Generational Gaps In The World And Understanding Them

Hello to all and well here we are on another beautiful day. It is of a concern to me and would love to share this concern with the world out there. Times are changing all around us at home,work with relationships. The world is changing at a pace that most people cannot keep up.

The changes that are happening at work are of a concern due to leadership not being able to understand how to manage knowledge. You have so many generations that are going to have be able to learn from each other making difficult to understand the difference. Running an operation takes more then just having the position of power it takes more knowledge which many leadership are lacking in today's corporations.

Every generation  has made its own commotion as they start going into the workforce and what is the one thing that is common with all generations?" They say they do not get or understand us"

Let us take a look at this chart to get a better understanding of differences of the generations most organizations are involved with.

Personal and Lifestyle Characteristics by Generation

	Veterans (1922-1945)	Baby Boomers (1946-1964)	Generation X (1965-1980)	Generation Y (1981-2000)
Core Values	Respect for authority Conformers Discipline	Optimism Involvement	Skepticism Fun Informality	Realism Confidence Extreme fun Social
Family	Traditional Nuclear	Disintegrating	Latch-key kids	Merged families
Education	A dream	A birthright	A way to get there	An incredible expense
Communication Media	Rotary phones One-on-one Write a memo	Touch-tone phones Call me anytime	Cell phones Call me only at work	Internet, Email Picture phones Texting
Dealing with Money	Put it away Pay cash	Buy now, pay later	Cautious Conservative Save, save, save	Earn to spend
Work Ethics And  Values	Hard work Respect for Authority Sacrifice Duty before fun Adhere to rules	Workaholics Work efficiently Crusading causes Personal fulfillment Desire quality Question authority	Eliminate the task Self-reliance Want structure and direction Skeptical	What’s next Multitasking Tenacity Entrepreneurial Tolerant Goal oriented
Work Is…	An obligation	An exciting adventure	A difficult challenge A contract	A means to an end Fulfillment
Leadership Style	Directive Command and control	Consensual Collegial	Everyone is the same Challenge others Ask why	*TBD
Interactive Style	Individual	Team player Loves to have meetings	Entrepreneur	Participative
Communications	Formal Memo	In person	Direct Immediate	Email Voice mail
Feedback and Rewards	No news is good news Satisfaction in a job well done	Don’t appreciate it Money Title recognition	Sorry to interrupt, but how am I doing? Freedom is the best reward	Whenever I want it, at the push of a     button Meaningful work
Messages That Motivate	Your experience is respected	You are valued You are needed	Do it your way Forget the rules	You will work with other bright, creative people
Work and Family Life	Ne’er the twain shall meet	No balance Work to live	Balance	Balance

*As this group has not spent much time in the workplace, this characteristic has yet to be determined.    http://ww/fdu.edu/newspubs/magazine Winter/Spring 2005

 

I believe that the way we manage people will either make the organization stronger or break the people down and ruin the organization. I like this chart because it makes it much easier to understand where you are as a leader and gives you a guide on how to more or less manage people. However I have stated before that we are in an age where it requires constant change and just telling people and expecting them to know via directive, command or control well it is a waste of time and you will be challenged if you are this type of leader and the of course you will not like it and frustration will set in.

Have you ever thought about the impact regarding traits and biases from different generations. If leaders have a better understanding of this and the diversity they face today they will have to implement tools within their organizations to be able to adapt to the changes quickly enough to be able to compete.

As leaders move forward with the new shifts regarding generational gaps without having the tools of understanding and having the skills to implement change then you might as well hang up the gloves and look for another job because you will be so frustrated with yourself because you will be dealing with a new type of risk that come with generation gaps. 

Each person that is hired has a different background and they will affect our thoughts and behaviors and ultimately outcomes that will result the way leaders manage them.

In order to survive the changes that are coming you as a leader must understand the changes when you see them and be able to implement change and be able to implement the tools for adaptation to take place within your organization.

Where are your businesses today? THE PAST-FUTURE OR IN THE PRESENT

Well hello again and we of course have been talking about the changes that are taking place every day in the business world along with the changes with individuals all around us all the time. Businesses have to make sure they understand the world around them and the competition that mirrors their own business perhaps it is a larger corporation. I have always stated in business meetings that any type of change needs to happen from the top down in order to work but of course due to old way and resistance to anything new there are many disagreements and thus never takes place and thus failure will occur. When corporations or organizations begin to fail it is because of resistance or simply the incompetency of leadership.

Human resources in every business corporation both for profit and not for profit organizations need to start with what is their definition of a leader running their business.I have found through my research and understanding that in today's world of business corporations and organizations in the government need to be more flexible,creative and efficient to be able to compete with other organizations.

Corporations and government agencies find themselves in a world of technology and innovation moving so fast that they are stuck in the past trying to catch up with the future a future that is already here.The future is here and what do I mean by the future is already here; Take a look at your children at school. This just a simple example of what is going on all around us whether we try to ignore it in business and in our everyday life of course that is a choice that we make. Children before they even step into a class room already know and understand computers better the adults that have been in the workforce most of their lives..

The future is among us and most ignore this fact and this fact will eventually catch up and crush those that do not stay afloat.

