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Clashing at Work – Who Are the Generations?
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| Guest post by: Dr. Maynard Brusman |
Article Overview: Learning how to work, live and play together is crucial, and every manager must master ways to bridge generational gaps. Managerial survival calls for a coordinated, collaborative strategy to leverage each generation’s strengths and neutralize its liabilities.
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Clashing at Work – Who Are the Generations?
Clashing at Work
I
was recently meeting with one of the senior leadership team members of one of
my San Francisco Bay Area clients. She
was struggling to deal with the conflict between supervisors who had been on
the job for a number of years and new and younger employees.
The
younger employees wanted coaching and more formal mentoring from their
supervisors. The supervisors were very frustrated
with the performance review process with newer employees. The newer employees
were complaining about perceived favoritism.
We
had a great discussion with the senior leadership team members on how the
different generations view the workplace. They
often have different values that clash.
I suggested a good place to start
before jumping in with ideas to create a more cohesive workforce, was to have a
discussion about who are the generations? What motivates the different age
groups?
Learning how to work, live and play together
is crucial, and every manager must master ways to bridge generational gaps. Managerial survival
calls for a coordinated, collaborative strategy to leverage each generation’s
strengths and neutralize its liabilities.
Who
Are the Generations?
A quick review of how the generations are grouped in the
modern workplace:
1. Veterans, born between 1922 and 1945
(52 million people). This cohort was born before or during World War II.
Earliest experiences are associated with this world event. Some also remember
the Great Depres
2. The
Baby Boomers, born between 1946 and 1964 (77 million
people). This generation was born during or after World War II and was raised
in an era of extreme optimism, opportunity and progress. Boomers, for the most
part, grew up in two-parent households, with safe schools, job security and
post-war prosperity. They represent just under half of all U.S. workers. On the
job, they value loyalty, respect the organizational hierarchy and generally
wait their turn for advancement.
3. Generation
X,
born between 1965 and 1979 (70.1 million people). These workers were born during a rapidly changing social
climate and economic recession, including Asian competition. They grew up in
two-career families with rising divorce rates, downsizing and the dawn of the
high-tech/information age. On the job, they can be fiercely independent, like
to be in control and want fast feedback.
4. Generation
Y (the New Millennials), born between 1980 and 2000 (estimated
to be 80–90 million). Born to Boomer and early Gen Xer parents into our current
high-tech, neo-optimistic times, these are our youngest workers. They are the
most technologically adept, fast learners and tend to be impatient.
Gen X and Y comprise half the U.S. work
force. Baby Boomers account for 45%, and the remaining 5% are veterans
(many of whom are charged with motivating newer employees).
One of the most important questions to ask is
“Who are the generations and what motivates each group?” Emotionally intelligent and socially
intelligent organizations provide executive coaching as part of their
high performance leadership development program.
Working
with a seasoned executive coach and leadership consultant trained in emotional
intelligence and incorporating assessments such as the Bar-On EQ-I, CPI 260 and Denison Culture Survey can help you better
understand generational differences. You can become a leader who
models emotional intelligence and social intelligence, and who inspires people
to become fully engaged with the vision, mission and strategy of your company
or law firm.Clashing at Work - Who Are the Generations?
Article Tags: baby boomers, clashes, clashing at work, gen x, gen y, generations
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About the Author: Dr. Maynard Brusman RSS for Dr. Maynard's articles - Visit Dr. Maynard's website Maynard is a consulting psychologist and personal, career and executive coach. He is the president of Working Resources, a leadership consulting, training and transformational coaching firm that develops people and organizations. We specialize in helping companies assess, select, coach, and retain top talent; leadership development; 360-degree feedback; emotional intelligence; competency modeling; succession management; career development and executive coaching. Maynard is an instructor with The College of Executive Coaching. He specializes in Executive Coaching with Attorneys. He is a highly sought-after speaker and workshop leader. He facilitates mission, values, and vision retreats. Maynard has been chosen as an expert to appear on radio and TV, MSNBC, CBS Health Watch and in the Marin Independent Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, Wall Street Journal and Fast Company magazine The Society for Advancement of Consulting (SAC) has announced two rare "Board Approved" designations for Dr. Maynard Brusman in the specialties of Executive/Leadership Coaching and Trusted Advisor to Attorneys and Law Firms. This signifies that Dr. Maynard Brusman has provided validated evidence from clients of exceptional performance in this area of consulting, has adhered to the ethics pledge of the organization, and has performed at this level for a prolonged period. Dr. Maynard BrusmanConsulting Psychologist and Executive Coach Box 471525 San Francisco, California 94147-1525 Tel: 415-546-1252 E-mail: mbrusman@workingresources.com Web Site: http://www.workingresources.com Subscribe to Working Resources Newsletter: http://www.workingresources.com Visit Maynard's Blog: http://www.workingresourcesblog.com Connect with me on these Social Media sites. http://twitter.com/drbrusman Click here to visit Dr. Maynard's website Killer Bosses are Worse than Killer Bees Change Reiliency at Work Strategic Succession Management Winning the War for Leadership Talent PurposeDriven Leadership The Bridge to What Truly Matters Executive Coaching Secrets for Socially Intelligent Sales 9 Sales Tips for Tough Economic Times |
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