In my 20's, my work environment was literally refered to as pirates vs dinosaurs. I learned that the dinosaurs had a lot to teach and that a lot of pirates weren't willing to go too deep. Easily intimidated. If you were willing to go deeper into things your peers were afraid of, you could make quite a nice niche for yourself.
>and usually screw it up when they try
Best advice I got when I was 24: "kid, you need to screw up enought to get noticed"
I work in volunteer convention running. I made someone cry once because I called their plan a "dumb idea" - this person mind you has a Ph.d in physics. I was dumbfounded.
I get frustrated by the younger folks because they all want everything RIGHT NOW (for no work), and I get frustrated by some of the older folks, because they're unwilling to question the status quo.
Every generation feels like they're waiting for the next generation to retire. I feel that way about Baby Boomers. (No, I'm not a Baby Boomer. I'm more like Gen X, but that's not quite right either. I'm in between those two, which is why I have feelings of contempt for the people who invent sociological models....but I digress.)
I am at an age where my experience counts for something with some organizations, and is considered a complete liability for other organizations. I have changed fields entirely several times in my life. Some of the skills I have that make me uniquely qualified to do valuable things for big organizations are completely unmarketable to those same organizations because I do not have an appropriate credential they can accept to certify my knowledge and expertise. I have given up on them, too.
My point is that there is always room for younger people to really shake up the dinosaurs, but if you are trying to influence my generation, you'd better be willing to take some risks and really just say it straight. I know that's difficult for people younger than me, and I know that people in my daughter's generation (she's 29) aren't very good at being blunt and usually screw it up when they try, but truth-telling without worrying about political nuance or whatever the hell it is that everyone worries about that keeps them from just saying what they're thinking is very attractive and useful, at least to people my age.
Oh, and don't whine when you're telling the truth. Not many people who are my age like whiners.