Three Generational Trends That Are Making The World of Work More Complex

Making generalizations about generations is always going to require painting with some broad brushstrokes –– but I have noticed some trends about managers lately that seem to be holding true across many of the businesses I work with. It’s been especially interesting to see how these trends are impacting (and in some cases forming!) the shifts in the world of work we’re experiencing now.

HERE’S WHAT I’M SEEING:

Boomers

The good: Managers in this age cohort have a wealth of lived experience, and you just can’t get the same depth and breadth of know-how with any other cohort. They’ve been through multiple recessions, they’ve seen the ups and downs of business, and they can often see things others can’t because they’ve worked through similar situations before.

The bad: While this is certainly not universal, I’ve seen that a number of boomer managers have a hard time relating to their workforce. (This is certainly not a one-way street, I also see that younger cohorts have a hard time relating to their older managers as well.) They have a tendency to be so far up that they forget what it’s like to be down in the weeds, and they can neglect communicating with their workforce, since they forget that not everybody has the same lived experience they do, and may need things spelled out in different ways.

My tip for boomer managers: Lead with empathy. This is good advice for any manager, but I especially recommend it to my managers in this age cohort, because empathy unlocks the key to that relationship with your workforce. While you have lots of experience, the people you work with do too, even if it’s not as deep or broad as yours.

Gen X-ers

The good: Gen X-ers are the sandwich generation, squeezed in between the two larger cohorts of the boomers and the millennials, which means that they have good insight into those around them. They tend to see the strengths and weaknesses of both cohorts, and are able to easily navigate whatever team they happen to be working with. 

The bad: Again, this is far from a universal, but some Gen-X-ers seem to have one foot out the door. We’re all aging, and it can be tempting to stop learning, or to try and ride out those last couple of years. This can also lead them to favor stability over change, which means that they can unintentionally hamper good ideas by naysaying them before really considering whether that’s in the best interests of the team.

My tip for Gen-X managers: Be present, and curious. My favorite quote from Ted Lasso (which actually originated with Walt Whitman) is “Stay curious, not judgmental.” Lean into that strength you have of fitting in with different age cohorts, and be willing to give new ideas a try, even if they seem like they might be impractical on first viewing.

Millennials

The good: Millennials have the widest-spread growth mindset of any of the cohorts I’ve seen. I’ve had many come through my Manager Training Series and they have this burning curiosity and desire to grow that aligns well with where they’re at in their career trajectory. They’ve got a lot of momentum, and they bring that to their workforces as well.

The bad: Yet again, this isn’t true of every millennial manager I see, but I do see that some of them can have a tendency to get into responsibility silos. As in “this and only this is my responsibility, and I will not engage with things beyond my direct responsibility.” While it’s great to know your boundaries, teams and workplaces aren’t perfectly clear-cut in terms of responsibilities, and sometimes you need someone to step up and take responsibility if it’s presented.

My tip for millennial managers: Watch out for a tendency to hyper-individuate. Absolutely respect yourself, and respect your boundaries, and also recognize that the nature of reality in which you are working is that you are part of a team. Marry that momentum you so naturally bring to things with the ability to lead and work as part of a team, and you’ll see so much change.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE WORLD OF WORK OVERALL?

I think the main thing we can all take away from this is that the world of work is becoming more complex, and not just in the way that people talk about when they write about the VUCA world of work. 

We’re now working with an unprecedented mix of generations in the workplace (I didn’t even get to Gen Z, they’re just starting out in their manager journey!) and that means that the core things that always make for good management are more important than ever: curiosity. Good listening. Teamwork. Kindness. And empathy.

The more you’re able to lead with those things in your management, the smaller the generational divides become, and the more you’re able to pull on everybody’s strengths.

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