The Age of Reason
Close friends, and their young adult children, came to stay last weekend for a chilled night of delicious food, wine, and connection.
All excellent, but it was the conversation around the dinner table that got me thinking.
The initial chit-chat escalated to a full blown gabfest on a range of issues from climate change to social justice, and gender identity.
What got me intrigued was the diverse perspectives from the multiple generations around the table.
The empathy and respect given to each other was contrary to the vitriol often associated with generational debate.
It had me reflecting on the myriad of conversations I’ve had with CEOs about organisational culture and the biases that often exist.
This included the perception older workers can’t adapt to change and younger workers are lazy.
Great headlines but fundamentally both are untrue.
Currently, five generations are in the workforce of most developed countries across the globe.
This abrasive dynamic has led to distrust, emotional conflict, poor collaboration, and below par team performance.
And this is a missed opportunity.
While many organisations have recognised the upside, only a small percentage have actually included age in their diversity strategy.
Age bias does exist.
Evidence shows embracing age-diverse workers and helping them respect and appreciate each other leads to better job satisfaction, greater productivity, and lower employee turnover.
This is where strong leadership comes in.
It is important to recognise the lived experiences of each generation in order to understand what has shaped their view about work and the stereotypes they promote.
Silent Generation – reputation for doing without complaint.
Baby Boomers – known as workaholics.
Gen Xers – crave autonomy and balance in their careers.
Millennials – expecting rapid career advancement.
Gen Z – view diversity and equity as important.
The varying attitudes and behaviours of each generation can lead to conflict, even more pronounced during COVID.
They often hold us back from truly appreciating what each group has to offer.
So how do we bridge the gap, provide opportunities to all cohorts, and move toward better intergenerational collaboration?
Identify age bias – accept we have them helps combat them.
Adjust our lens – why age-different colleagues behave differently.
Embrace difference – seek to benefit from each other’s experience.
Mutual learning – believe we can all learn from each other.
In a world of constant change, volatility, and disruption it is more important to embrace the strength that lies in age diversity.
We have become so entrenched in generational name-calling we have lost sight of the enormous richness in our shared lived experiences.
All are very relevant and hugely important.
Embracing workers of all generations will be critical as we navigate the stormy waters ahead.
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