If you hadn’t heard by now, 88 and a half year old Betty White rocked Saturday Night Live last, well, last Saturday. Her appearance was a perfect example of how different generations can work together.
Watch entire show below
Her appearance stemmed from a viral online campaign on Facebook to get her on the show. Generation Y folks on a whim, campaigned for a pre-boomer, who many only know from an 80’s sitcom “Golden Girls”. It was a true flexing of their generation’s muscle when it comes to bringing a community together for a common cause. Younger workers thrive in an environment that is team oriented, cause based and online. They love being part of a community. The love knowing what they’re doing is going to affect a greater outcome. And they love being able to do that from their cell phones, laptops or other piece of technology.
While Betty White showed all the traits of older workers. Her overwhelming years of experience (70 in showbiz!) allowed her to execute her lines (all memorized because her sight wasn’t good enough to read the prompters!) with unparallel accuracy and timing. When the red light came on, she did her job and did damn fine work, far surpassing many hosts who read stiffly from cue cards. Older workers are often like Betty White: professional, dependable and results oriented.
We can all learn from both generations. They both bring huge amount of assets to the table. Getting them all to work together is just a matter of find the proper assignments for them. As the ratings showed, together all generations can pace a pretty good punch!
