Navigating the Generational Shift

I work with #CEOs, running “think tanks” in Manhattan for #Vistage International. Every week I am in meetings with some of the world’s most influential #business executives, every single one committed to becoming better leaders and optimizing their businesses. Vistage facilitates these goals through intimate workshops and professional space to ask specific questions and learn from the top thinkers in their respective fields.

Every month, I invite the most qualified authors and researchers to share their insights to help each member solve their greatest challenges and discover new opportunities. These speakers are dynamic workshop facilitators, comfortable with challenging—and being challenged by—#CEOs and senior executives.

A reoccurring issue for many of the executives I work with is the distinctive work styles among generations. Boomers who don’t understand Millennials, Gen X’ers who feel overlooked and underappreciated, and Gen Z’ers who want community and customized solutions. Time and time again, I hear about communication breakdowns and barriers to production related to an inability to understand the cultural context and priorities across generations.

Recently, I invited Katherine Jeffery, PhD to speak about the generational shift happening in workplaces in every industry across the country. Members found her workshop “applicable to any business,” and another said, “exceptional speaker! I loved it. Very educational. Wow!” In the spirit of providing the best of what I’ve learned over my 40-plus-year career, I’m sharing some of the biggest takeaways with my network here.

Dr. Katherine Jeffrey is a generational researcher and practitioner passionate about guiding companies and organizations through the massive leadership transition in the world. She has done in-depth research on the Millennial generation, having worked with them for over 20 years, AND focused her doctoral research on their view of leadership and teams. She not only has a unique ability to connect with every generation, but more importantly, she is a savvy Gen Xer who has learned to navigate a Boomer world while helping Millennials be successful in this foreign culture along the way. She believes each generation has much to teach the others and is grateful for Gen Z as they continue to keep her relevant in this rapidly changing world.  

She started by asking us if we were going to a country that we had never visited before, how would we prepare? As a baby boomer, I shared that I would go to the library and check out a Fodor’s Travel guidebook to bring with me. I was surprised at the laughter in the room from the Millennials.

Dr. Jeffrey divided us into groups by generation and asked us to come up with answers to several questions so that we could observe our differences.

She shared vital information about the importance of overcoming generational barriers and key insights into how to move businesses forward with greater age diversity. We participated in guided activities to identify the most significant events that have marked each generation and built awareness to better be able to facilitate change—something essential for the continued success of all businesses today. We looked at the strengths of each generation and the do’s and don’ts of how we should be with each other.

Here are some of the results:
         

“When it comes to improving employee retention, recruitment, and satisfaction, it cannot be underestimated how important it is to navigate the generational shift well. Ageism continues to become a significant issue in the workplace with a recent increase in related lawsuits. In addition, the Economist found that the number one diversity issue in North America and Western Europe is age. Another study found that teams with an age range of 25 years or more significantly outperformed teams with only a 10-year span. If the generations are not getting along and are unable to work together on teams, your organization is missing out on their highest performance.”

If you are interested in leveraging the strength of every generation in your organization and communicating the vision and purpose in a way that inspires each one, I highly recommend the work of Dr. Katherine Jeffrey!