DAY THREE
Zap the Gap
Solving the Multi-Generational Puzzle
5 day Mini-Course
Baby Boomers
After returning from WWII, the Traditional Generation, began to have children – lots of them Between the years of 1946 and 1964, we saw the birth of the biggest population bubble in our country to date. There were 77 million children born during this time period. We call this population bubble the 'baby boomers.' The effects of this boom continue to echo in our country. For example, in the next ten to fifteen years, as Baby Boomers reach senior citizenship, the number of seniors in the U.S. is going to double over current numbers. The number of seniors will be equivalent to the number of people who live in California and the New England States. And here's something even scarier: They all will still be driving!
As a country, we had never seen anything like the Baby Boom. We were not prepared for the sheer number of bodies. We built hospitals and schools to accommodate the numbers of Baby Boomers. Sometimes we could not build them fast enough. (Some baby boomers might remember sharing a desk at school. There were not enough for everyone.) The Baby Boom generation was the first generation to be graded on a report card for 'WORKS WELL AND PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS.' Before the Baby Boomers went to school, working and playing well with others was not a big concern; teachers were easily able to handle the small number of students in a classroom.
One lasting impact of the emphasis on 'working and playing well with others' is the emphasis of this generation on cooperation, both in and out of the work place. The Baby Boomers have started and fueled the idea of teams, teamwork, co-operation, community, synergy, quality circles, and hootenanny love fests in and out of the workplace!
There were lots of firsts for the Baby Boomers. This generation was the first generation born into families whose first concern was not merely survival. The Traditional Generation had fulfilled the basic needs of Maslow's pyramid. Baby boomers were born and raised during a financially prosperous time in the country.
Baby Boomers were the first generation for whom education was ordinary rather than extraordinary. For previous generations, it was not unusual for people to take their children out of school to work on the family farm. Times had changed; we were no longer an agricultural society. School was the norm for Baby Boomers, and for many, this meant college in addition to grade and high school.
Baby Boomers were the first to be teenagers. There had always been people in their teens, but the idea of the teenager as a generational force became increasingly popular with the Boomer generation. Pre Baby Boomers, there were two categories: too young to work or old enough to work. Boomers became the first generation with both leisure time and leisure money to fill that time outside of school.
My grandmother is from the Traditional Generation. One evening I came to her house to pick her up for dinner. My grandmother was having her evening cocktail when I arrived at her house. I was in a hurry, and impatiently said to my grandmother 'Come on, let's go.' (You can probably almost hear the snappish tone in my voice as you read this!) My grandmother replied, 'Let me finish my drink.' I said 'Throw it out, we will buy you another one at the restaurant.' She said, 'I will not waste my drink by throwing it out and I will not waste my money by ordering a drink at the restaurant.' 'Don't worry,' I said, 'I will pay.' 'You Can't afford it.' she said. 'Save your money!'
I know this behavior makes sense to my grandmother. She survived a level of poverty during the Great Depression that I can not even imagine. Her behavior still seems slightly odd and a little funny to me.
Some of you may be familiar with this syndrome on another level. I call it the 'tin foil influenza.' A participant one of my seminars told me that in secret she and her brothers and sisters call their grandmother the 'Tin Foil Lady.' Anytime after her grandmother has visited, the refrigerator is full of little pockets of food wrapped in tin foil. She refuses to throw any amount of food away.
The Traditional Generation had created a set of rules to follow and live by. These rules made sense to the Traditional Generation and the Traditionalists were frequently successful following the set of rules they had created. The Baby Boom generation did not have the same signposts in place to make the rules of the traditional generation relevant or nearly as significant. As the Baby Boomers reached their late teens and early twenties, they began to question and challenge the rules, and their success was often embodied in their challenges to the Traditionalist rules.
In downtown Phoenix, Arizona, (the city I was born in) there is a building that once was an all black high school. As late as 1950, this school operated as a segregated institution. Baby Boomers questioned school segregation and as a result of Brown vs The Board of Education, the casual acceptance of segregation was gone forever.
During the 1950's, if you were a woman and you were going to have a job, the available jobs were few and strictly circumscribed. Some of the acceptable jobs included teacher, nurse, hair dresser, or telephone operator. I use the word 'job' judiciously: women did not, by and large, have a career. These jobs were not considered a career: It was something you did until (hopefully) you were married and had children. The women's movement changed all that.
Baby Boomers continue to be the largest generation in the workforce. With advances in medicine and plastic surgery, the Baby Boomers continue to challenge our preconceived notions when it comes to things like living, aging, traveling, politics, the environment and our communities.
Here are six things to consider when working with a Baby Boomer:
Want a challenge - Baby Boomers see themselves as change provokers. They make change happen. Think of when Baby Boomers were in their 20s and 30s: they forced great changes in our society. They continue to challenge our preconceived notions about success and aging as they move through the timeline. Where can they make great changes in your organization? Baby boomers coined the phrase “leave it better than you found it.” Where are there challenges in you company or team? Tell the Baby Boomer where the challenges are, get them involved in the vision, and they can probably devise a plan to get there.
