3 Generational Commonalities

What is more important our differences or commonalities? There is so much expression about how workforce generations are different; it might be refreshing to understand a little bit more about what they have in common. Have you ever thought about generational commonalities?

Many people agree that there are challenges when reaching across the workforce generations and often we hear about the negativity experienced from baby boomers or the sense of entitlement when it comes to the millennials. Perhaps there is too much energy spent on examining differences. What do we have in common?

Generational Commonalities

Here are three (of many) things all generations share:

1. Trust – employees of all generations want to feel a sense of trust. When you believe in the people you work with and trust them, your communication and job performance improves. Trust, like respect, often has to be earned.
2. Respect – everyone wants respect. The trouble spot when working across the generations is that everyone (or each generation) may define respect differently. Sometimes respect is assumed or given, but many times it must be earned.
3. Change – when you find a group of employees feeling uneasy, nervous, and afraid, you have probably found a team who is experiencing change. This feeling has little or nothing to do with generational orientation, it often comes from what someone feels they have to lose, or gain.

Silver Bullets

While it may be hard to find the silver bullet or quick fix to solving cross-generational conflict, a focus on differences tends to increase the visibility and opportunity for negativity. On the other hand, when we focus more on our commonalities we might discover that we have deeply rooted mutual goals. Better understanding of common goals can unite people. It may also help to eliminate barriers that keep teams from achieving high performance.

What would you rather do, chronically discuss differences, or unite your team and achieve excellence?

Choose excellence.

– DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker, and coach that specializes in helping businesses and individuals accelerate their leadership, their team, and their success. He is the author of the newly released book, Forgotten Respect, Navigating A Multigenerational Workforce. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

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