Cross-Generational Leadership Requires Empathy, Awareness and More
“We need to remember across generations that there is as much to learn as there is to teach.” Gloria Steinem
Baby Boomers
Born 1946-1964
71-53 years of age
Generation X
Born 1965-1980
52-37 years of age
Millennials
Born 1981-2000+
36-17 years of age
Recently, I was walking in the park with a friend who is an assistant department head of a large organization. As a leader who understands the value of self-care and exercise she meets with me to walk and talk several days a week. On this bright, crisp morning she wistfully commented “Well we lost another one…” referring to a talented millennial working in the IT department. She, a Generation Xer, and I, a Baby Boomer, pondered the challenge of leading across generations.
The greatest diversity in the workforce is now age. Disengagement costs companies $450 billion dollars a year. It can cost $15,000 to $25,000 to replace each Millennial. A leader who understands generational differences and drivers is better prepared to implement strategic and targeted engagement strategies.
Knowing that the Baby Boomers workplace objectives are security and stability, that Generation Xers look for opportunity and achievement while Millennials want contribution and enjoyment will allow you to craft an environment in which all team members feel valued and contribute to the success of the organization.
I recommend we first review our own perspective and remember that those we lead do not always share the same values or drivers. As a Baby Boomer, I wore my “workaholic” work ethic like a badge of honor. I believed this was the correct example to set for my team. Never mind my lack of work life balance or a complete lack of fun in the workplace, my 1950’s values were not resonating with many Generation Xers and Millennials. Until I was educated and understood that Generation Xers and Millennials value work life balance it did not occur to me that my value could be viewed by them as a misguided flaw.
Engage Baby Boomers by listening to what they have to say. Utilize them as experts and mentors. This also ensures critical knowledge transfer. Communicate to other team members the value Baby Boomer wisdom can contribute to their long-range career goals.
Generation Xers yearn for process flexibility. Communicate what the organization needs and then give them the ability to forge a new way of getting the job done. Provide a healthy dose of competition, praise them for their results and you will see increased engagement from this group.
Millennials thrive on disruptive innovation. They want the freedom to start the process over from scratch. And they want to have fun while they are doing it. Acknowledge their efforts not just results. Connect them to your organizational vision and mission in a way that fulfills their need to contribute to the greater good.
As a leader in your organization you want to value each group equally, foster empathy and respect for differences and honor what each generation contributes to the work place. This will drive your ability to recruit and retain different generations in your work place.
Teresa Lowry is a passionate advocate for learning, growth and generating real organizational change.
Fueling that passion are exceptional communication abilities, a great training room presence and the ability to connect with people successfully in mentoring and coaching. Personally, Teresa enjoys serving on several community boards, volunteering with non-profit community groups and, along with her husband, you will find her in the gym every morning working out and training for distance and obstacle races.
