The older your get, the better you get – unless you are a banana (Ross Noble)

How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are? (Anon)

You know you’re getting old when you stoop to tie your shoelaces and wonder what else you can do while you’re down there (George Burns)

It’s sad to grow old, but nice to ripen (Brigitte Bardot)

You can live to be 100 if you give up all the things that make you want to live to be 100 (Woody Allen)

Growing old is compulsory, growing up is optional (Bob Monkhouse)

The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly and lie about your age (Lucille Ball)

The old believe everything, the middle age suspect everything and the young know everything (Oscar Wilde)

Maturity is a high price to pay for growing up (Maurice Chevalier)

There are three ages – youth, middle age and ‘you’re looking well’ (Red Skelton)

To be young, really young, takes a long time (Pablo Picasso)

There are three stages of man – he believes in Santa Clause, he does not believe in Santa Clause and he is Santa Claus (Bob Phillips)

I’m at the age when my back goes out more than I do (Phyllis Diller)

We live in an age when to be young and to be indifferent can be no longer synonymous. We must prepare for the coming hour. The claims of the Future are represented by suffering millions; and the Youth of a Nation are the trustees of Posterity (Benjamin Disraeli, 1800s)

Age is something that doesn’t matter unless you are a cheese (Billie Burke)

Remember as we have said before, being Generation Y is a set of behaviours and a lifestyle, not just an age group! See our quiz below….

In a week of chaos across Britain as it continued to snow, more in inches than metres, and whilst our Aussie colleagues were literally BBQ’ing on the beach, what were our Y folk up to? Was there some positive light to come out of the week or was it all grey slush and misery?

So ok, getting anywhere on any kind of transport was difficult and well done to all of you who battled through to get to your destinations and to panic buy all those cartons of milk (did you need so many?!). Shame on you who used it as an excuse to stay home! No seriously, was staying home such a bad idea? What about the perils of bad weather and associated safety risk? What about all those important events and practise nights. What of productivity and the effect on industry at a time when businesses need every drop of income right now? More doom and gloom I hear you say.

Perhaps there are other ways to look at this. What about the peace and quiet to get those reports done and catch up on all those emails? Two days in your PJ’s and with your favourite snacks to hand and iTunes to play without headphones, could you breathe a sigh of relief that you didn’t have to go to college or the office and save a bit of time? Well many could see that there was an awful lot of time being spent on Facebook and online chat this week, and a remarkable number of photos of snow filled driveways, gardens and parks! What an industrious lot we are, and yes we still know how to build snowmen and other well known snow loving (?) British characters .

But here’s the thing, while many were concerned about the country skiving off, there was something else happening. A lot of work was being done from homes, a lot of team bonding going on out in those parks, offices lots and on social networks. Lots of banter, lots of sharing, lots and lots of needing to find other things to do to cure the boredom.  So, some families have been stuck at home together for the evening, having home cooked meals and keeping warm by the  fire – aaww. Homework and reports were getting written and those computer games were being played. Lots of research on the net, lots of chatting with friends and contacts overseas,  lots of sleep for some and relationship ups and downs for others. Did people prise themselves away from the computer to go and get some fresh air and frolick in the snow? You bet. Wow would that be exercise?!

There were debates about global warming, about snow on Mars, energy bills, the homeless, the elderly and saving fuel. Plenty of people signed up to new causes and many others planned for holidays and meeting friends. Plenty of laughter and plenty of cocoa. Lots of “love it or hate it” discussions about the weather and ….

…Plenty of frayed tempers. Long commutes, broken appointments, cold extremities, all the things that generally upset our GenX (and boomers) with the disrupted routines.  Discomgoogolation from interrupted or reduced internet and mobile services for some – no laughing matter we say! Many took to alternate and sharing transport, well done, and others were seen helping stranded cars and pedestrians, as postmen battled on through the icy paths with their safety shoes.