Based on an research that Oxford University conducted found that within the next 20 years half the jobs in the United Stated will be lost to computer automation. If that is not a scary future then I have no idea what world we are in. There will be a time when computers and humans will be working as a team to outdo businesses and their competition. Andrew Mcafee author of the book " The second Machine Age" says that there will be a time when chess players (Humans) will team up with computers to beat out commuters and or humans  playing alone alone.

There is far more that is coming and we have to prepared for the changes. Take this for example as it is today there are so many issues in the workforce today due to not understanding the new generation of millennial's. here you have the future already here working with most businesses and only those businesses that have a clear understanding of their world will survive. This of this : By the year 2020 we will be working with five different generations each bringing their own thoughts and expectations and most important their own and new perspective into their jobs. Today the millennial generation represents more than 75% of the workforce. 

This generation of computer savvy personalities not only will bring new ways of thinking but new perspectives on leadership which I assure you will be non-traditional in so many ways and this will destroy corporations and government agencies if they do not come together and collaborate and allow the changes to take place. Both government and non government organizations will lag in innovation and technological savvy if there is no understanding of what is already here in front of their eyes.

New style of leadership is already in the midst among us and most do not know it because they do not understand the new generations and the gap that exists between them. Leadership today is so far behind due to the misunderstanding of the new perspectives that this generation alone brings to the table. Leadership today will need to learn new ways of managing this type of knowledge. Leaders from yesterday which are operating in today's world trying to lead the new generations will lose talent due to just not having the skills to manage knowledge.

Did you know that a survey of 3300 HR professionals from 106 countries found that Leadership is the second most pressing issues around the world coming second only to employee engagement. This survey was published by Deloitte early this year of 2015. It has been identified that most organizations have only made a small dent on this issue.It has become a world of innovation and technology but importantly all organizations and the leaders that are in place need to either learn the new skills that are needed to manage today or let those that have a clear understanding of both the past and the future and what is needed today to move any organization forward.

A quote from one of my favorite mentors -Napoleon Hill

I believe this and live by this;

 

When you ask another person to do something, it may help both him and you if you tell him what to do, why he should do it, when he should do it, where he should do it, and how he may best do it.

We are all influenced by our background and experience. We perceive instructions in the context of our education, experience, heritage, the culture of our organization, and a number of other variables. Good managers know this, and they make sure that their instructions are clear, concise, and well understood. 

 

 They also know that they must walk a fine line between conveying adequate instructions and killing workers’ incentive by not allowing them sufficient latitude to do their jobs. You may strike the right balance between instruction and motivation by encouraging employees to participate in setting objectives for themselves and their teams, by helping them develop plans for achieving their goals, and by making sure that each individual clearly understands the team’s mission and his or her role in achieving it. 

 

Suggest that team members check in occasionally to report their progress, then get out of their way and cheer them on to victory.

" I believe that to change the world the world needs to be willing to make the change for a better tomorrow"-Dr. Luciano Santini

Let us start with the word "Change" What is change and what does it mean to an individual and to a business?

Well let us take a look a the definition for the word;

As you can see there are many ways to change and but the one that sticks out the most for me is the first description of the word change. To make the form,nature, future course. What does this mean?

verb (used with object), changed, changing.

1.

to make the form, nature, content, future course, etc., of (something) different from what it is or from what it would be if left alone: to change one's name; to change one's opinion;

to change the course of history.

2.

to transform or convert (usually followed by into):

The witch changed the prince into a toad.

3.

to substitute another or others for; exchange for something else, usually of the same kind:

She changed her shoes when she got home from the office.

4.

to give and take reciprocally; interchange:

to change places with someone.

5.

to transfer from one (conveyance) to another:

You'll have to change planes in Chicago.

6.

to give or get an equivalent amount of money in lower denominations in exchange for:

to change a five-dollar bill.

To me it means that to make change you have to be able to realize into the future the change that needs to take place and what it it will look like before any change can happen. It is true that one person can make in the moment changes but these are what I like to call band-aid changes. These type of changes are not long term and they will actually hurt the individuals progress.

This quote says it all and so well.as individuals we are free to change at any time,but the problem is that most people are afraid of change itself and that is where the problem lies. The questions becomes prevalent when you see the struggles an individual faces when change needs to take place  and this happens because most individuals have no idea how to make the changes.

Let talk about change in businesses both for profit and for non profit organizations. In most cases organizations are also afraid of change but the difference in business as opposed to the changes for an individual is that it not only affects one person but many and thus the issues arise. I see so many organizations always speak and push the 3-5 year strategic plan. The problem with this plan is that it will take a minimum of 1 year before this plan is even implemented or it may take longer in which sometimes it does.

The reason is implementation and execution techniques that differ too much and the biggest reason of course is the knowledge an individual needs to accomplish the goal of implementation itself.By the time the 3-5 year plan starts you are already behind 3 years due to the movement of many things such as technology or the needs of people which when the plan was created was an immediate need and now the needs are different.

We need to have an understanding of the needs as an individual so we can see the future and the end results that we are trying to accomplish. In business it is the same thing  but with an added feature which is constant learning and constant developing of ideas to keep with constant change.

" I believe that to change the world the world needs to be willing to make the change for a better tomorrow"-Dr. Luciano Santini

By all means tell the world how good you are — but share the credit and reserve the blame.

You should let others know of your achievements, with these provisions: Do it with your actions first and make sure you share the credit with others who helped you along the way. A fundamental principle of leadership that has not changed over the centuries is: Share the credit for success with others, but take the blame for failures alone.