Understanding the 4 Generations

(1) Think continuum not 4 boxes
Think of the 4 generations on a continuum rather than as 4 distinctive boxes. I find this healthier and more effective. For example if a person is 64 years old they are technically a Boomer but because of their age they will have many attributes of the Traditionalist.

(2) Parenting makes a difference
While I will be describing many common attributes of the different generations below, don’t underestimate the power of parenting. For example, I know many Gen Y’s who don’t have any of the most common attributes because their parents intentionally raised them counter-culturally. So while generalizations can be helpful, they can also be misleading when they are applied inappropriately.

(3) No generation is perfect
Remember that no generation is perfect – no one has ‘got it’. We all have our strengths and areas we need to work on. So instead of a ‘me vs. them’ attitude let’s change our attitude to ‘What can we learn from each generation’? This attitude is one of equality rather than superiority, which is a key component in Emotional Intelligence.

Traditionalist (Ages 65-88 years old)

Cultural Shapers
When I study generations there are 2 main areas I look at. First - what were the cultural shapers? What happened in that person’s lifetime that impacted their development? Second – how did those shapers impact their development? What is their generational DNA? For Traditionalists – their generation grew up in incredibly scary and turbulent times. They were raised during the aftermath of the Depression & World War II. The key cultural shaper is that they produced 4.1 children. To replace the population – you need only 2.1. This drastic population increase would strongly impact the generations that followed. Also, traditionalists lived in an employee’s market, as there were many jobs after the war since it was a time of rebuilding.

Generational DNA
As a result this generation is extremely hard working, loyal & conservative.

What Can We Learn From Them
To strive for balance - work hard but play hard too! .

Boomers (Ages 46-64 years old)

Cultural Shapers
This generation grew in a very vibrant time. This was the time of drugs, sex, rock & roll! However, there were 2 times more people than in previous generations, and in addition the economy shifted to an employer’s market – there were fewer jobs. So think logically about what would result from this. When I do training sessions for especially Gen X’s & Y’s they find this part very interesting. It’s easy to point fingers and criticize other generations. However when we see life through the lens of another (this is called empathy and it’s a key component of Emotional Intelligence) we begin to truly understand people and are less judgmental. For many Boomers they learned that the only way to get and keep a job was to work extremely hard. Yes, they invented the 60 hour work week but to them it was a means of survival.

Generational DNA
Boomers are extremely hardworking, goal oriented & extremely skilful at navigating work politics!

What Can We Learn From Them
To strive for an outstanding work ethic and focus.

Generation X (30-45 years old)

Cultural Shapers
Gen X experienced 2 recessions growing up. Many saw their parents devote their lives to an organization and then lose their jobs. Also in the 80's, 75% of Canadian families had both parents working outside the home. Many women were entering the workforce during this period and so the term 'latchkey kids' started. The market also stayed relatively the same - it was an employers market.

Generational DNA
Gen X’s tend to be highly independent like their Boomer parents but are different in a few key respects. They decided that there was more to life than work and started the entire ‘Work Play Balance” movement. So while some may see them as disloyal to organizations – Gen X wants to ‘Work to live’ not ‘Live to work’. They will still work hard but they will likely want to leave by 5pm

What Can We Learn From Them
To strive for balance - work hard but play hard too! .

Generation Y (10-29 years old)

Cultural Shapers
I've worked closely with this generation for 14 years so I could easily write a 100 page document but I'll give you a short overview. If you take a step back and look at all the systems that have been at work during the lifetime of Gen Y's you start seeing a very powerful pattern of instant gratification. We see this clearly in the educational system - educators were discouraged to use red markers for fear of how it would impact a child's self esteem. Sport coaches were encouraged not to disqualify anyone off the soccer team, but to instead make 'everyone a winner'. When I train educators across the country one of their greatest frustrations is not being able to penalize or fail students for late assignments. I think the fact that the educational system wants to help students build self-esteem is exciting and important (my first book was on how to build self esteem). The key though is to use the right strategy. If we make things too easy and rescue students from experiencing failure, they learn to fear failure and this reduces their 'resilience muscle' as I call it. A key component of successful leaders is not to fear failure but to learn from it and realize it is part of the process. Within families, I hear many parents of Gen Y's admit that they overindulged their kids (buying them too much stuff or rescuing them from failure) because of either their own guilt or fear. From a financial perspective, marketers quickly noticed that this generation had an enormous amount of money (not just their own but also the ability to influence family spending). Banks started focusing more on this younger generation, giving credit and encouraging a 'Buy now pay later culture'. If that wasn't enough, the technology booms of the last few decades means that everything is happening faster and faster! Meantime, the job market has been slowly shifting back towards an employee's market, just as many Gen Y's are looking for work. Although we're still in an economy hiccup (as I call it) - it's only a matter of time before there will be a surplus of jobs and too few people to fill them. So if you take a step back you start noticing a powerful pattern of instant gratification, however this is not their fault. Children cannot control what generation they are raised in. So as the adults we need to take a serious look at our responsibility in this.

Generational DNA
Overall, Gen Y’s are extremely media savvy, passionate, and relational (they love collaborating). Although this generation has many names (Millennial, Nexters, Echo Boomer), I call them the ‘Heart Generation’ because they tend to feel things so deeply. They are the creators of Free the Children and have the best developed social conscience compared to other generations. On the flip side, many Gen Y’s struggle with anxiety and failure (which is often what happens when people are rescued and micromanaged). They may appear to get bored easily but the key is to learn how to engage them!

What Can We Learn From Them
Like all generations we can learn a lot from Gen Y. One area in particular that we can learn from is to look at how we can be more socially aware and environmentally friendly.