One organisation, HSBC in Canary Wharf, apparently thought about the safety and welfare of stranded workers by procuring more than a 100 sleeping bags and ordering bottled water and takeout for all. Ok it sounds a bit uncomfortable to sleep on the office floor (and wasn’t sleeping in the office a thing of the 90s before we allegedly embraced Working Time Rights and work-life balance?) but what a great way to look after staff and create an opportunity for team spirit! No we’re not suggesting that offices try to lock their employees in overnight but maybe we need to think about that community spirit and resolve to pull together to try something new and turn a difficult situation into something positive.

As one politician said, we do need to get up on our feet and get on with keeping the country running. Hear hear! But let’s also look at the benefits of this week, perhaps these few days have provided a bit of much needed respite, something else to think about, after the non-stop rush and stress of the holidays and the gloom of a recession hit January?

While we were getting distracted by the white stuff and chatting with our friends, did we also get some things done, did we have any new ideas, did we get to know something more about ourselves and our friends and colleagues? What were our teens and under 30′s up to? Were they involved in coming up with some of the ways to get through the week?  And those of us with Y behaviours, how distracted were we?! Did we freshen up our senses and call to action? 

We’d like to hear your stories.

As managers, it is time to be prepared and open minded about what each of the generations brings. Those seniors may have worked in a different era but the experiences are no less valid and they’re amongst the users of the internet and web 2.0 tools just like everyone else.

Our Gen Y need an encouraging hand, genuine interest in what they have to say and what they want to achieve; it’s not about their managers making assumptions or judgements, or ensuring these newcomers have to go through the same paces they did.

In the article “I’m way more Generation Y than I thought, you too?” by 23 year old Victoria Gutierrez, she looks at the fundamental differences in her Y world and that of her boyfriend’s father who is busy conforming to the traditional hard working career guy image just like many of the others that she perceives follow in similar footsteps. Victoria remains frustrated, trying to bring her unique contribution, finding something exciting and creative that allows her to be herself at work.

So what are these Gen X senior and middle managers going to do to bring these  groups together? How are they going to cope with the pressures of change? How are our new Gen Y middle managers going to embrace these strange times? And how are we going to support them?

Of course there are plenty of leadership development programmes and workshops out there, change management guide books and all the rest. In fact we urge you to keep investing in your leadership and think carefully about how you can do that in an imaginative way. The top companies distinguish themselves by the way they develop their leaders and think about the young leaders of tomorrow.

However, we need to think about what is different and not just fall back into our old ways. First, what is similar: Recognition, Leadership, Meaning and Authenticity:

Recognition: For one thing, it is time to be human and to find ways to maintain that community spirit and allow people to share their contributions.

Leadership: Do you have enough of the right mix of talents and generations in your team? How diverse is your team really? It is not just about legal compliance or making up numbers, it is real, without the right balance how can you leverage the best ideas? The more you put into these teams, the stronger the results. Ask them to take ownership of identifying what they need as a group and individuals to improve their activities and how they can work together in new and better ways.

Meaning: Leaders and middle managers need to use their position wisely. It is not just about leading from the front, it is about leading from the centre, being a facilitator, spiritual guide, coach, master companion and humamanagement!

Authenticity is key – make it real! Don’t live by the text book. In fact, leave the rule books on the floor; it is more than ‘look, listen and learn’ as previous generations would say; get in there and be part of something adaptive and evolving. Regardless of budget cuts, making fun part of the agenda will reap rewards. Encourage laughter, it is still one nature’s best medicines, even if the tasks at hand are serious ones.

Recognise and support those who try hard and don’t succeed, the lessons learned are always valuable ones. Don’t preach at them, ask them for solutions, they enjoy participant led activity.

