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Tag Archives: Boomers

Intergenerational conflict arising from dated policies and procedures?

Rule Book Or Policy Guide ManualLast week I was working with a group of about 60 leaders in a large energy company, focusing on helping them maximize performance in their multi-generational work teams. A lot of our dialogue centered on the intergenerational conflict that arises from differences in values and work styles between the four generations in today’s workplace, and the influencing factors that created those dissimilarities. As our discussion progressed, one of the participants made a very insightful comment. “It occurs to me,” she said, “that our policies and procedures were written by Traditionalists, to fit their values, work styles and work ethics. But, for the most part, the people who are following and implementing these very rules and guidelines are not Traditionalists, since most of them are no longer with the company. Instead, Boomers, Generation Xers and Millennials, people who have significantly different work styles and workplace perspectives, are living with the implications and outcomes of the ‘policy manual’. No wonder they are frustrated,” she went on, “even though the Traditionalists have gone, the intergenerational conflict lives on through the policies and procedures.”

As soon as she spoke, I realized how astute her comment was. Continue reading →

Multi-generational workforce? My new book WILL help!

generation-bookToday is THE DAY!  The day that my new book Generations Exposed: Unexpected Insights Into the People You Work With officially launches.  If you’re leading a team of employees that range in age anywhere from 20 to 70, then this book WILL help you navigate in a multi-generational workplace.  It ‘s been written and designed as an easy-to-use reference guide, illustrated to help you find information quickly so that you can compare and contrast, in a single glance, the differences among the four generations — Traditionalists, Boomers, Gen-Xers and Millennials — in the workplace.  As a leader, your job is to capitalize on the potential that every person — whether a colleague, your boss, or your employee — brings to the work relationship, and I know that this book will arm you with the data and wisdom to do just that.  To view some sample pages or purchase the book, please visit our website by clicking on the link below, or on the photo of the book above.

Generations Exposed: Unexpected Insights Into the People You Work With

We’ve been all-abuzz about the book launch Continue reading →

By 2010, Millennials will outnumber Baby Boomers

By 2010, Millennials (also known as Gen Y) will outnumber Baby Boomers!  There are 68 million Millennials in the United States and 6.5 million in Canada; roughly half of them are already in the workplace, and the rest are coming!  If you are a manager or supervisor, then it’s entirely possible that you may have all four generations — Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation X’ers and Millennials — in your department! Which means that it is critical for you to not only understand the differences between each generation, but perhaps more importantly, consciously and deliberately adapt your leadership style to communicate with, motivate, and lead a multi-generational workforce.

If you are in the Ottawa/Hull area, don’t miss this opportunity to attend a full-day workshop that addresses just this issue.  The Ottawa Chapter of the Certified General Accountants’ of Ontario is hosting Leading Multiple Generations in the Workplace on Thursday October 1, 2009.  The event is inexpensively available to non-members as well as members, so don’t miss it!  To register online, go to: https://www.cga-ontario.org/EventReg/search.aspx

Why leaders cannot ignore social media

This eye-opening YouTube video was recommended to me by an online colleague, and it poses the question – is social media a fad?  My take: you absolutely MUST watch this video!  It doesn’t matter whether you are a leader in a large company, a start-up entrepreneur, or somewhere in between, you owe it to yourself and the continued success of your organization to do so.  In less than five minutes, Erik Qualman will give you a perspective on social media that you may have never considered before.

So now you’ve watched the video, and you probably also know that the focus in my professional practice is turning managers into leaders.  The question just begging to be asked is: what are you doing as a leader to harness the power of social media? There is clearly a fundamental shift in the way people are communicating with one another, and it has enormous implications for how you should be recruiting, motivating and leading your people.  And if you go beyond your department and look at the long-term success of your organization, social media is changing how your clients and customers select and buy your services and products.  What are you doing to keep up with them?

I don’t know if you caught all the specific statistics in the video, but this is not just a “young people” thing — social media users are not just the Millennial generation!  This wave is coming fast and furious.  It’s not a small rapid in the river or a little wave on the beach; this is a tsunami that is coming stronger and faster than you might realize.  And it’s coming right at you!  Tell me … what are you doing as a leader in your organization to keep up with your employees  and your customers?

Seminar – Leading Multiple Generations in the Workplace

For those of you in the Ottawa ON area, the Ottawa Chapter of the Certified General Accountants’ of Ontario is hosting a full-day seminar on Leading Multiple Generations in the Workplace on Thursday October 1, 2009.  It’s open to non-members as well as members, so if this is a challenge you face as a leader, be sure to attend!  Registration link below.

Leading Multiple Generations in the Workplace.  You can’t help but notice it – the diversity in the age of people in the workplace.  From new young workers to baby boomers to individuals on the threshold of retirement, each of these demographics brings their own perspectives and impacts to your organization.  In an intriguing (and challenging) twist on the multi-generational workforce, it’s not unlikely to face a workplace (or even just a department) where you have all four generations present!  Continue reading →