Have You Hugged Your Boomer Today?

By Lynne Lancaster

Lynne Lancaster is a Baby Boomer and the cofounder of BridgeWorks, LLC.

The recession has taken its toll on the generations. And even though we are slowly clawing our way out of it, some of the generational wounds will take time to heal.

For Baby Boomers, the economic downturn has been the most painful wake-up call since Bob Dylan went electric. The values of their homes have decreased, their 401-(k)s aren’t worth as much anymore, and many haven’t saved nearly enough. Many Boomers are just coming around to the idea that they will have to work a lot longer than they thought. And some are finding their skills are no longer up to par. They will have to think hard about career paths and ramp up the training to stay on track.

For Gen Xers, it’s been a hard slog. Many are raising families and trying to put money aside while watching their investment dwindle and their companies lay off workers. Xers are often caught in the middle between the layers of Boomers with tenure, and younger, cheaper Millennials eager for work. Even if they’ve retained their jobs, Gen Xers might now be covering three positions as companies have reduced their work forces and haven’t hired replacements. Worse, Xers now see that the Boomers are going to be around for a while so those plumb positions at the top won’t be opening up anytime soon. Beefing up one’s leadership skills is great, as long as you have somewhere to apply them.

For Millennials, who experienced a robust job market during their formative years, this recession has been downright scary. Recent graduates can’t find work and are moving home in droves. A study published in the New York Times found that a down job market at the time of graduation can adversely affect a person’s earning power for the rest of their working life. Even as companies start hiring again, the graduates from two or three years ago might be passed over in favor of this year’s crop. Not all Millennials will be able to catch up.

I know this sounds depressing. I present these summaries to generate the one thing every generation is in search of these days: a little empathy. When people operate from a scarcity mentality, we start to believe the reason we don’t have what we need is that someone else took our share. It’s easy to resent Millennials because they’re so fresh-faced and cute and have high-tech skills. And it’s equally easy to resent the Xers who appear to be gunning for our jobs, or the Boomers who have been there a long time and are refusing to leave.

In reality we’re all just doing the best we can. We may not be able to offer one another a job, but we can offer a hand. Now is the time to support one another like crazy, whether it’s on the job or on the job hunt. We can all be better networkers and more generous listeners. We can all transcend our age, and yes, our generation. And we can all rise together.

What can you do to lift up someone who is struggling?

Dear Baby Boomers

By Seth Mattison

 

Seth Mattison is a Millennial who works with executives across the country to help them understand how they can best maximize their young talent.

I was speaking in Philadelphia last month, and upon checking in to my hotel room, a magazine at the front desk caught my attention. On the counter was the March issue of Philadelphia Magazine, which stated in bold letters: “Dear Baby Boomers, JUST DIE ALREADY. (We’ll take Philly from here. Thanks.) XOXO, Generation X.

 

My first thought was, whoa, the East Coast is hardcore! I mean, everybody doesn’t always see eye to eye, but we don’t usually see one generation rooting for another’s death!

 

Unfortunatly, articles like these have set off a ticking time bomb between the generations. This past fall USA Today published an article entitled “Will Boomers ever yield the stage?” It set the blogosphere ablaze with backlash toward Xers. Online forums have become generational battle grounds where Boomers, Xers, and even Millennials duke it out over who’s better or worse and who’s to blame for the economic and political mess we find ourselves in today.

 

While it’s easy to stereotype, label, and even get mad at Xers—especially after seeing an article like the one in the Philadelphia Magazine—we have to stop and think about what the past two decades of work have been like for Xers.

 

When Xers first entered the workplace, Boomers tried to treat them as if they were just like them. Many were left to either sink or swim on their own. Fast-forward to today and we see that Xers who have worked their way up the corporate ladder are now finding themselves stuck under what we call the “grey ceiling”—waiting for Boomers to move up or out of leadership positions.

 

On the flip side, the Millennials are breezing into organizations with high expectations, visions of the corner office, and lots of needs. The responsibility of managing the Millennials is landing squarely on Generation X’s shoulders. Add it all up and I’d be pretty fed up too! In fact, I think we’d all be.