Gen Y will “sink or swim”. It’s time to let Y’ers show you what they’ve got! Let them take on challenges that others may guffaw at, just allow them your encouragement and support. It is time to allow them to literally feel and sense what they believe. It is not time to ‘coach and facilitate’ into GenX trusted beliefs – genuine open minds are required and above all a positive mental attitude. Let our Gen Y show us their energy and stop putting them in boxes!

Remember, as we have said before Gen Y is not just an age group but a behaviour, it is not just a fashion or a fad, it is a new way of thinking, a lifestyle, a way of being in the new world. Leaders need to embrace it and make it work for all.

Curiosity can be described as the desire to learn or to know an object that arouses interest, an emotion that causes curious behaviour, or just being inquisitive or nosey!

Without curiosity what would we have missed or would have happened to these guys – Sir Walter Raleigh, Captain James Cook, Richard Branson, Akio Morita, Friends Reunited, YouTube, Dyson, the entrepreneurs of Dragon’s Den, Harry Potter or perhaps this guy:

“The important thing is not to stop questionning”, Albert Einstein

For GenY and those with ‘Y behaviours’ this may be part of what distinguishes them, and something that our baby boomers and Gen X need to encourage. But don’t forget that “curiosity is common to human beings at all ages from infancy to old age”, Wikipedia. So this is something we must share across the generations.

At a time when many are thinking about ‘taking up the drawbridge’, ‘buttoning down the hatches’, ‘cutting the budget’, ‘waiting to see what happens’ and ‘reducing risk’, the smart people are starting to think about where we need to be in two years time and are getting ahead of the game. To do that we need to bring out that entrepreneurial flair, and without curiosity in the first place, we won’t get very far.

“Curiosity killed the cat” ? Pah

 Savvy cats don’t get killed, they have fun on the tiles and get home safe!

To all those boomers who remember the 1960′s ‘vanguard years’, think about it – originality, possiblity, idealism, thirst for change, willingness to challenge the status quo, positive participation, communal spirit, questionning our existence – sound familiar?

 “To boldly go where no man has gone before”, Gene Roddenberry

Remember these – ‘if you don’t ask you will never know’, ‘try something new today’, ‘you don’t know unless you try’, ‘banish the fear and conquer anyway’. It’s time to shake things up again, throw away the rule book, explore those avenues, test out your theories and to experiment. Go and try out that new idea or concept, take a closer look at what you’re seeing or hearing, find the tiny chink in the doorway and see where it takes you. Don’t over analyse to start with, but peel back a few layers.  Discover hidden depths of your colleagues, friends and partners; they might know things or someone that matches with your thinking or fits the missing piece of the puzzle. A whole new set of connections you never knew were possible may be there waiting. OK so ‘make love not war’ might be a little cliché but hey it’s the holiday season!

Seriously, it’s time to pull out the resources and to create new ways of doing things, new avenues to pursue into the future. Curiosity doesn’t have to cost a thing other than your willingness to push the boundaries. Be resourceful. Time to let those GenY creatives out of their boxes (offices cubicles or whatever) and see what you can do together.

Some final words of wisdom:

“Life was meant to be lived and curiosity must be kept alive”, Hyman Rickmer

“The cure for boredom is curiosity, there is no cure for curiosity”, Ellen Parr

“Only the curious have, if they live, a tale worth telling at all”, Alastair Reid

…and we say…

Let’s go for the adventure! Together

The UK’s CIPD, in association with Penna, recently produced a comprehensive report based on a survey of over 5,500 individuals across 6 European countries and focus groups within more than 30 major UK employers. Their findings confirmed that there are more similarities than differences between the generations and that it is the preconceptions between generations about each other that is more the problem.

The study shows that the differentiating factors setting Gen Y apart is the influence that the reward deal has, the close connection between socialising and work, their advocacy of the employer brand (nothing new there) and perhaps suprisingly a more common interest in staying with one employer for five years than many would expect. And yet many Gen X, although perhaps seemingly more career driven, will often job-hop to make progress.

