Leading the Generations
Leading and communicating in today’s world can be difficult at best for even the finest conversationalists. Leading an organization of more than just a handful of people can have many trials and tribulations because of communication breakdowns between the generations. In today’s applicant pools and employee rosters, we find ourselves attempting to communicate and develop more generations than we have ever had to lead in history. Not only are we trying to influence their actions and behaviors, but they are also trying to do the same as front-line supervisors and peer-to-peer. Let’s take a closer look at the differences in these four generations in the possibilities of our growth through our differences.
While each generation has its own unique makeup. Not every person will identify with, or share the characteristics described in their respective generation. You will usually find those individuals will fall into the end or beginning of two generational timelines. Date ranges can vary between researchers, but the dates you will see below, provide a general guideline of who makes up these generations. Here’s how each generation breaks down.
The “Traditionalists” (aka The Great Generation) were born between, 1919-1945. They faced and live through many historical events such as; the great stock market crash, the Great Depression and World War II, just to mention a few. The characteristics you will usually see in the workplace from traditionalists and in their conversations, would be the fact that you need to pay your dues before you can move up, preferring consistency and all things, the importance of hard work in an intense respect for authority. Some management practices you may consider may be a recognition program for their contributions, customization and additional training or professional development their careers.
The “Baby Boomers” were born during, 1946-1965. They experienced the civil rights movement, the JFK assassination, Vietnam and Woodstock. In the workplace. You may see baby boomers challenging authority, having a very optimistic outlook on things, teamwork focused and a need for all people around them, to have a workaholic lifestyle. If not, you tend not to be accepted by this generation. Specific practices for Baby Boomers could be the acknowledgment of their skill sets, utilize their organizational memory or become a coach.
“Generation X” (GenX) were born between, 1966-1980. They underwent historical events such as; the Berlin Wall, the Challenger disaster, Desert Storm, the introduction of the PC and cable TV. You’ll find GenXers be very adaptable, independent, innovative, tech savvy, and seeking balance in their work and life. Specific leadership practices for leading GenXers may be established around extending opportunities for growth and advancement, offering flexible work schedules and allowing for independent work.
“Generation Y” were born during 1981-1999. They went through events such as; Y2K, reality TV, mass school shootings, and the war on terror. They have a tendency to love collaboration, the very confident, love to stay connected, optimistic, and tolerant of others differences. Leading generation Y into the future could be focused around providing ongoing training and development, providing more challenging work and allowing for their needed independence.
As you can see from the above list of generational and historical information, that it is easy to understand why people think and value things differently between the generational brackets. And as you can imagine there are many other life experiences and geographical differences that shape individuals thoughts and paradigms. This is why it is so important to understand the basic drivers behind each generation. And for that matter, the generation (GenZ) to come. And it’s not just about finding the differences between the generations, but it’s about finding common ground in a multi-generational workplace. Those commonalities are general drivers that will help you motivate and develop them to understand each other, which in turn helps drive the team and organization.
The common motivational drivers that you will find harmony between the generations can be summed up in five needs. I have found that with the thousands of people I have had the opportunity to lead and develop. #1 They have all been inspired by a challenge. Having a common problem to solve can bring the generations together as a team. #2 Inspired by the desire to succeed. We must also help them understand the opportunity that there is for them to succeed and grow within the organization. If you sit back as a leader and you cannot come up with ways for individuals to grow in their careers and income. You probably do not have a plan for your organization or your income to grow. The next area (#3) would be in appreciation. Appreciation actually goes a lot further than a bonus or a pay increase. Studies show that a form of financial gain only motivates an employee for an average of two weeks. There is no end to the motivation of an individual when they are appreciated and valued on a regular basis. You must also (#4) empower people through giving them trust and responsibility. As you layer on a responsibility and challenge them with stretches assignments. You are showing them more trust within that action than you can ever show them through words. Finally (#5), and maybe most importantly, you must treat them with respect. Respect to the most difficult and frustrating situations that may come up. Maybe the most important. The matter if it made a mistake or overlook something very simple. You need to show them grace and respect to those times. I would also recommend humbly sharing times where you have made similar mistakes in your career.
We are so fortunate to have four generations in our workforce today. We have more of a knowledge base than we have in our history. If we as leaders can bring the generations together and teach them (and ourselves) how to communicate with each other. There will be no stopping the organizations (or families) we lead into the future.
If you would like to learn more about leading the generations. You can contact me at [email protected]
