leading the generations - apwa · leading the generations george haines apwa leadership &...

Leading the Generations

George HainesAPWA Leadership & Management

Committee

September 14, 2009

Monday, September 14, 2009, 10:30 a.m. - 12 p.m

Sponsored by:

APWA’s Leadership & Management Committee

For the first time in history, four generations are working side-by-side in the workplace. Each generation has values, behaviors, and work ethics that were shaped by the economic, social, and political climates of the times in which they came of age. Enjoy this review of what motivates each generation toward job satisfaction, good communication, and productivity.

Learning Objectives:By attending this session, participants will be better able to:

1. Examine the four generations in today’s workplace, their characteristics, values, and expectations.

2. Identify the generational differences that lead to misunderstanding and conflict.

3. Identify what motivates and inspires each generation, and how to work more effectively as a team to create a more productive work environment.


George Haines, APWA Leadership & Management Committee

George Haines has over 30 years of public sector leadership and management experience. He recently joined the staff of the Northern Wyoming Community College District.

George served over 20 years as an officer in the Navy Civil Engineer Corps. He then worked for 11 years in local government starting in San Mateo County, CA and then serving as Public Works Director for the City of Gillette, WY.

Prior to joining the college he served as Director of Operations with Peregrine Leadership Institute in Gillette, WY. George has a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering and a Master’s degree in Public Administration. He is also a graduate of the Armed Forces Staff College in Norfolk, VA.

George is a member of the American Public Works Association (APWA) Leadership and Management Committee and serves on the Education Committee of the Rocky Mountain Chapter.

What’s the Issue?

Reflectionsfrom a Boomer

Cell Phone

Blackberry

My First Video Game

My First Calculator

And the point is….

In just a few words, give me your perceptions of the generations relative to their performance in the workplace:

1. Traditionalists (born between 1925 and 1945)

2. Baby Boomer Generation (born between 1946 and 1964)

3. Generation X (born between 1965 and 1984)

4. Millennials (born between 1985 and 2005)

Leading the Generations……It’s about learning to Avoid Fitting the Square Peg (a person not of your generation) into the Round Hole (your generation).

What is a Generation?

A “generation”is defined as a group of people born and living about the same time.

Generations, Let’s Review….Most of us grew

up sometime between 1949 and 1989.

We were shaped by the events, people, and situations of the times.

Let’s review just what was going on…

Generational Characteristics

Within each generation, its members have values, behaviors, and work ethics that have been shaped by the economic, social, and political climates in which they came of age.

Different World Views

Thus, from one generation to another, there are significant differences in “world view”and work styles.

Generational “Gaps”

These generational “gaps” sometimes lead to misunderstanding, miscommunication, conflict, and the corresponding loss of productivity.

Where The Generations Clash

o Different priorities

o Conflicting values

o Negative stereotypes

o Guessing replaces information

As a result, morale goes down, and the general atmosphere in the workplace suffers.

in the workplace…

The Generational Divide(U.S. Population)

Traditionalists(WWII/Matures)

Born 1925-1945

75 Million

Baby Boomers

Born 1946-1964

80 Million

Generation X

(X’ers)

Born 1965-1984

46 Million

Millennials

(Gen Y)

Born 1985-2005

76 Million

Note the jump in population of the Millennials

Workforce Percentage

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Matures Boomers Xers Millenials

Workforce Percentage

But…. The percentage of the Millenials in the workplace is increasing as the economy grows.

• We have a very competitive workplace.

• Turnover rates are increasing.

• Good leadership is the priority!

Business success depends on

your ability to recruit, retain,

lead, andmotivate quality

people.

So, What’s the Point?

What Others Said….

I see no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on the frivolous youth of today, for certainly all youth are reckless beyond words. When I was a boy, we were taught to be discrete and respectful of elders, but the present youth are exceedingly wise and impatient of restraint.

Hesiod, 700 B.C. father of Greek didactic poetry


Every generation needs a new revolution.

Thomas Jefferson, 1803


Each generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it.

George Orwell, 1940 author of Animal Farm & 1984


The older generation thought nothing of getting up at five every morning - and the younger generation doesn't think much of it either.

John J. Walsh, 1980 author, teacher, missionary

Who said it?…..

The children now love luxury. They have bad manners and contempt for authority.

They show disrespect for adults, and love to talk rather than work or exercise.

They no longer rise when adults enter the room.

They contradict their parents, chatter in front of company, gobble down food at the table, and intimidate their teachers.

~ Socrates (469-399 B.C.)

