generational differences Archives - Page 3 of 4

26
Apr 16
2

3 Generational Commonalities

Tags : commonalities generational differences respect trust

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:

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.
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.
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.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

12
Apr 16
2

Millennials, GenZ, and Soft Skills

Tags : emotional intelligence generational differences soft skills

Somebody once said, “You hire for hard skills and fire for soft skills.” Most people and organizations who have made the investment to hire, certainly don’t want to spend the time and money to replace an employee. Does the millennial and GenZ (Gen 9/11, iGen) population lack soft skills?

Working Across Generations

There seems to be an abundance of opinions surrounding the differences of values and beliefs when working across the generations. Some are likely true, some are likely ill-founded, and still others may be true, but only for some individuals, not all. A popular view of differences between the youngest generations and those who have been in the workforce for some time is that younger generations are doing many of the same things as those who have come before them, they are just doing those things later in life.

There is much evidence of this trend. Consider first jobs, first cars, and first time home buyers. You can also consider the average age of those getting married and the average age of those having children. This seems to be substantiated as nearly every traditional, boomer, or gen X person will agree. Of course it is not absolute, not everyone is in this same place of doing similar things, only later, but many agree there is a trend.

Soft Skills Dilemma

Technology has certainly changed our lives. In world where we are attached to our cell phones, live with mild to severe cases of nomophobia, and sit in small groups paying more attention to our devices than to the person beside us; are the newest generations building soft skills?

Arguably every generation has found a path for communicating, but for more recent generations that path has changed. Traditionals and boomers learned to read body language, monitor the flow of the conversation, and find ways to figuratively read people, long before they entered the workforce. Today we might refer to some of this as emotional intelligence, a soft skill.

Once upon a time interactions were dependent on people, now the interactions are sometimes more dependent on technology. If traditionals and boomers learned much about soft skills before entering the workforce it could mean that todays workforce is coming up short upon entry. In many cases, our daily interactions with people have shifted more towards interacting with a cell phone or a computer.

Many jobs require people to interact (live, face-to-face), brainstorm, and solve problems. People working in groups also face challenges such as differences of opinion, conflicting values, and various interpersonal styles.

So it might beg the question, are the more recent generations rich on hard skills, but short on soft skills?

– 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 DennisEGilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

29
Mar 16
-

Generational Learning

Tags : communication generational differences learning

Working across the generational continuum has its fair share of challenges. Sometimes it feels like more people are just seeking a reason to avoid workplace synergy rather than create it, to find drama instead of eliminating it, and to focus on what doesn’t work instead of what does.

When it feels like we just can’t get along and people become weary of interacting with or managing the backlash created by reaching across the generations it might be time to consider how each person you are working with (or against) adds value. When we focus on the value of people instead of concerns, commonalities instead of differences, and see opportunities instead of barriers, we’ll likely position ourselves for greater success, both individually and organizationally.

Many traditionals, baby boomers, and even Gen X employees often believe the most value comes from life experiences while many millennials and Gen 9/11 (Gen Z, iGen) believe the most value comes from knowledge. The longer term employees see weakness in a lack of experience and the more recently educated see weakness in a lack of knowledge or technology skills.

What would you rather do?

Spend a few hours a week learning a few tried and true methods,

spend a few hours a week learning how technology can improve workflow,

or spend a few hours a week discussing what your cross-generational team members don’t understand about the workplace and life?

While this isn’t a love story, it does remind me of a great Meatloaf song [circa 1977], Two out of three ain’t bad.

– 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 DennisEGilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

23
Feb 16
2

3 Lessons From The Intern

Tags : generational differences life lesson patience success

Comedy about business has had its share of success. We can consider the wildly popular television series, The Office, and depending on your taste the 2013 movie, The Wolf of Wall Street. Today, perhaps different from any other time in modern history, we have five generations active in our workforce and it is great timing for the business oriented comedy, The Intern.