Show them where they can make a difference- As Baby Boomers have aged they have become a little nostalgic for their altruistic past. In the late 60s and early 70s, this meant working toward a common good. Charitable donations from this generation are at an all time high. Baby Boomers are looking to make a difference beyond the bottom line at their companies and organizations. Every year, Xerox selects a handful of employees who are able to take a year off work to work with the charity of their choice. They receive full pay, full benefits, and a guaranteed job upon their return. Target Stores gives back a portion of profits to in the communities in which they operate. Other companies let employees get involved in fund raisers with local charities or allow so much time per month to donate to the local school.
Tell them what role they can play in the future- Where is the company going? What role can they play? As Baby Boomers move closer to retirement, they are becoming more concerned about healthcare and retirement packages. How will the company help them meet their retirement goals? Is there a 401k or stock options? What is the healthcare benefits package? Is there a workout facility on site or nearby? A rising concern for some Baby Boomers is an aging parent. What is your company doing to meet the needs of this Boomer employee? Is there flex time? Telecommuting?
Baby Boomers value personal relationships - Get to know each employee individually. We always benefit when we get to know people on an individual basis. The Baby Boomer is known as the Team Worker, but don't let them get lost in the team. You do not have to be a manager or supervisor to know a little bit about the people on your teams. This is especially important if you are a Gen Xer managing a Baby Boomer. Gen Xers tend to be more independent and may think no news is good news. Remember that this is not true for everyone: your team members may need to have some more quality time with you.
Give public recognition - Assist them in getting name recognition. Even though they are team members, they want their individual efforts to be recognized. If you manage Baby Boomers, can you get them invited to meetings to which they would normally not be invited? If you do not manage the Baby Boomer, you can still help them get recognition for their accomplishments by getting their name in an industry journal or writing something about them in the company newsletter or bulletin board.
Baby Boomers see themselves as learners - Coach rather than direct them. Baby Boomers have fueled the self-help industry. They tend to be very savvy when it comes to management techniques. You may find yourself customizing your approach with each of your different Baby Boomers
COMING NEXT! X MARKS THE SPOT. GENERATION X MAKES ITS MOVE AND ITS MARK.
Zap the Gap
Solving the Multi-Generational Puzzle
5 day Mini-Course
Baby Boomers
After returning from WWII, the Traditional Generation, began to have children – lots of them Between the years of 1946 and 1964, we saw the birth of the biggest population bubble in our country to date. There were 77 million children born during this time period. We call this population bubble the 'baby boomers.' The effects of this boom continue to echo in our country. For example, in the next ten to fifteen years, as Baby Boomers reach senior citizenship, the number of seniors in the U.S. is going to double over current numbers. The number of seniors will be equivalent to the number of people who live in California and the New England States. And here's something even scarier: They all will still be driving!
As a country, we had never seen anything like the Baby Boom. We were not prepared for the sheer number of bodies. We built hospitals and schools to accommodate the numbers of Baby Boomers. Sometimes we could not build them fast enough. (Some baby boomers might remember sharing a desk at school. There were not enough for everyone.) The Baby Boom generation was the first generation to be graded on a report card for 'WORKS WELL AND PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS.' Before the Baby Boomers went to school, working and playing well with others was not a big concern; teachers were easily able to handle the small number of students in a classroom.
One lasting impact of the emphasis on 'working and playing well with others' is the emphasis of this generation on cooperation, both in and out of the work place. The Baby Boomers have started and fueled the idea of teams, teamwork, co-operation, community, synergy, quality circles, and hootenanny love fests in and out of the workplace!
There were lots of firsts for the Baby Boomers. This generation was the first generation born into families whose first concern was not merely survival. The Traditional Generation had fulfilled the basic needs of Maslow's pyramid. Baby boomers were born and raised during a financially prosperous time in the country.
Baby Boomers were the first generation for whom education was ordinary rather than extraordinary. For previous generations, it was not unusual for people to take their children out of school to work on the family farm. Times had changed; we were no longer an agricultural society. School was the norm for Baby Boomers, and for many, this meant college in addition to grade and high school.
Baby Boomers were the first to be teenagers. There had always been people in their teens, but the idea of the teenager as a generational force became increasingly popular with the Boomer generation. Pre Baby Boomers, there were two categories: too young to work or old enough to work. Boomers became the first generation with both leisure time and leisure money to fill that time outside of school.