Generational MarkersTraditionalists

(WWII/Matures)

The Great Depression

Dec 7, 1941 / World War II

Korean War

Baby Boomers Assassination of President Kennedy, Vietnam War

Moon landing, Jul 20, 1969

Generation X

(X’ers)

Watergate

Space Shuttle Challenger disaster

Fall of Berlin Wall

Millennials

(Gen Y)

Oklahoma City bombing

September 11, 2001 / Cell Phones

School shootings, Columbine, etc

Gen X – recent developments

Millennials

The Age Of The MillennialsThey are young adults and have been coddled by their parents to the point of being ill prepared for a demanding workplace. Morley Safer reports on the generation called "Millennials."

Millennials

Millennials

• It has been estimated that one in three Millennials is a member of what the U.S. government considers a minority group.

• Managers supervising the leading edge of this youngest generation need to be mindful of their attitudes about cultural acceptance.

GenerationalJEOPARDY

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TraditionalistsGeneration

XMillennials

Gen FactsBoomers

Go to Double Jeopardy

WAC, which stood for this, was a women’s organization during WWII.

next

What is the Women’s Army Corps?

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“Good to the last drop” was the popular slogan for this coffee company.

next

What is Maxwell House?

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He was the TV and Radio host of “You Bet Your Life”

next

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Who is GrouchoMarx?

This special activity was done by school children across America to help the “war effort” in World War II.

next

What is Collecting Waste Paper?

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This new kind of recipe was found in US cookbooks published during World War II because of rationing efforts.

next

What is Meatless Dishes?

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It was the name of the Cartwright Ranch in the hit TV show Bonanza.

next

What is the Ponderosa?

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It was the country where the popular TV series M*A*S*H* took place.

next

What is

Korea?

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It was the unceremonious nickname that Archie Bunker used when referring to his son-in-law.

next

What is Meathead?

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He played the Land

Shark in the TV show

“Saturday Night Live”.

next

Who is Chevy Chase?

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It was Marion Morrison’s stage name.

next

Who is John Wayne?

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This teen-drama television show ended its final episode with the marriage of Donna and David?

next

What is

Beverly

Hills

90210?

$100

Sally K. Ride is best

known for this

accomplishment.

next

What is the first US woman to travel in space?

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It was the year that

Microsoft® was

“born”.

next

What is

1975?

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She was the gymnast

who received a perfect

10 on both the floor

exercise and the vault

at the 1984 Olympics.

next

Who is Mary

Lou

Retton?

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It fell on November 9,

1989.

next

What is the

Berlin

Wall?

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It is what Starbucks

calls its smallest drink

size.

next

What is

the

Short?

$100

She played Monica in

the hit TV sit-com

“Friends”.

next

Who is Courtney Cox?

$200

This NFL player for the San Francisco Forty-niners was fined by the league after pulling a marker from his sock to sign a ball after scoring a touchdown.

next

Who is

Terrell

Owens?

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Bart Simpson’s dog.

next

Who is

Santa’s

Little

Helper?

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She was the winner of

American Idol’s

Season 1.

next

Who is

Kelly

Clarkson?

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It simply means a group

of people born and

living about the same

time.

next

What is a

Generation?

Within each generation, its members share values, behaviors, and work ethics that have been shaped by the economic, social, and political climates in which they came of age.

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From one generation to another, there are significant differences in “world view” and work styles, which results in this.

next

What is a

Gap?

Misunderstanding,

Conflict,

Miscommunication,

and Loss of Productivity

are all results of the generation gap

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For the first time in history, it is the number of different generations working side by side as adults in our modern workplace.

next

What is

Four?

Traditionalists

Boomers

X’ers

Millennials

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These are some of the

reasons why we

should be concerned

about the generations.

next

What are:–We have a very competitive

workplace

–Turnover rates are increasing

–Good leadership is the priority.

Business success depends on your ability to recruit, retain, lead, and motivate people”

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In today’s workplace,

this generation has

the largest percentage

of workers.

next

What is

Boomers?

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0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Matures Boomers Xers Millenials

But…. The percentage of the Millenials in the workplace is increasing as the economy grows.

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Key Words Characteristics

People SlogansDefining Events

Go to Final Jeopardy

Loyal is the key word for this generation, which makes sense considering what was going on in the world for this generation.

next

Who are the Traditionalists?(also known as Matures / Silent / WWII Generation)

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A key word for this generation is “skeptical”, meaning that you have to prove it to them first.

next

What is Generation X?