Life is full of lessons, and for some humor may provide the thread for the needle to sew up some of life’s best. I watched The Intern this past weekend and here are three of many lessons I patched together:

Sometimes your future is not as important as the right now. Ben Whittaker (Robert De Niro) is interviewed by a millennial human resources manager and is asked about where he sees himself in ten years. Ben, a seventy year old internship candidate doesn’t understand why where he sees himself when he is eighty years old really matters. Good point.

Often we frame our thoughts to position us at a better place in the future. We imagine ourselves becoming more accomplished, successful, and valuable, but the other side of this thinking is that right now may be the most important time of all.

Patience is just as important as speed. We live in a fast-paced, stopping for nothing world, and there is no denying the value of speed. Jules Ostin (Anne Hathaway) is a fast-tracker millennial whose startup e-commerce business is growing at an almost out of control pace. Her meetings are scheduled in five minute intervals, she rides a bike around the office to save time, and her family life is desperately being challenged by all of the pace and pressure.

Sometimes though not everything is about speed, it may also be about patience. Practicing patience is a relationship and team building skill. People, teams, and businesses who make the time to embrace a core value of patience will often have more stamina to get through the rough spots. Take nothing for granted, especially your time—have patience.

Never forget where you came from. We’ve probably all either heard this or have said it. This insightful mantra is often used to cause reflection on remembering those persons or situations from which you came. The idea is to remember that while you may now be more successful or more accomplished than in the past, don’t forget those people or circumstances associated with where you’ve come from. Great point to remember.

There is another side to this though, sometimes we forgot about our accomplishments and we live feverishly chasing the next sale, opportunity, or job promotion forgetting all that is good about what we’ve already accomplished. In the movie, Ben invites Jules to remember that she is the person who created this thriving business as she struggles with a tough decision about hiring a CEO. Remember who built you (you did), always count the successes (focus on successes, not on short-comings) no matter how small.

A comedy may not be your favorite genre but if you are interested in taking a break from the intensity of navigating the five generations active in our workforce today you can find some valuable lessons through humor by watching The Intern.

– DEG

Photo Credit: Image from YouTube Official Trailer.

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 DennisEGilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

18
Feb 16
6

More Experience–A Generational Dilemma?

Tags : experience generational differences stereotypes

People who have been on the job longer have more experience. At least traditionally that has long been a popular mindset. Working for five years is better than five months, working for ten years is better than five years, and working for thirty is twice as much as fifteen.

There is an Abraham Lincoln quote, “And in the end, it is not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”

Millennials and generation 9/11 (Gen Z, iGen) are stereotyped with having values associated with immediate gratification, needing minute-by-minute feedback, and expecting a participation trophy. Traditionals and boomers are stereotyped with resistance to change, nose to the grindstone, and as being highly disciplined; perhaps as viewed by some, to the point of being a fault.

But those are all just viewpoints, as recognized by the observer.

Life is about experiences and it may not be so much about how long, but more about how often. So it seems to me that experience isn’t about stereotypes, it isn’t about age, and it is certainly not about your generation.

Experience comes from having more. (Yes, more experiences!)

– 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 DennisEGilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

26
Jan 16
4

Can Boomers Lead Generation Z?

Tags : boomers Gen z generational differences leadership

Considering there are now five generations active in our workforce it seems reasonable that reaching across three, four, or five generations will represent some challenge. I am often asked questions about how to change the incoming workforce, not how to address the problems, but how to change the people.

Reaching across the generations is complex, but approaching it with the intent to improve relations and not change people is where most of the engagement value exists. It may start with the questions we ask ourselves, and it definitely needs to work towards improving the root cause.

The root cause of our generational differences often develops from leadership style, communication, and organizational culture. Changing our approach should begin with focusing on the commonalities that we share. When we have a successful organization or business it is because we provide products or services that add value or solve problems. Since we’re all in it together, that is one important factor we all have in common.

