GenXwords

Posts Tagged ‘Millenials’

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Retirement, welcome it.

In Work Values on October 13, 2011 at 8:46 pm

The wave has begun…and if you’re not with me here, I speak of the tsunami of  impending retirements in the nonprofit and government sectors that is headed toward us quickly.  Many studies have predicted this, but the economic down turn and drop in retirement accounts of our boomer friends delayed it briefly.   We are seeing the beginning of a mass exodus.  I’ve noticed the shift starting just in the last 9 months,  in my small community, with my clients and the organizations I work and volunteer with.  What is more concerning than the shift, is the response.  The shock, dismay and fear I’ve seen on faces when boomer executives give notice is quickly accompanied with “how are we going to replace you?”, “how can we find somebody to manage all that you do every day?” and most famously  ”there is nobody here that can do or is willing to do your job, what are we going to do?”

Did you hear that sound?  It was the collective sigh of frustration of my GenX colleagues.  For nearly two decades, my generation has been overlooked far more than our predecessors were when they were our age, and with bigger economic impact.  The majority of GenX’ers in public/government jobs and NPO’s are still in middle management, with huge student loan debt, little to no retirement savings and working under a “grey ceiling.” To top it off, we are the generation with a disproportionate percentage of mortgage crisis victims, we are the first generation in the history of our country to NOT do as well financially as our parents and we have workaholic boomers and traditionalists who just won’t retire.  Add to that, the prevailing GenX belief that there are many ways we could and should do business differently than our predecessors…if we only had a chance.  So yes, we have some anxious X’ers wanting to step into those executive jobs that boomers are vacating, and we welcome the tsunami.

The dichotomy between the anxious ready to change things up get out of my way X’ers and the fear of the unknown/there is nobody who will do it like me and with my experience attitude of the boomers is played out nearly every time I hear the word retirement.  Which is usually followed by a tense argument about the value of experience vs. the value of pragmatic results based leadership. Then it quickly degrades into dissent about who are we going to hire to fill this void?

The solution you ask?  Well for one, I’d suggest you approach the void by not looking at it as a void.  The tsunami of job title transitions is an opportunity for change and growth.   Both GenX and Millennials are already in the trenches and we surpass boomers and traditionalists in academic preparation, prior volunteer experience and innovative entrepreneurial ventures. Instead of looking for somebody to fill your shoes, look for somebody to provide a new direction and a breath of fresh air.  Approaching recruitment, even in this economic time, with an opportunity lens will likely get you the candidates you really want, not the warmed over mediocre version of what you already have.  Secondly, LISTEN.  The majority culture (boomers in this case) are classic for “knowing” what is right, but not always seeing alternatives that might also be reality.   Lastly, have a robust and diverse hiring committee, comprised of various generations, experience levels and expertise areas.  THIS will bring in your best candidates and your best match, regardless of generation.

As for retirement.  Welcome it, embrace it, it is not to be feared. Being a GenX ”slacker”, I look forward to the days that I get to retire and choose how I spend every moment of every day. Welcome it!

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Why I come to work….

In Work Values on July 16, 2010 at 12:28 pm

It is not a secret that in the for-profit sector, the purpose of the work is to make profit.  Thus the name “for” profit.  There are shades of qualifications behind this reality that people use to make it sound less greedy.  Such as “my work is important…. I do a good job… or my product will change lives”.   But the bottom line is…the bottom line.

The purpose of a non-profit’s existence is not the bottom line and it is varied from one organization to another. It may be to advocate the change of a social ill, sometimes it exists to give individuals skills,  other times it is just to provide a service that is needed because nobody else  is addressing that need or it is not cost-effective to provide it from a for-profit point of view.

The motivation behind why somebody works in or volunteers for a non-profit are also not as clear-cut as in the for-profit world.  Some will say that they work in non-profits because they want to “help” as they are altruistic in nature.  Some want to “give back”, some want to do it because it makes them feel better.

Assuming that all volunteers, board members or staff are motivated to work there for the same reason and believe in the same purpose of the organization is a dangerous assumption.   I have seen many varied responses when asked why do you do this work or what is the purpose of your organization and of course….there are generational trends to the answers I have heard.