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Perhaps contrary to the opinion of others, the key word for this generation is Realistic.

next

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What are the Millennials/ Nexters/ Gen. Y?

This generation tends to be very “optimistic”, driven mainly by the economic prosperity of the 1950s and 1960s and the “change the world” view.

next

What are the Baby Boomers?

$800

These are values shared by all generations.

next

What are:–Trust–Respect–Appreciation for their Contributions.

–Etc.

$1000

Suburbia, TV, Vietnam, Watergate, Civil Rights Movement, Drugs, and Rock ‘n Roll

next

What are the defining events of the Baby Boomer Generation?

$200

School Violence, the Internet, Oklahoma City Bombing, Reality TV Shows, 9/11

next

What are the

defining

events for

Millennials?

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PC’s, MTV, Watergate, the 1980s Recession, Fall of the Berlin Wall,

Single Parents, AIDS

next

What are the defining events for Generation X?

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The great depression, Hoover Dam, the Interstate Highway system, the Golden Age

of Radio, the Silver Screen.

next

What are the

defining events

for the

Traditionalists?

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The Cell phone

next

What is a

defining event /

generational

marker for the

Millennials?

$1000

Globally concerned, realistic, cyber literate, and Personal Safety is #1 Concern.

next

What are the

characteristics

of Millennials?

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Patriotic, loyal, “waste not,

want not”, faith in

institutions, and influenced

mainly by a military top-

down approach.

next

What are the characteristics of the Traditionalists?

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Eclectic, resourceful,

self-reliant, distrustful

of institutions, highly

adaptive to change

and technology.

next

What are the

characteristics

of Gen X?

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Idealistic, competitive,

and tend to question

authority.

next

What are the

characteristics

of the Baby

Boomer

Generation?

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Adaptability, think globally,

balance work and life,

pragmatism,

techno-literate.

next

What are core

values of

characteristics

of Gen X?

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People who helped shape, define, and influence this generation include:

next

Name the Generation and the People

What is the

Baby

Boomer

Generation?

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John F. Kennedy

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Beatles (John, Paul, George, & Ringo)


next


What is the

Millennial

Generation?

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Bill Clinton & George W. Bush

Ken Lay (Enron)

Britney Spears


next


Who are the

Traditionalists?

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Franklin D. Roosevelt

Douglas Macarthur

Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey


next


What is

Gen X?

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Ronald Reagan

Bill Gates

Madonna

Name the event, location, year, and generation associated with:

next

What is Woodstock (although the event

was held at Max Yasgur's 600 acre dairy

farm in the rural town of Bethel NY, not

Woodstock NY which only gave the

event its name); August 5-18, 1969; and

the Baby Boomer Generation?

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Work to Live!

next

What is Gen X?

$200

Upcoming Optimists

next

What is the Millennial

Generation?

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Keepers of the Grail

next

Who are the Traditionalists?

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Thank God it’s

Monday

next

What is the Baby Boomer

Generation?

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Build a

Legacy

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Who are the Traditionalists?

$1000

next

Today’s Category:Generations

next

It is an example of a

generational marker

for each generation

(must provide 4

questions).

next

next

Traditionalists

(WWII/Matures)

The Great Depression

Dec 7, 1941 / World War II

Korean War

Baby Boomers Assassination of President Kennedy, Vietnam War

Moon landing, Jul 20, 1969

Generation X

(X’ers)

Watergate

Space Shuttle Challenger disaster

Fall of Berlin Wall

Generation Y (Millennial)

Oklahoma City bombing

September 11, 2001 / Cell Phones

School shootings, Columbine, etc

GenerationJEOPARDY

Thanks forPLAYING!

How did you do?

• The point of the game isn’t to win. • The point of the game is to remind ourselves

of years gone by and to let you know that each generation has its “markers”, key events and other reminders of our years growing up.

• These events help shape who we are. That doesn’t mean that one generation is better than another.

• It just means we’re different. Learning to understand these differences can be thedifference in developing successful working relationships across the generations.


Coaching & Leading the Generations

Understand Their Goals

GoalTraditionalists “Build a Legacy”

Baby Boomers “Build a Stellar Career”

Generation X “Build a Portable Career”

Millennials “Build Parallel Careers”

Understand Their Different Views of Institutions

InstitutionsTraditionalists “Deserve loyalty”

Baby Boomers “Deserve to change”

Generation X “Are suspect”

Millennials “Should be judged on their own merit”

Understand Their Different Reward Needs

RewardsTraditionalists “Satisfaction of job well

done”

Baby Boomers “Money, title, recognition”

Generation X “Freedom!”

