Week 4 - Ages, Stages, and Intelligence

Class four started out with an interesting activity where the class divided into 3 groups - Gen X, Gen Y, and the Baby Boomers. I fell into the Gen X category, (1965-1980). Collectively, we recorded our thoughts on how we view ourselves vs. how we are viewed by others and then compared notes. For the most part, we were all pretty accurate on our beliefs as to how others view us and, as a rule, both the "how we view ourselves" and "how others view us" lists matched up pretty good... it's fascinating to see how the generations to which we were born influence us. We like to think that we are all unique individuals capable of formulating our own thoughts and opinions - but the fact is we are products of our country, our culture, our class, and our individual generations. All of these influenced and shaped us into who we are today.

I shared my thoughts about the class with a colleague here at work who in turn forwarded me a great PowerPoint presentation titled "Recruiting, Retaining, and Managing a Multigenerational Workforce". It offers a great overview of the generational differences.

Here are some excerpts from the presentation:

Baby Boomer Core Values:

• Open minded and rebellious in their youth
• Conservative in their 30’s and 40’s
• Evolving and will live with a different focus in the later years of their lives
• Buy now—pay later
• Believe employment is "for life"
• Created the concepts of the "Workaholic" and "Superwoman"
• Have rewritten the rules especially in the workplace
• Experienced layoffs and downsizing - have seen the company loyalty standard change
• Divorce Rate Rises—Nuclear Family Declines
• From child care issues to parental care issues

Generation X Core Values:

• Independent—Self Reliant
• Resilient
• Technologically Savvy
• Seek Work-Life Balance
• Sense of Informality
• Sense of Insecurity

Millennial Core Values:

• Confident
• Optimistic
• Respect Diversity
• Sense of Civic Duty
• Group Oriented
• Achievement Oriented
• Structured-Scheduled Lives
• Impatient
• Sense of Morality/Integrity—Conservative Values

If you are interested in seeing the full PowerPoint, please send me an email and I will forward it to you.