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Generational Differences Lisa Bourget – Marathon Travel
Session Overview Action item: Let’s Talk Takeaways Understanding the Players on Your Team
(who are the generations) Let’s Talk Stereotypes Power of Change Closing Activity
Making it Personal Flip over action plan Write down name of someone challenging in
your life 20 years younger Write down name of someone challenging in
your life 20 years older
What’s Your IQ? GQ Self-Assessment
The Players… Traditionalists (born 1900-1945) Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964) Generation X (born 1965-1980) Millennial Generation (born 1981-2000)
Does This Topic Matter?“It’s an Economic Downturn and everyone is so easy to deal with…”
“Generational personalities” are carried with us throughout our lives
When hard times hit…everyone wants to play nice in the sand, right??? We entrench ourselves deeply into attitudes and
behaviors that are ingrained in us!
What does the work force challenge mean to you: Must fight harder to recruit and retain the best
employees McKinsey and Company “war for talent” study
estimated over the next 30 years, demand for bright, talented 35 to 45 year olds will increase by 25%, supply predicted to decrease 15%
Prepare for mass exodus of know-how & experience and replacing it… With smaller pool of talent that comes from different
values and expectations Challenges from “the gap”
Workplace Stats
Generation Gaps Employees that don’t feel they “fit” will…
____ ____ ____ ____ ____ What’s at your water cooler?
Few decades ago, 3 or 4 generations gathered and listened to “The Shadow” on the radio
Traditionalist: “Nothing decent on TV since Murder She Wrote went off the air”
Boomer: “…demise of thirty something” X’er: “Melrose Place” Millennium: “…waxing lyrical over My So Called Life.”
Translation: Communicational challenges and breakdown of bonds that hold companies together
Define Stereotypes
What do you see…
Again…
Stereotypes – by the media and you The precocious Millennial kid Tattooed Generation X slacker Guilt-ridden, workaholic Boomer Lifeless retired Traditionalist leaning back on
the porch swing
Change – You Own It… There is only one way
Get to know who those generations really are Understand why they are that way Take this opportunity not to stereotype…but to
learn something you didn’t know before
Stereotypes – by resentment Xers resent Traditionalists (for being resistant to
change and unwilling to hand over reins) Boomers resent Xers for finding it so easy to change
jobs whenever they feel like it and demanding balance in their lives
Traditionalists resent Millennials for entitlement mentality when Traditionalists had to work for everything they’ve gotten
Millennials resent Boomers for leaving the planet a mess
What forms our cultural personality? Icons
Martin Luther King, Jr., Selma, Alabama, and image of empty bus (all icons of Selma bus boycott of 1965)
Assassination of Kennedy D-Day Challenger explosion Attack of September 11
Conditions Cold War Great Depression (changed forever by fear of not being able to put food on the table) Changes in divorce rate
Life stages…we have them in common (education, get a job, find a partner, have a family) – but different generations don’t approach them the same way
Traditionalists 1900-1945 Came of age before/during World War II Core needs are group membership &
responsibility Childhood of struggle Value: Stability, security, sense of
community, patriotism and God Trust hierarchy and authority
Traditionalists People – Joe DiMaggio; Dr. Spock; Alfred Hitchcock;
Franklin D. Roosevelt; John Wayne; Bob Hope; Betty Crocker
Places: Sarajevo; Pearl Harbor, Normandy, Hiroshima, Iwo Jima. Back home – bread lines, Victory gardens, church pew, kitchen table with family tuned in to “The Maxwell House Radio Hour”
Things: were scarce; with 2 wars and the Great Depression, this generation did without. Symbols carried great weight – swastikas to Sputnik, flappers to flattops, drove roadsters to drive-ins, stacked a few 45’s on the record player and did the twist
Tips for Traditionalists! Show respect for length of service and
experience Watch your language Take time when discussing technology Do your homework; prepare to be tested Respect attention to formality Don’t rush or pressure Serve and honor them
Baby Boomers 1946-1964 The first workaholics Paid dues under old hierarchical rules; now
redefining themselves in light of global initiatives and business restructuring
Gifted at political correctness Traditionally found their self worth in their
work ethic Now…desperate for healthy work/life balance
Baby Boomers People: Martin Luther King Jr.; Richard Nixon;
Beaver Cleaver; Rosa Parks; Osmond Family; John Belushi; Captain Kangaroo; Partridge Family and The Stones
Places: Watergate Hotel; Hanoi Hilton; Kent State; Laugh-in; Woodstock. Suburbs, bedroom, boardroom, delivery room, and eventually divorce courtroom.