 

So how can we overcome this growing sense of animosity?

 

Millennials: Recognize and appreciate what Xers have accomplished for all of us. They blazed new paths on the work-life balance front and helped create many of the benefits we all enjoy today. Don’t take it for granted. We also have to understand that Xers are independent operators, and showing up in their office every 15 minutes to collaborate on the latest project is not a good strategy for working with them. Find out how the Xers in your life collaborate best and then work toward finding that middle ground.

 

Boomers: Xers will be tasked with leading us all into the next few decades. And having you there to grease the way and support them on the journey will only improve their chances of getting it right. Find ways to allow them to step up and feel supported in leadership roles today, because at the end of the day, their success is your success.

 

And Xers . . . I feel your pain, but hey, those are our parents you’re talking about!

You Win Some, You Lose Some

By David Stillman

David Stillman is a Generation Xer and cofounder of BridgeWorks, LLC.

An experience I had this past week truly reminded me just how awesome the Millennial generation can be.

My son Jonah qualified to compete in the U.S. Snowboard Nationals. I know it’s very Boomer of me to brag, but it’s all part of the blog.

A total of 1,500 competitors from around the country, ranging from six to 88 years old, gathered in Copper Mountain, Colorado, to go for the gold. They typically train three to six days a week at numerous disciplines—half pipe, boardercross, slope style, slalom, and giant slalom. For most, going to nationals is as close to the Olympics as it gets.

The dutiful dad that I am, I volunteered to accompany my son—and it wasn’t too much of a hassle for me to pack my own snowboard.

For eight straight days, I got to hang out with Millennials. Here are my top two updates from the frontlines:

They are great winners: I will be the first to admit to making fun of the Millennials for getting a gold star for everything from potty training to parking a car. But while parents have been guilty of praising on steroids, one thing that hasn’t been passed on is the dog-eat-dog competitiveness we’ve heard about with Boomers.

The athletes were on a mission to do better than the rest, but it was still amazing how genuinely excited they were for all the competitors. They took any down time to hang out and get to know one another. It wasn’t about seeing each other as evil competitors; rather, they made you want to be the best that you can be. Maybe all those jokes about everyone getting a trophy aren’t so funny after all?

My favorite part was that those who did win and step up to the podium did so with nothing but grace. And those who lost the medal were in the front row cheering harder than the rest. Which brings me to . . .

They are great losers: If there is one generational gap we have been hearing about since day one, it’s around the topic of etiquette. We’ve posed numerous questions to our audiences: Is it OK to send an e-mail rather than a handwritten note? Can the young associate call the Traditionalist by his first name? This topic has been a big “kaboom” with Millennials as the other generations struggle with everything from headphones on their heads to texting while talking.

This past week at nationals, as impressed as I was with the athletes winning, I was even more impressed with how they handled losing. Going back to what I said about being supportive competitors, it was wonderful to see how Millennials rallied when one of their own went down—often literally. Sure, there was the odd throw of a helmet, but overall, rather than walk away sulking, I saw Millennials that came in last be the first to run over to the winner for some knuckles. It’s hard to criticize etiquette like that.

And for any smack I’ve given Millennial parents about being too competitive and involved, I will be the first to report that I witnessed nothing but support far beyond one’s own child—they rooted for everyone’s kids. I honestly believe that Millennials’ proper etiquette on the hill rubbed off on mom and dad on the sidelines.

Now, I’m aware that eight days in the Colorado Mountains riding a snowboard without a care in the world is a far cry from our every day reality. But even if nationals are a once-in-a-lifetime experience that brings out the best in some Millennials, it doesn’t mean we can’t be inspired by them.

In the competitive business world, we are all going to win and lose. How our workplaces handle it will be critical to company culture. What I witnessed for those eight days leads me to believe that Millennials will be amazing competitors we can all learn from.

P.S. I can’t help but give a huge shout out to my son Jonah who one day flew down the mountain and took fourth place in slalom, and the next day fell down the mountain and finished close to the bottom in giant slalom. Dude, you sure taught me the art of winning and losing. Thanks!