The study appears to support the messages of articles we referred to in Part One, that generationalisations of Gen X and Y are becoming blurred, we are seeing Gen Y behaviours in our Gen X’ers, etc.

The report focuses on the need to foster creativity and innovation from generational interaction and that the risk of not managing generational diversity can lead to disengagement or even conflict. One common theme to all generations was the importance of respect and dignity in the workplace.  Harnessing capabilities across generations within organisations has never been more important; use of new media, social networking, entrepreneurism, customer service ethos and strong change management skills based on experience and wisdom, are sure surivival skills in the coming year.

Age Discrimination regulations introduced into the UK in 2006 have yet to be fully embraced in the right way, with many organisations taking a safe approach of ensuring that all generations are treated in exactly the same way. However, this does not run entirely true to the aims of the regulations. Many would be concerned about having generationally specific offerings. But more often than not employers are not being flexible enough to meet the range of needs of their staff.

A key message from the CIPD’s national conference was that the war for talent will continue to be an issue despite news of redundancies and that employers will need to rethink about recruitment, engagement and retention strategies. Similarly other studies revealed that 70% of HR directors in a recent UK survey believe that strategic planning and talent management have continued to be of major interest.

One thing is for sure there are certain differences in mindsets, lifestyles, life stages and generational behaviour. And for these, employers need to get on with getting to grips with this or they will come out of the other side of the recession having lost competitive advantage.

More themes from this report and other inputs will be explored in the coming weeks.

Time and time again we see comments about age sterotypes, whether they be baby boomers (BB), Generation X, Y’ers or the teen youth of today. As we’ve said before these boundaries are becoming blurred. What we see are behaviours not age groups.

People tend to follow cycles or stages throughout their lives, some more than others; adapting, embracing and making changes as they go.

Generation classifications were discussed with author Robert K Critchley in ‘Ageless Wisdom’ (hrmonthly, Australia, June 2006, Chaminade):

“I think the terms are useful for understanding the differences between people. The most important thing is not to run your life by ‘I’m a Gen X and I must live this way’. Understand that people are thinking differently, because so often the generational myopia is such that we think everyone thinks like we do. There is value in understanding the way different generations think and act – understand but don’t try to typecast.”

Another way of looking at classifying talent was outlined in Generation Gap (hrmonthly, October 2005, Chaminade), considering four different categories for talent rather than those of age:

The Explorers – seeking new career paths (mostly GenY but also those changing career or coming onto the market later in life). To engage them, job rotation, interest indicators and talent recognition to help them understand who they are, what they like and what they can do.

The Professionals – looking for a career, sometimes accepting starter roles despite being more than academically qualified. They are often highly committed and easy to retain, but without respect, reward and recognition they won’t give the best of themselves.

The Experts – have a single goal to be the best in their field, whether they are lawyers, consultants, cooks or telemarketers. They are more committed to their work than their company. To engage them, you need to provide them a challenging job and development support to become even more competent.

The Passionates – driven by something else entirely different, their life outside their main work; whether that be a hobby, community or not-for-profit project, publishing a book, starting up another business, taking courses/qualifications, planning to sail around the world, etc. To engage them, they need true work-life balance. Some weeks they may be prepared to work extended hours in order to have more time off and so on.

Individuals may switch or evolve between these states regardless of age, even though there may be some indicators that members of one generation or another may be more closely aligned to a particular state.

One example cited by Critchley was that of the population in Peru, where only 20% of the population had entered a formal workforce (as of 2006), so 80% have no idea what a career is and they have no concept of Gen X or Y.  All they know about is survival which gives them great instincts.

Another observation was that some of the most powerful people in the world are over 80 years old! Some of the richest, such as the YouTube guys are amongst the youngest too.

A recent European study confirmed that there are more similarities than differences between the generations and that there are specific things we should be focussing on.  More to follow.

For a full copy of these articles please feel free to contact us and we’ll gladly send you a copy. (info@generationy20.com)