We should be asking ourselves questions like this:

What is our purpose? Motivation to jump in and get started happens when everyone understands their sense of purpose and contribution. Doing the task is one thing, but understanding why provides the motivation. This is our mission.

What problem are we trying to solve? Most organizations are in the business of fixing, reducing, or improving problems. They fulfill a need and provide value or a solution. Everyone’s contribution should be related to meeting this exact need.

How does what we are doing solve that problem? If we can’t identify the results or establish the metrics or measurement, we’ll likely have trouble with employee engagement. Everything should have an identifiable result and outcome.

When we stop trying to change people and start focusing on the commonalities of our mission, people of every generation will work better together. We may have differences such as values and beliefs, social orientation, and technology competence, but keep this in mind; the value of the team doesn’t exist in everyone being the same. The value of the team exists in utilizing everyone’s knowledge and experience to solve the problem or accomplish the goal.

When leaders forfeit the strength of differences across the generations they have forfeited the value of the team.

Yes, boomers can lead (Gen 9/11, iGen) generation z.

– 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 DennisEGilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

07
Jan 16
-

3 Leadership Traits For Every Generation

Tags : communication generational differences honesty integrity leadership

If you believe great leaders are made, and not born, then you probably would also quickly agree that leadership is about choice. Choice would include a decision to constantly hone and develop your knowledge, skills, and abilities to demonstrate a greater leadership presence. While there are many skills that exemplify leadership and while in practice a very broad skillset may be necessary to tackle the demands of being a high performing leader, there are at least three that are universal for any leader of any workplace generation.

Integrity. People who are serious about high performance know that a lack of integrity at any level can quickly derail success. Like ethics some definitions of integrity may be subjective, but individuals who fail to connect with a like mindset for integrity will be less likely to engage and stay committed to future efforts.

Honesty. Can you trust someone who is dishonest? Trust is the lifeblood of any organized effort. Fear may sometimes (inappropriately) temporarily overcome all obstacles but most group efforts will fall short of expectations when there is a lack of trust. Often the root cause of mistrust can be directly linked to dishonesty.

Communication. You cannot lead without effective communication. Keep in mind that even the most effective communicator will face difficulty if they do not have integrity and they are dishonest. Remember that communication is not always the spoken or written word; it is sometimes gestures, actions, or even attitude that makes a statement.

Regardless of the workplace generation you represent or the breadth of generations you may be responsible to lead, having a solid skillset and constantly honing your craft as a leader will be critical for continued success.

Make the right choice. Decide to lead.

– 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 DennisEGilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

29
Dec 15
2

Generational Inclusion or Diversity?

Tags : culture employee engagement generational differences millennials workplace harmony

Organizations of all sizes are concerned about employee engagement and while some proclaim that employee engagement is a buzz phrase, others know from their own personal experiences that work is not about work / life balance, but more about life style. I’m not proclaiming a workaholic viewpoint, but I am suggesting that work and life crossover, perhaps more than many would like to admit. Those connecting with the Dolly Parton song 9 to 5 may have to shift their thinking.

Generational differences are often labeled as problematic, and it is true that the traditionals and boomer communities may have a different agenda as compared to their younger counterparts. Through informal surveys I’ve discovered that much of the millennial population believes in common and shared effort across teams and organizations, which includes responsibility, accountability, and a good work ethic. Their need to compete is of less concern when compared with their need to matter, make a difference, or have a sense of purpose.

The concept of diversity may suggest division or being divided, when in reality what most organizations need is inclusion. When we think more about how to include the values and beliefs across all workplace generations we are making a conscious effort of inclusion. If we are not thinking about inclusion we may be focused on what is different and the result is segregation not engagement.

Recently I wrote about some of the myths associated with generational differences and age, and it is important not to confuse these two very different issues. So many organizations are trying to understand employee engagement and generational differences because they have realized that it is costing them in terms of both money and people, and they understand that closing this gap means unifying the team.