Feeling Old

By Debra Fiterman-Arbit

Debra Fiterman-Arbit is a speaker, researcher, writer, and consultant at BridgeWorks. She often writes from the perspective of Millennials—her generation of plugged-in and tech-savvy 20–somethings.

Recently, a friend of mine posted on her Facebook wall: “When was the first time you felt old?” The responses came in fast and furiously. Here are a few of my favorites:

• “My coworker’s daughter asked me what the Challenger was.”
• “Alanis Morissette was on the classic station.”
• “I gave my grandchild a disposable camera to use and he didn’t know how to look through the viewfinder and kept looking for a digital screen.”
• “At the mall last weekend and I overheard one young tween say to another ‘I don’t really get what the big deal was with 9/11.’”

It’s happened to all of us. Someone said something that made us groan and think, “Am I really that old?” (Keep in mind, this blog is being written by a girl of the ripe-old age of 30!)

What I found most interesting about the Facebook comments above is that nearly all of them centered around someone not understanding or not knowing about a major incident that happened during the younger years of that person’s life.

At BridgeWorks, we believe that the events and conditions that happen to a generation during their formative years shape who that generation will be as adults and colleagues. So when a person is confronted with a younger coworker who can’t understand why a certain event was so significant to a generation—or, even worse, doesn’t even know what that event was—it makes people “feel old.” And in this case, when someone says they feel old, it is often code for feeling misunderstood. This can cause some major generation gaps in the workplace.

I’m not suggesting that everyone needs to become a history buff in order to understand each other better. However, taking the time to talk to people in your network and understand the events that happened in their lives that shaped who they are today will go a long way to bridge some of those generational divides.

Think back: When was the first time you felt old? Or better yet, when have you been able to connect with someone because you were able to understand where he or she was coming from?

Millennials for Hire

By Lynne Lancaster

Lynne Lancaster is a Baby Boomer and the cofounder of BridgeWorks, LLC.

Spring break and March Madness are here, marking the last hurrah before reality hits for graduating Millennials. With the economy showing signs of improvement, the employment scene isn’t looking as bad as it has over the past couple of years but it will be challenging. However, there is hope if parents and offspring work together and come up with smart strategies. Here are a few tips:

• Think about opportunities on the fringe. Companies like Google receive 3,000 résumés a day. Unless you’re a top candidate, have connections, or possess special skills, getting hired at a trendy, high-profile organization is a low percentage play. Instead, consider less exciting-sounding employers in your geographical area who need the talents of young people—and where you can receive good pay, benefits, and training. These might include the business office of your local medical center, utility, manufacturer, or government employer. These businesses hire people in all areas, including communication, customer service, finance, training, and more. And they’re good places to get your feet in the door and begin to grow your career.

• Highlight your life skills, not just your work skills. Millennials are entering the work force with less part-time work experience than prior generations. However, they’ve had lot of life experience. This is a generation that might not have manned the drive-thru window at McDonald’s, but they have built houses for Habitat for Humanity, participated in student government, and raised money for their soccer team. Make sure your résumé outlines the skills acquired through those experiences, and practice ways to smoothly bring these achievements up in interviews.

• Search your environment. Now is the time for both students and their parents to make a habit of reading the business section of your local newspaper and publications like Twin Cities Business regularly. If you don’t subscribe, start now. These are fantastic sources for information on businesses that are booming back from the recession, making investments in new plants or technologies, and yes, hiring. Use your school’s placement office and the Internet to do your homework and learn as much as possible about the industry, then put together the most targeted résumé you can.

• Tap into your parents’ network. If Dad’s a lawyer and you don’t want to go to law school it may seem like he won’t be much help. But that’s wrong. Parents know scores of people and they need to get the word out. Put together an “elevator speech”—a sentence or two that clearly defines how the friend can help. “My son is graduating with a special emphasis in organizational behavior and is looking for a job in human resources. Do you know any companies that are expanding right now where he should be sure to apply?”

Above all, Millennials and parents need to work together. These are challenging times, but there are jobs out there if you put together the right strategy to find them. What are your tips for job-hunting Millennials?