The Generation Puzzle
We have four, maybe five, generations in the workplace right now. Five if you count the teens in part-time jobs. Generations used to be 19-20 years apart, but the defining moments in a generations’ late teens, early twenties seem to be the real delineators.
I’ve given up figuring out the exact nicknames for each. Seems we know who the Baby Boomers and Gen X are. The WWII generation and the kids following Gen X have numerous names.
Just gave several workshops on the topic. There is one thing I’ve noticed about Generation “Why” (Eric Chester’s wonderful term) – it seems they connect better with the Baby Boomers than their more serious Gen X older siblings / parents.
Turns out Gen Y and Baby Boomers like the same music, have mutual respect in many areas. Boomers are more ready to be mentors. Gen Y is ready to listen and be mentored – they want to make money. Boomers can learn a few things from the extremely tech savvy Gen Y, if they are willing to ignore their feelings about piercings and tattoos, that is.
Gen Y can learn valuable business tips from experienced Boomers. If the Boomers are willing to spend some time, they can give Gen Y parenting they may not have received (or heard.)
It works: mentoring up and down. When each group has something to give and something to gain, not only do they win, so does the company.
This is a huge opportunity for richness… if a company chooses to see it that way. Companies would be well served to start finding ways to cross-train their teams; mixing and matching the generations .
The WWII Generation carries not only corporate memory, but a kind of “tribal memory.” How the industry got its start; the economic forces of a world war and a depression; perhaps the driving forces that started a particular company.
The Boomers were willing to step outside the box, take risks, question the status quo. (Of course, then we became the status quo due to sheer numbers.) Boomers have a different type of corporate memory, and were at the forefront of a cultural sea change – one we caused.
Gen X were latchkey kids. Their resilience and ability to figure the world out on their own terms has served them well. They were the front runners in the tech revolution. Perhaps in reaction to their occasionally scattered parents /older siblings, they are a more serious and focused group. Good at demanding and claiming that work and life be balanced.
Gen Y is the techi-est (that’s a technical term) group to appear on the scene so far. Their younger sibs will definitely outstrip them, but research is suggesting their brain hard-wiring is changing due to the amount of time they spend on video games, computers, and other tech toys.
We’re living longer. Staying in our jobs longer. And life is moving fast. Bottom line? We need each other’s insights. We need to use each other’s strengths. And we need to overlook the inconsequential “weirdness” of the other generations and learn what we can from each other.
Every generation has wonderful gifts as well as blind spots. If we work together, we may actually make the workplace a little better for all.
Beth
Baby Boomer
(needing all the tech help I can get)
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Beth Terry is a professional speaker and author, presenting training and convention programs to thousands of people in 6 countries since 1989.
Beth Terry, CSP
Certified Speaking Professional and Author
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