SPG Blog

It was 1965 when Pete Townsend of The Who penned the lyrics to My Generation, a song that typified the rebellion of an era and starkly articulated a growing generation gap between young and old. “People try to put us down,” Roger Daltry sneered. “Just because we get around. Things they do are so c-c-cold”, he stuttered. “I hope I die before I get old”.

Well, those kids of the 50s and 60s did in fact get older. Now referred to as the Baby Boomers, now they often share office space with the children of three other generations: the most mature employees, sometimes referred to as ‘the Veterans’, whom the Who were likely rebelling against; the skeptical and self-reliant Gen Xers; and the new hires, born after 1978, who are referred to as the millennial generation or Gen Y.

It’s a sexy subject right now, and descriptions of the different generations can be found everywhere, from community newspapers to business journals. ‘The Veterans’, or ‘The Silent Generation’, are described as conservative, rule-oriented, respectful of authority, and likely to put work before fun. They communicate formally, on paper, and work best independently. The Boomers, true to their rebellious roots, question authority. They are also described as efficient workaholics who look for personal meaning in their work and communicate in person, preferably in a meeting or team environment. Gen Xers like to check tasks off one-by-one, appreciate direct and immediate communication, and value flexibility in work arrangements. They like challenge, and tend to ask ‘why’. In contrast, Gen Y has been sometimes dubbed ‘Gen Y-not?’ These youngest employees are adept at multi-tasking, are likely to ask ‘what’s next?’ and are goal-oriented. The Gen Y (or millennial) employee wants to interact with others as a participant, and is highly adept at the use of technology. Interestingly, the loyalty and connection to family exhibited by many millennials is similar to the oldest workplace employees, the Veterans.

These descriptions are interesting and may shed some light on workplace conflict. A Gen X manager who tries to reward her Boomer employee with additional vacation time might hurt the workaholic pride of the Boomer, who would rather get a cash bonus. Sage Portfolio Group’s coaching gym program, which provides unlimited, sometimes immediate access to a certified business coach for any employee who is a ‘member’ of the gym, may be an excellent benefit to attract a Gen Y employee. “They’re used to calling their parents at any time, checking in, getting advice,” says Sage Portfolio Group CEO Melanie Parish. “That’s why our coaching gym is a really good fit. If your Gen Y employee has a challenge, she can pick up the phone and strategize with her coach almost immediately. It’s how millennials work. It’s how they’re wired.”

It’s important that a generational identifier doesn’t become a stereotype or a self-fulfilling prophecy, however. Seven years of research conducted by Jennifer Deal at the Center for Creative Leadership has shown that different generations have more in common in terms of their opinions about work and their personal values than most who write on the subject would admit. Regardless of their generational affiliation, the more than 3000 corporate leaders she interviewed shared the following attributes: they valued family; expected leaders to be trustworthy; wanted respect, feedback and the opportunity to learn; and didn’t like change.

Melanie Parish agrees. “It makes sense that we all want the same things—to be respected, to be valued, to make a positive contribution—regardless of when we were born. I think the difference arises in the way each generation expresses their needs, expectations and values. When we talk about generational difference, we’re focusing on the expression, and not the underlying message.”

There is a unique opportunity for learning and engagement when four generations come together. To be the most constructive, however, employees may need to share their message in the presence of a trained ‘interpreter’. “Our team systems approach is based on the assumption that everyone is right, but only partially,” says Parish. “Our sessions are designed to get to the core of what people feel and believe, and structure the sharing of this information in ways that others can really understand. If we think of each of us inhabiting a ‘land’—which is influenced by many factors, including the generation we were born into—we teach team members how to be good tourists as they visit each others’ lands.”

The Who aggressively told their elders to “all f-fade away, and don’t try to dig what we all s-s-say.” Us versus them may be okay in a good ol’ rock ‘n’ roll anthem, but an approach that helps the generations communicate their similarities and understand their differences will make workplaces more productive and positive environments.  For more information on the Sage Portfolio Group Coaching Gym or Team Systems work, please email us at info@sageportfoliogroup.com or 1-800-592-2303.