Things: Television (4 million in 1952 to 50 million in 1960!); Bellbottoms, mood rings, Brooks Brothers suits and Rolex watches.
Tips for Boomers! Resist rushing and learn to value “people side” of
business Choose face-to-face conversation Ask for their advice (and take notes to show you are
listening) Offer your support and partner to get job done (don’t
wait to be asked) Put priority on a business atmosphere and
relationships formed there Honor their experiences
Gen Xers 1965-1980 Count on technological acuity and business savvy to
stay marketable Extremely resourceful and independent generation Get in…get the work done…move on to the next
thing Need freedom to act without hindrance Energies focused on skillful performance, variety
and stimulation in the workplace
Gen X’ers People: Bill Clinton; Monica Lewinsky; Ayatollah
Khomeni, Ted Bundy, Beavis and Butt-head, O.J. Simpson, Madonna
Places: Media expanded places – X’ers could travel more; Soviet Union, Somalia, Chernobyl, Scotland, international space station to internet
Things: Cable TV, satellite, VCRs, video games, fax machines, microwaves, pagers, cell phones, Palm Pilots…
Tips for Gen X’ers Stop micromanaging them Initiate work/life balance initiatives Teach new skills Mentor them and ask questions. Talk with, not at, them. When delegating, describe the outcomes (but leave the
processes to the Gen Xer) Provide immediate answers and feedback; they crave
stimulation Need help on something technical? Just ask!! Value their need to keep learning in order to be marketable.
Millennium 1981-2000 They are always on – come of age in an era of
instantaneous global communication, media saturation, and material excess.
Grew up in “decade of the child” Intellectual authority in homes and at work High-speed stimulus junkies (just enough skepticism – like the xers –
to keep them asking healthy questions)
Just enough political savvy (like the Boomers – to know who’s who)
Just enough respect for character development (like Traditionalists – to incorporate the virtue of individual responsibility in their jobs)
Millennium People: Prince William, Chelsea Clinton, Kurt Cobain,
Barney, Britney, Backstreet Boys, Serena Williams Places: Virtual and tangible – ranging from chat rooms to
Dawson’s Creek, from 90210 to Oklahoma City, from cyberspace to outer space
Things: Access to cell phones, pagers and computers since they were in
diapers Took PC’s for joyrides on information superhighway; through
internet they have visited every corner of the globe Choices – hang out at local mall or virtual mall!
Tips for the “Always On” Give them your web address; prepare for the
improvement plan Emphasize positives of doing right, rather than
negatives of doing wrong Be positive, simple, rational, factual, friendly Respond quickly and move fast with this “instant
gratification” generation Mentor them and be realistic Be prepared to offer VERY flexible scheduling
Meet Edna!
Your Action Plan Sharing Time – who had “ah ha’s??” What will you change the next time you:
Have a meeting Need to ask a question Need to change their direction
View of WorkBoomer Gen X Gen Y
Work hard and get ahead
Work as hard as you have to and get a life
Work, but make a
difference
Work RelationshipsBoomer Gen X Gen Y
Individual – do your own
work, but play by the
rules
‘Intrepreneur’
- do what needs to be done in
the fastest way
Team player -
where everyone
counts
RewardsBoomer Gen X Gen Y
I want status or
recognition
I want options
I want meaning and significance
Ta Da!
FeedbackBoomer Gen X Gen Y
Give it to me by the rules
Just say it, now.
It should always be on
the screen
TrainingBoomer Gen X Gen Y
As a reward Prepare me to leave and I’ll
stay
Duh?!
CareerBoomer Gen X Gen Y
Enjoyment Portability Integration
Grow…With Generational “Smarts” Communicate “Smart” Sell “Smart” Market your business “Smart” Build Relationships...“Smart”
Sources “When Generations Collide” – Lynne C. Lancaster and
David Stillman
Robert Lord, Training and Organizational Development Manager, Travel Guard
“Talking About Our Generations” – A Personal Guide to Mastering Generational Diversity in the Workplace; Express Personnel Services