St. Cloud, MN - This week I facilitated a conversation with a statewide public organization concerned about their future. They are ‘boomer heavy’ and ‘millennial light.’ This means that many employees were born from 1946-1964. Few employees were born since 1980. They have made a commitment to involving the younger generation in shaping the future of their organization. Some of the questions that they will explore include:

What will the workforce look like in 2015-2025?

How can the younger generation be engaged now to help plan the future that they will live then?

This is the age of four generations in the workforce. One way generations have been categorized is:

• Builders – born prior to 1946
• Boomers – 1947 - 1964
• Busters – 1965 – 1980
• Millennials – 1981 – 2000

Each generation brings a particular set of values and characteristics to an organization. Here are some of the key features of each generation (Iowa State University):

Boomer Employee Group

Builders (born prior to 1946)

• Duty, honor, country
• Dedication, sacrifice
• Conformity, blending, unity
• Patience
• Hard, hard times then prosperity
• National pride
• Doing a good job is most important
• Age = Seniority

Boomers (1947-1964)

• Work ethic = Worth ethic
• “Workaholic”; competitive
• Success is largely visible – trophies and plaques
• Optimistic
• Consumers – Buy now, pay later
• Defined by their job

 Busters (1965-1980)

• No heroes – they are their own heroes
• Think globally
• Technologically savvy
• Want balance
• Very self-reliant
• Cynical and pessimistic

 Millennial (1981-2000)

• Optimistic
• Individualistic but group oriented
• Short (very short!) attention span
• Busy
• Entrepreneurial
• Ambitious but lack experience

 Is your organization building your bench for the future?

• How many Builders/Boomers will retire in the next 5 years?
• Who’s sitting on your bench ready to step up into leadership?
• What are you doing now to help younger employees build the skills they will need to fill the jobs?
• Are you receptive to the new ideas they bring to the team?
• Are you open to the approaches to work of the younger generation?

 Resources

• •Generations At Work by Ron Zemke, Claire Raines, Bob Filipczak
• •Connecting Generations: The Sourcebook for a New Workplace: by Claire Raines
• •When Generations Collide by Lynne C. Lancaster
• •Millennials Rising by Neil Howe and William Strauss

 Source: Iowa State University Extension: Managing & Motivating Tomorrow’s Workforce Beverly Berna & Ellen Spurlock, Family Field Specialists for ISU Extension

 Leadership development expert & consultant, Donna Rae Scheffert helps propel people toward their goals easier, faster, and with more fun. Sign up for a RSS feed and read more from Donna Rae at Online-Leadership-Tools.  Follow Donna Rae on Twitter or LinkedIn.

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