A New Kind of Diversity

By Dr. Tim Elmore

During the COVID-19 quarantine, most employees hunkered down in their homes. For many organizations, it was a time to learn how to leverage technology better. For others, it was a time for team members from various age groups to discover how different they were.

I consulted with one company and heard a Baby Boomer supervisor say, “I don’t think that young man understands me or our core values.” Later that day, I met with that young man (a Gen Zer) and heard him say, “I don’t think my supervisor gets me or my values.”

Herein lies the problem.

For many of us, we work in an organization that employs three, maybe four, generations. Each generation represents a different paradigm as a colleague, supervisor, vendor, intern or client. These paradigms don’t all stem from the time period in which we grew up, but many of them do. During the first two decades of our lives, we are shaped not only by family, but by shared music, tragedies, technology, heroes, economies and social issues.

Baby Boomers, for instance, are very aware of the different paradigm Millennials brought with them into the workplace, right? These shared experiences form a narrative we possess as we enter adulthood—and they are the source of either a unique contribution to the others on our team—or a unique conflict. We get to choose.

UNDERSTANDING THE GENERATIONS

In my upcoming book, A New Kind of Diversity: Making the Different Generations on Your Team a Competitive Advantage, I attempt to illustrate the paradigms of each generation as they entered their careers and why they see things uniquely. Reflect for a moment about what shaped each generation:

• Builders: They grew up during the Great Depression and World War II. They’re frugal, resourceful, grateful, conservative—and they save the wrapping paper at Christmas.
• Baby Boomers: There was a “boom” of babies after World War II. These kids grew in a time of expansion not depression; the economy grew and they questioned everything.
• Baby Busters: This generation began with the birth control pill. It was a bust not a boom. Generation X grew up jaded raised by parents during the Vietnam War and Watergate.
• Millennials: They were raised by parents preoccupied with their safety, self-esteem and status. Life was customized. Entitlement naturally grows with participation trophies.
• Generation Z: Today’s kids grow up in the wake of three recessions, terrorism, mass shootings, political polarization and lots of anxiety. Mental health is their top problem.

This summary explains each generation’s “life paradigm” as they joined the workforce. The good news is, you can make generational diversity your competitive advantage.

SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE

Lt. Colonel Christopher Hughes led a troop of soldiers in Iraq during America’s second invasion. When a shipment of food, clothes and blankets arrived for refugees, Hughes felt the best place to distribute them was the local mosque. When he led his troop through the streets to meet with the cleric, people saw them and assumed the worst. They believed the soldiers were heading to their mosque to bomb it.

When the soldiers arrived, the mosque was surrounded by locals with stones and sticks ready for a street fight. It was a huge misunderstanding. Fortunately, Hughes was a master leader. He first ordered his soldiers to halt. Then he asked them to point their weapons toward the ground. Next, he told them to take a knee, a most vulnerable position for anyone in public. Finally, he had his soldiers look up into the faces of the Iraqis and smile.

One by one, the locals dropped their rocks. Slowly they became calm and smiled back, long enough for Hughes to locate a soldier who spoke their language and could explain their intent.

Disaster averted.

Lt. Colonel Hughes displayed what psychologists call social intelligence. It’s a subset of emotional intelligence. It’s the capacity to navigate complex social relationships or environments, the very ingredient leaders desperately need today. The kind of effort that’s needed to collaborate is the same effort we must put into a relationship with someone from another country. And far too often, we’re not ready to put in that effort.

But if we did—what kind of advantages could we enjoy?

UNIQUE VALUE

Each of the four generations still at work offer a variety of gifts to the others. For instance:

1. Baby Boomers: Life experiences; awareness of pitfalls; life coaching for younger generations.
2. Baby Buster (Gen X): Realistic perspective and pragmatic wisdom; resourcefulness; balance.
3. Millennials: Energy and confidence; tech savviness; optimism and socially connected.
4. Generation Z: Hacker mindset; entrepreneurial; cause oriented; social media savvy, fresh view.

What if your organization had all four contributing from their strength? What if each generation actually listened to the others? It might just be amazing. 

I have an assignment for you. This week, practice “reverse mentoring.” It’s a term CEO Jack Welch created some 30 years ago, when computers were first used at General Electric. His older executives were hesitant to use this new technology. His new hires fresh out of college, were embracing it all. Sound familiar?

Jack matched up his seasoned veterans with his new professionals and gave this assignment: both need to mentor and be mentored by the other. The veterans could share much from their experience and wisdom. The rookies could share much about how technology could be leveraged better for their mission. Relationships were deepened. Trust was built. Value was added. And both received dignity. Everyone benefited.