It is well established that baby boomers are “doers.”  Their overachieving, competitive, performance based attitude has served them well in life.  This value has shaped the non-profit industry for 30 years.   This is where the “I am here to do xyz” or “our organization does xyz” statements come from.   Examples would be:  I am here to provide shelter, I train people,  I advocate for environmental health, I help victims.  The basis being “I find value in what I do” .

Generation X  has as decidedly different approach.  I won’t comment if it comes from the slacker days of our teens and 20′s, where we gained the reputation for not doing (up to boomer or traditionalist expectations that is).  But I will say that our response to the why am I here question is most often surrounded around the idea of outcome or change. If there isn’t a clear link to what will change, the slacker in most of us Gen X’ers are not going to engage.  Call us lazy but we’re not into doing something just for the sake of doing it.  The value for us and for our agencies is to change an outcome, hopefully for the better. I find value in the result of what I do.

A common place that I see this divide in the non-profit sector is in the creation of mission statements & strategic plans.  Boomers like to talk about what they are doing, X’ers most often focus on why are we doing it, what is going to change because I am here.   Millenials sit back and watch the tennis match back and forth.

This divide is virtually non-existent in the for-profit world.  There are no gray areas of purpose or motivation, you are there to make money…end of story.  No sitting in small rooms in uncomfortable chairs for hours upon hours, negotiating what will change because we exist or what need do we fill or mapping out the details of how we do it.

So why do you go to work?  And what is the point or purpose of your organization?  How do you communicate or verbalize the answers to these questions?  Is it different from your fellow staff, volunteers or board members?

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Connectivity & GenX. Gift, curse or just annoying?

In Technology on June 10, 2010 at 9:06 am

A typical day in my life consists of sitting in an uncomfortable chair around a conference room table, discussing problems and solutions.  To make such meetings more bearable and interesting, I like to challenge my mind to listen (and even participate from time to time) while multi-tasking in my mind.  Such multi-tasking elicits blog post ideas, grocery store lists, emails I have to construct later, vacation plans etc.

Just yesterday, while in a board meeting, I was deep in my typical multi-task meeting mode (otherwise known as MTMM) and looked up to see the three other GenX’ers in the meeting doing the very same thing.  One was texting the other who was sitting down the table, another looking at his calendar on his iPhone, another googling a topic we were discussing in the meeting. Before you lambast us for using our smart phones while in a meeting take note of this…of the 25+ people in this meeting, 70% of those participating in the meeting were the very same GenX’ers.  We were engaged, we were participating, we were focused, we were all in MTMM.

GenerationX is the first generation to have grown up adapting to rapid changes in technology and connectivity.  Unlike the millenials who were born into a world where electronic multi-tasking (such as emails, texting, SMS, IM) is the norm, or the boomers who have had to make an extra effort as adults to adapt to using technology…generation X was the first to put connectivity to work, professionally and personally.

Paving the electronic connectivity road for younger generations while acting as a model for older generations may have a cost.  As discussed in a recent New York Times article titled “Your Brain on Computers: Hooked on Gadgets and Paying the Mental Price“, the curse of electronic multi-tasking can be high.

However, the skeptical and analytical X’er in me points out that all multi-taskers, electronic or otherwise, must always weigh costs and benefits.  Electronic connectivity has not changed the necessity for balance.  The appeal of the anytime anywhere multi-tasking that connectivity allows only amplifies what we’ve known for ages-we must weigh the benefit of being connected with the cost to authentic human connection. A topic worthy of its own blog post.

So my answer to the title of this post is…connectivity is a gift with strings. I’m proud to be a part of a generation and time that has made technological connectivity work.  If you don’t share my love for MTMM, I challenge you to consider the benefit  next time you see an X’er or Millenial electronic multi-tasking.  Ask them how they balance the benefits with the costs.  You might just learn something.

For those of you who do enjoy a little electronic multi-tasking, test your ability to focus with this distractibility test created at Stanford.  I bet you can’t beat my score.

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Generational differences….real or just a marketing & advertising strategy?

