Tom Hammerschmidt, might as well be the President of the Old Boys Club because his leadership style is portrayed as tired, misogynistic and far behind the curve.

Without divulging too much back story, Zoe’s ruthless aspiration and a willingness to step on the necks of anyone who gets in her way finds her, at one point, having a heated discussion in Hammerschmidt’s office. And to me, this is a perfect portrayal of the current state of the Gen X and Gen Y relationship:

Tom: “I think you’re an ungrateful, self-entitled little…”

Zoe: “Little what?”

Tom: “Nothing.”

Zoe: “Say it. Self entitled little what?”

Tom: “I think you’re an ungrateful, self-entitled little brat*.”

*Trying to keep this PG, people.

And in that moment, Barnes upholds her end of the Apple product placement agreement, whips out her iPhone and begins to Tweet to the world that the Editor in Chief at the Washington Herald just called her a bad, bad word. And her response to his thick condescension is priceless:

Zoe: “Nowadays, Tom, when you talk to one person you talk to a thousand.”

I’ll wait for you to stop shuddering from all the chills.

Despite the stigma that millennials are lazy, narcissistic know-it-alls, our generation comes with an incredible offering to the workforce. The most obvious way is through hiring and promotion. Soon, millennials will be getting a larger and larger percentage of jobs, which will inevitably begin to change and skew workplace cultures toward their preferences. And much to the chagrin of all the Tom Hammerschmidts around the world, in order to keep, retain and work with the top millennial talent, workplaces and the chief of staff will need to adapt to their culture. Now, that isn’t to say millennials are a blameless breed – they will need to approach their places of employment with an equally open mind – a middle ground will need to be hit.

If you Google “millennial” on any given day, you’ll get a smattering of articles and sources – some touching on the aforementioned stigma and stereotypes, and some revealing some amazing notes about our generation. Amidst the name-calling you can find powerful phrases like:

Creatures of the 21st century; opportunistic crusaders.

A generation that has re-engineered the American Dream.

Millennial workers are putting their money where their mouths – and hearts– are.

And my personal favorite:

They’re trying to turn their disillusionment into a new vision by exploring places where entrepreneurship intersects with social enterprise.

Those nasty stereotypes are there as a result of looking at the way millennials like to work through the lens of the older generations. As a group that survived the Great Depression, the baby boomer ideologies of successfully achieving the American Dream is defined by a tireless, never-ending work ethic and an inexorable trust in “The Man.” The idea of buying ideas, beliefs and products from people, not corporations, is ludicrous. But today’s 80 million-strong generation of 18 to 34 year-olds are emerging in a job market that is at its tightest since the Great Depression. So, as wary individuals who practice the religion of frugality, you could describe millennials as desiring strong impact with their work, not wanting to waste their time, demanding a powerful alignment between their values and their workplace, and viewing themselves ambitiously; capable of accomplishing a great career – not settling for a mediocre job.

It seems to me that the misunderstanding of both the millennial generation and the baby boomers can be attributed to a severe case of being a bunch of stubborn mules. With a little patience, some free time to understand the Twitter, and diplomatic conversation, each generation could greatly benefit from one another. One, an experienced group with a deep understanding of work and responsibility. The other, a wildly intuitive bunch with a finger on the pulse of consumerism, culture and technology.

As with most things, time will help heal the wounds of this generational gap. Until then, I want to rally my fellow millennials to close the gap faster; encouraging them to remain steadfast in positively disrupting the workplace, but to help fight the stereotype against our generation by adhering to these three takeaways: 

• Understand the view of other generations and drop the “take it or leave it” mentality. That attitude will perpetuate the label that millennials are entitled and smug beings.
• While expressing your views and embracing a new workplace, meet in the middle. No matter how much you think you may already know, there’s always more to be learned, gained, and experienced.
• Encourage the positive traits your fellow millennial brings to the table through entrepreneurial and ownership-geared approaches. Diplomacy, open-mindedness, and creativity will foster progression.

Wait, four takeaways:

• Binge watch House of Cards.