My grandmother is from the Traditional Generation. One evening I came to her house to pick her up for dinner. My grandmother was having her evening cocktail when I arrived at her house. I was in a hurry, and impatiently said to my grandmother 'Come on, let's go.' (You can probably almost hear the snappish tone in my voice as you read this!) My grandmother replied, 'Let me finish my drink.' I said 'Throw it out, we will buy you another one at the restaurant.' She said, 'I will not waste my drink by throwing it out and I will not waste my money by ordering a drink at the restaurant.' 'Don't worry,' I said, 'I will pay.' 'You Can't afford it.' she said. 'Save your money!'
I know this behavior makes sense to my grandmother. She survived a level of poverty during the Great Depression that I can not even imagine. Her behavior still seems slightly odd and a little funny to me.
Some of you may be familiar with this syndrome on another level. I call it the 'tin foil influenza.' A participant one of my seminars told me that in secret she and her brothers and sisters call their grandmother the 'Tin Foil Lady.' Anytime after her grandmother has visited, the refrigerator is full of little pockets of food wrapped in tin foil. She refuses to throw any amount of food away.
The Traditional Generation had created a set of rules to follow and live by. These rules made sense to the Traditional Generation and the Traditionalists were frequently successful following the set of rules they had created. The Baby Boom generation did not have the same signposts in place to make the rules of the traditional generation relevant or nearly as significant. As the Baby Boomers reached their late teens and early twenties, they began to question and challenge the rules, and their success was often embodied in their challenges to the Traditionalist rules.
In downtown Phoenix, Arizona, (the city I was born in) there is a building that once was an all black high school. As late as 1950, this school operated as a segregated institution. Baby Boomers questioned school segregation and as a result of Brown vs The Board of Education, the casual acceptance of segregation was gone forever.
During the 1950's, if you were a woman and you were going to have a job, the available jobs were few and strictly circumscribed. Some of the acceptable jobs included teacher, nurse, hair dresser, or telephone operator. I use the word 'job' judiciously: women did not, by and large, have a career. These jobs were not considered a career: It was something you did until (hopefully) you were married and had children. The women's movement changed all that.
Baby Boomers continue to be the largest generation in the workforce. With advances in medicine and plastic surgery, the Baby Boomers continue to challenge our preconceived notions when it comes to things like living, aging, traveling, politics, the environment and our communities.
Here are six things to consider when working with a Baby Boomer:
Want a challenge - Baby Boomers see themselves as change provokers. They make change happen. Think of when Baby Boomers were in their 20s and 30s: they forced great changes in our society. They continue to challenge our preconceived notions about success and aging as they move through the timeline. Where can they make great changes in your organization? Baby boomers coined the phrase “leave it better than you found it.” Where are there challenges in you company or team? Tell the Baby Boomer where the challenges are, get them involved in the vision, and they can probably devise a plan to get there.
Show them where they can make a difference- As Baby Boomers have aged they have become a little nostalgic for their altruistic past. In the late 60s and early 70s, this meant working toward a common good. Charitable donations from this generation are at an all time high. Baby Boomers are looking to make a difference beyond the bottom line at their companies and organizations. Every year, Xerox selects a handful of employees who are able to take a year off work to work with the charity of their choice. They receive full pay, full benefits, and a guaranteed job upon their return. Target Stores gives back a portion of profits to in the communities in which they operate. Other companies let employees get involved in fund raisers with local charities or allow so much time per month to donate to the local school.
Tell them what role they can play in the future- Where is the company going? What role can they play? As Baby Boomers move closer to retirement, they are becoming more concerned about healthcare and retirement packages. How will the company help them meet their retirement goals? Is there a 401k or stock options? What is the healthcare benefits package? Is there a workout facility on site or nearby? A rising concern for some Baby Boomers is an aging parent. What is your company doing to meet the needs of this Boomer employee? Is there flex time? Telecommuting?
Baby Boomers value personal relationships - Get to know each employee individually. We always benefit when we get to know people on an individual basis. The Baby Boomer is known as the Team Worker, but don't let them get lost in the team. You do not have to be a manager or supervisor to know a little bit about the people on your teams. This is especially important if you are a Gen Xer managing a Baby Boomer. Gen Xers tend to be more independent and may think no news is good news. Remember that this is not true for everyone: your team members may need to have some more quality time with you.
Give public recognition - Assist them in getting name recognition. Even though they are team members, they want their individual efforts to be recognized. If you manage Baby Boomers, can you get them invited to meetings to which they would normally not be invited? If you do not manage the Baby Boomer, you can still help them get recognition for their accomplishments by getting their name in an industry journal or writing something about them in the company newsletter or bulletin board.
Baby Boomers see themselves as learners - Coach rather than direct them. Baby Boomers have fueled the self-help industry. They tend to be very savvy when it comes to management techniques. You may find yourself customizing your approach with each of your different Baby Boomers
COMING NEXT! X MARKS THE SPOT. GENERATION X MAKES ITS MOVE AND ITS MARK.
written by Meagan Johnson; copied here
(in "Dancing With Moose") with permission
No comments:
Post a Comment