In Defining Events, Generation demographics, Uncategorized, Work Values on May 27, 2010 at 5:44 pm

Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millenials, Traditionalists….all terms derived originally for the purpose of marketing and advertising to different demographic groups.  Labels used to define similar values, life experiences and defining events that will guide consumer buying patterns.

I ask you…are differences between generations enough to move beyond mere consumer habits and ultimately define a cultural group?  Will discussion of difference produce more than buying patterns?  Is there enough difference that studying or discussing such difference will lend insight into improved leadership,  management and outcomes of the organizations we pour our life’s work into?

Yes.

It is obvious that the world around us is changing and it is happening fast.  The challenges that non-profits face are increasing while the demographic group that has traditionally provided staff and board leadership in such organizations is in flux. The non-profit and public sectors are undergoing an evolution themselves, negotiating new funding demands, changing needs of the populations they are serving and a public that is increasingly savvy about where their dollar is spent.  Providing for and supporting leadership transition has never been more important.

What are these substantial differences you ask?  Check out this chart. It is one of the most complete looks at differences in values, communication strategies, influences, preferred work environment, attributes and skills that I’ve seen.  It focuses on significant differences while suggesting similarities.

Back to the title of this post…recognizing real difference is just as imperative to understanding one another as recognizing our similarities. Such understanding and recognition will allow for deeper interpersonal connection while helping to negotiate the demographic shift that is upon us in our organizations and communities.

Now go study that chart, I will be quizing you on it later.

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It’s our time….Goonies Anthem or GenX Manifesto?

In GenX Literature, GenX Pop Culture on February 22, 2010 at 9:35 pm

I finally opened “X Saves the World, How Generation X Got the Shaft but Can Still Keep Everything From Sucking“….and I ask myself WHY did it take me so long to put this manifesto of Gen X on the top of my reading list?!  Jeff Gordinier is witty, poignant & sharp. He adds just the right amount of cynicism and anti-conformity into discussion of the fabric that makes us similar that I am inspired by the first page…not an easy task, to inspire a GenX’er.

So far…a take home is that it is our time.  We are sandwiched between the successful self promoting boomers and the instant gratification millenials and we don’t like the limelight, yet we ARE making a difference.  Gordinier’s introduction reminded me to watch a clip of Mikey from the movie The Goonies where he proclaims that down here, its “our time”.

We’re in the trenches folks….we’re doing the work that is changing our world.  Despite our hatred of group mentality and comformity…isn’t it time to recognize we ARE a cultural group that is making change?

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setting the stage….

In Generation demographics on February 1, 2010 at 9:08 am

Upon testing the idea of this blog out with friends of multiple generations, common responses were “can’t we all just get along?”  and “well we are all here {in the non-profit world} for the same reason, social change.  So I don’t see a problem working with many generations” and my personal favorite “oh yeah, you Gen X’ers think you are so different, if you’d just commit to your work there would be no issues.”

I ask myself…..do values really differ across generations? Is there truly a crisis in numbers looming in the future of non-profit leadership? Is the business of non-profits changing?

In typical Generation X fashion….I consult the web for the answers of such questions.  Then I order a few books on Amazon…and read a few blogs.

Low and behold…the answer to all the above questions is a resounding YES. The impending crisis has to do with numbers, values AND a changing work place.

The numbers break down as follows (disclaimer: slight variance on year spread by generation, depending upon source):

  • Traditionalists (1925-1945) and Boomers (1946-1964) account for 160 Million people
  • Generation X (1965-1979) numbers are a fraction of the previous generations-typically approximated at 45 million
  • Generation Y/Millennials rival the boomers in size, about 80 million
  • A national study in 2006 predicted that there would be over 640,000 vacation non-profit senior management positions over the next decade, more than double existing in 2006.

Values….a big discussion worthy of more blog posts which will surely follow this one.  To summarize, there are big differences between management style & hierarchy; motivation to choose non-profit career; emphasis on process vs. results in the work place; conflict resolution and work styles.

All research related to generations and the workplace point to the general conclusion that not only are the people in the non-profit work place changing, but the workplaces themselves are changing.

I come back to the question “can’t we all just get along?.”  My answer is this….it is far more complex and begins with setting the stage, understanding the actors, recognizing the difference in how we act and how all these factors influence the evolving non-profit workplace.

 

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