Societal trends may cause many working professionals, especially those that are representative of the more recent generations, to view their job as a contribution to both society and community. This also may lead them to consider their place of work and level of engagement as a life style choice, not just a job. Considering this, it may suggest that people join an organization for the life style. Shocking? Yes, to some, but it appears organizations that have this figured out also have better engagement and retention.

It often seems the generalized belief is that workplace harmony is created when the breadth of diversity is embraced. Perhaps today’s organizations should focus more on culture changes for inclusion, not diversity.

– 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 DennisEGilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

22
Dec 15
-

Generational Differences–Myth or Fact?

Tags : age facts generational differences myths

Everything from climate change to philanthropy many people seem to have an opinion about what each generation will do or how they will respond. We are flooded with information about jobs, advertising campaigns, and the financial behaviors of the various generations. Some argue that the generations are a myth, that it is all about age and as time moves forward so do your viewpoints on life, others disagree and place blame entirely on generational differences.

Here are a couple of myths and facts to consider:

Myth: Everyone who is identified by birth year to be included in a specific generation will have the same values and beliefs as those of that same generation. This is a myth because other contributing factors exist such as those espoused by family or geographic variances such as rural versus urban living.

Fact: Generational frameworks are driven by changes in social economic conditions, technology, and war. Those having different life experiences in any of these three categories will likely see the world and their life differently.

Myth: Some generations know how to communicate better than other generations. Methods of communication vary and are changing; technology is driving much of this change. There is a tendency to combine communication methods with social norms, while related they are likely not inclusive.

Fact: Some values and beliefs will shift with age, top priorities and concerns for a 20 year old will be different from a 60 year old. This was true 50 years ago and will likely hold the same truth 50 years in the future.

Generational differences are a fact when you consider the drivers and segregation of commonly accepted generational frameworks, they are a myth when you place the emphasis on values and belief systems based on age.

– 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 DennisEGilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

01
Dec 15
-

5 Tips for Leading a Multigenerational Team

Tags : generational differences leadership respect trust

You cannot lead across all generations with the do as I say, think as I think, work as I work approach. Like it, or resent it, leadership today requires careful consideration and an in-depth understanding of multigenerational approaches for creating buy-in, establishing credibility, and effectively managing communication.

As if that is not enough, creating a trusting environment with universal principles that are inclusive of every generation is a must. Below are five tips for leading across all generations:

Illustrate loyalty. Many believe there is a lack of commitment to longevity by the more recent generations. In contrast, those same (more recent) generations believe the short-comings on commitment and loyalty are illustrated by old-school leaders who are frustrated with new school ideologies. Bridge the gap by providing evidence of loyalty, commitment, and opportunity across all generations.
Provide opportunities for learning. College or no college, illustrate your interests in advancing the team through books, seminars, or videos. Everyone knows that learning improves performance. Old school or new school, experience or formal education, learning has been tested, and it has passed the test every time.
Think across the boundaries. Open-mindedness is a value and belief system for many leaders. Be willing to stretch across formal frameworks and leap hurdles in the spirit of moral or social responsibility. People representative of any generation will likely thank you for it.
Solve it with technology. Whatever stands in the way of progress, solve it with technology and let go of any workflow traditions that don’t include state-of-the-art approaches.
Demonstrate that you value knowledge. Many people from any generation may realize that their experiences are not always in perfect alignment with the job. For this reason placing a value on knowledge—not experience—should be the focal point.

Perhaps the most important element of leading across all generations is the ability to illustrate and live by a culture of common focus, not a culture of a focusing on differences. Generational differences limit team effectiveness, commonalities bridge gaps. Make your approach one of mutual respect with a focus on what everyone has in common and never forget that generational differences represent a symptom of a greater problem, and are likely never the root cause.

– 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 DennisEGilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

Tag Archives: generational differences

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Generational Commonalities

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Working Across Generations

Soft Skills Dilemma

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