Millennials “Work that has meaning”

Understand their Different Career Paths Views

Career PathTraditionalists “Job changing has

stigma”

Baby Boomers “Job changing puts you behind”

Generation X “Job changing is necessary”

Millennials “Doesn’t need to be a straight line”

Understand their Different Requirements for Feedback

FeedbackTraditionalists “No news is good news”

Baby Boomers “Once a year whether needed or not”

Generation X “So, how am I doing?”

Millennials “From virtual coach at touch of a button”

Questions for you…

What implications do the generational differences have in terms of:– Workplace communication?

– Teamwork?

– Leadership?

What might you do differently at work?

Generational Differences in Training

• Traditionalists: expect lectures

• Boomers: respond to a variety

• Xers/Millennials: respond to the computer vs a book

Determined primarily by the way they were taught in school

How can each generational group flex its approach?

When working with X’ers and Millennials, Boomers Should …

Get to the point. Be straight-forward.

Avoid clichés.

Use technological communication

efficiently.

Try not to micromanage.

Invest in their training; they are looking

to build their skill sets

Understand they do not relate to workaholic

tendencies

When Working with Boomers, Xers and Millennials Should…

Show respect for Boomers. They don’t want to

be called “sir” or “ma’am”, but they do want

you to respect their experience.

Be friendly. Call them by their names, and

every now and then “check in” with them

Choose face-to-face conversation whenever

possible. Sometimes, e-mails are too

impersonal for Boomers.

Case Study…The Road Superintendent (Boomer) drives up to a

worksite where the laborers (Millennials) are sitting in

and around the crew truck. They are supposed to be

doing some ditch maintenance where areas have

silted in. The Superintendent asks them why they

aren’t working. They reply that they are waiting for a

backhoe. The Road Superintendent points to the

shovels in the crew truck and tells them a shovel was

good enough for me when I was a

laborer. Get to work!

How else could this situation have

been handled?

Tips for motivating them…

For Motivating Traditionalists

• Take time for the personal touch. Handwrite a note rather than email.

• Let them chat and socialize between assigned tasks.

• Honor their hard work with plaques and other symbolic records of achievement.

For Motivating Boomers

• Give them lots of public recognition.

• Reward their work ethic and long hours.

• Ask for their input. Get their consensus.

• Assist them in gaining name recognition throughout the company.

For Motivating Xers

• Give them lots of projects and control of prioritizing and juggling

• Constant constructive feedback

• Time to pursue other interests - even have fun at work

• Invest in the latest computer technology.

For Motivating Millennials

• Learn about their personal goals.

• Make all opportunities truly equal. Forget traditional gender roles.

• Open avenues for education and skill building.

• Establish mentor programs.

Tips for Coaching & Leading them…

Coaching & Leading Traditionalists

• Allow the employee to set the “rules of engagement”.

• Ask what has worked for them in the past and fit your approach to that experience.

• Let them define quality and fit your approach to that definition.

Coaching & Leading Traditionalists

• Use testimonials from the nation’s institutions (government, business, or people).

• Emphasize that you’ve seen a particular approach work in the past, don’t highlight uniqueness.

Coaching & Leading Boomers• Show them how you

can help them use time wisely.

• Assess their comfort level with technology in advance.

• Demonstrate how important a strong team is.

• Customize your style to their unique needs.

Coaching & Leading Boomers• Emphasize that working with you will be a

good experience for them.• Emphasize that their decision is a good one

and a “victory” for them—they’re competitive and want to win.

• Follow up, check in, and ask how the individual is doing on a regular basis.

Coaching & Leading Xers

• Put all the options on the table.

• Be prepared to answer “why”.

• Present yourself as an information provider.

• Use their peers as testimonials when possible.

Coaching & Leading Xers

• Appear to enjoy your

work

• Follow up and meet

your commitments.

They’re eager to

improve and expect

you to follow

through.

Coaching & Leading Millennials• Offer customization—

a plan specific to them• Offer peer-level

examples• Spend time providing

information and guidance

• Be impressed with their decisions

• Provide constant feedback

Generations, in Conclusion…

This film clip is a great character example exhibited by a team of Millennials.

Note the reaction by the Boomers and X’ers who were witnesses to this special moment.

“It’s a great moment when someone has character to step up and do the right thing at the right time.”

Pam Knox, Head Coach, Western Oregon

Touching All The Bases

ESPN Video, “Touching Them All”, ESPY Award Winner 2008 for “Best Moment”


George HainesAPWA Leadership & Management

Committee

Thank You!

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