Good Morning,
Last night I finished “When Generations Collide” by Lynne C. Lancaster and David Stillman. In today’s world we have four generations of workers in the offices in
Traditionalists have paid their dues and worked up the chain of command in their offices and look for everyone else to do the same. All communication is to be professional and given in a professional environment. Traditionalists have a lot to offer the workplace of today due to these qualities. They believe in the company and that it will take care of them. Traditionalists are very patriotic and believe doing a job well is its own reward. Feedback should come when it is necessary, and usually only when things are wrong, otherwise, assume you are doing a good job.
Baby Boomers had to compete with 80 million other Boomers to get into the workplace, so they enjoy being recognized for their hard work and drive to individuate themselves. They also believe in paying their dues and look forward to mapping out their career paths. Boomers are not so beholden to their companies as Traditionalists, but they believe in professionalism and following procedure. Boomers work hard to establish their career path, and are proud of those accomplishments. Feedback should come annually and be well documented.
Generation X’ers grew up in the sea of divorces, emerging technologies and seeing Traditionalists and Baby Boomers working themselves into an early grave for unappreciative companies. As a result, this generation, nearly half the size of the Boomers, is generally untrusting of companies and job security. They do not seek a career path so much as create their own themselves, which often involves job hopping every two to three years. Gen X’ers are not sticklers for policy and they question pretty much everything. They do not believe in paying their dues, rather they feel their experience and knowledge should trump tenure. X’ers want immediate feedback.
Millenials never had a time in their lives without computers, video games, cell phones, cable TV near instantaneous news. They have seen waves of new technology coming out every year of their lives. The Millenials are born and bred multi-taskers and are well equipped for the fast paced lives we live today. With career paths, Millenials generally look for meaning and purpose to drive their attention, and will leave job should they find it crimps their style. Millenials want answers now, and also question convention and policy. Millenials look for constant feedback. Millenials are often boomerang kids, staying with their parents after high school and college.
After reading this book, I was able to see a lot of these behaviors from the folks from their respective generations. Remember, though, these are guidelines and not everyone fits into the above molds. For me, I am somewhat of a cusp’er myself. That is someone born on the cusp of two generations. Born in 1967, I am part boomer and part Gen X’er.
Enjoy!
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