Embracing intergenerational work styles

Mary Olson-Menzel is the founder and CEO of MVP Executive Development and co-founder of Spark Insight Coaching.

I recently spoke on a panel about intergenerational work dynamics. There was an age range on the panel ranging from a semi-retired 70-year-old, to a 30-year-old new manager.  The dialogue was real,raw and open. We discussed what we were seeing as we work to gracefully navigate this wildly disparate workforce during a time of so much change in our world.

There is a lot to learn from each decade of workers and it is so important to understand, learn and adopt the best practices from each decade and each generation.  

To effectively leaders across generations, it’s important to begin with a general understanding the distinct motivations and drivers of each generation: 

• Baby Boomers: Born between 1946 and 1964, they are renowned for their loyalty and hard work. They prioritize career advancement and financial stability.
• Generation X: Born between 1965 and 1980, this group tends to exhibit independence and an entrepreneurial spirit. They value work-life balance and flexibility.
• Millennials: This tech-savvy generation born after 1981 thrives on collaboration, professional growth and purpose-driven work.
• Generation Z: The youngest workforce members, born after 1997, desire security and stability and are cause and mission oriented.

Remember that these overarching attributes can offer a guide to working with each generation effectively, but as a leader, you must tap into the internal motivators of each team member as an individual. It is of the utmost importance to avoid stereotyping and take the time to understand each of your team members’ motivators on a personal and individual level in order to inspire them to do their best work and thrive in their roles.  

It’s not always easy to navigate, but it is our reality and this generational diversity makes the workplace challenging, yet also interesting and relevant to many different viewpoints. So, let’s all do our best to make the workplace a place where we can learn together.

Strategies for fostering intergenerational work relationships:

• Understand differences in perspective, thought process and action.
• Honor diversity of thought– each generation has solved problems in unique ways and the solution might often be a combination of these approaches.
• Empower leaders to adjust communication to best suit their team members (i.e. delivering feedback on phone, email or Slack, depending on the individual preferences).
• Set communication guidelines or rules for your team.
• If needed, provide training on cross-generational communication. Even if all five generations are not yet represented on your team, they might be in your client base.
• Develop intergenerational mentoring programs – both mentorship of younger generations and “reverse” mentorship where older generations are mentored by younger ones.
• When adopting new technology, create opportunities for the team to learn together and from one another.
• Ensure collaborative projects have representation and perspective from multiple generations.
• Keep focused on common goals for teams and the business as a whole.
• Address directly any instances of bias or stereotyping.
• Earn, express and work to keep respect alive.

Think about this from a communications and employee landscape perspective as well.  For example, one employee is 28 and has 3 million followers on their social channels, and another employee doesn’t have a social media presence, yet, has a deep network of very real relationships where they can pick up the phone and make a potential deal come together. Both are powerful and helpful attributes in their own rights, but as their leader, you must be able to channel their natural gifts, talents and energy in the right way to get the most out of each of them on your team. Think about the magic that can happen when everyone works together utilizing their own unique skills and gifts! It’s so important to find a way to tap into the strengths of each generation and each individual. Enjoy it!