Generational Differences at Work

I conducted a series of three presentations: Effective Time Management, Balancing Work and Personal Life & Communication Skills seminars for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. They were a great group of people! The audience was mixed, mostly women between 20's-60's. The issues were clearly different.

To help them better understand the uniquenesses of the generations, I had them break into groups and list the strengths and weaknesses they see in their generation. We brainstormed these lists, allowing other generations to add to the lists for the each group...Traditionalists (born between 1920-1945); Baby Boomers (born between 1946-1964); Generation X (born between 1965 - 1981); and, Generation Y (born between 1982-2000). Then, we added some strategies for communicating better with people from different generations in the workplace.

Understanding differences and discussing them brought a rich appreciation that will help interactions both at work and home. Don't be too busy to appreciate the strengths others around you bring to the workplace. Appreciate the wisdom and experience the traditionalists normally bring and the tech savvy-ness of Generation Y. Together every generation can learn from each other and build stronger relationships.

What can you appreciate more about someone in your life from a different generation?