Discovering Your Organization’s Rosetta Stone

By Craig Price

With the massive influx of the Generation Y workers (about 60 million projected in the workplace by 2011) and even more Baby Boomers currently working (about 78 million), it can sometimes be a bit of a strain to get everybody on the same page. The old school Boomers embodied “work is my life” while the new school Gen Ys look at work as a way to support their lifestyle. These divergent ways of thinking can cause tension in any organization. Thankfully, many organizations have a generational translator working just down the hall or across the cubicle from both of these workers. Enter, Generation X! While Generation X workers (roughly 17 million) dwarf both the younger Gen Ys and the more experienced (code word for “old”) Baby Boomers, they can help bridge the gap between the differences. They are the Rosetta Stone for your company. For those not familiar with the Rosetta Stone, the stone is a tablet that allowed researchers to translate the Egyptian hieroglyphics into classic Greek. It’s be an invaluable piece to researchers and now you can have one in your office as well. Call today, supplies are limited Why is Generation X so valuable?

1. They possess the drive, initiative and independence managers appreciate. Generation X grew up in the age of latchkey kids, an oil crisis and a still relevant cold war. They watched their parents get laid off after years of loyal service and the economy go in the tank just as they were entering the workforce. These hard lessons taught them that they were on their own, their jobs wouldn’t always be there and they needed to look out for themselves, since no one else was going to. Falsely labeled “Slackers”, Xers worked hard, changed jobs and amassed as many skills as they could since they didn’t really know what completely different career path they may need to switch to in the future if things didn’t work out. They became self-starters, could work great in groups or by themselves and committed themselves to a project.

2. They are technologically savvy. Having grown up in a world where computers grew up with them, they are aware of what the world was like BC (Before Computers). They grew up with Pong, then Atari, followed by Commodore 64s, the brick cell phone of the 80′s, the introduction of Windows and the familiar noise of a modem logging onto the internet. They have grown up as the world has grown smaller; access became quicker and readily available. It wasn’t thrust into their laps as adults like Boomers. It was a natural evolution. They were an integral part of the technological surge of the 90′s and many of the cool gizmos Gen Y love today are simply the next level of technology Gen Xers helped create. They relate to the younger generations short attention spans, ability to find information quickly and desire to spend time with their families.

As you can see, Gen Xers can relate to both Boomers and Gen Ys. They understand the old ways, life before computers took over, yet embrace newer, faster processes. They have enough experience in the workplace that their older counterparts recognize that they have “paid their dues” (whatever that means) while understand the desire to get paid for their knowledge not necessarily because they’ve been there longer. They have proven time and time again to the establishment they have the drive and the leadership to succeed in today’s corporate structure, yet have the desire to constantly learn new things.

If your organization is experiencing issues between the two largest factions, Boomers and Gen Yers, find your Rosetta Stone. Find a go-between that understand both points of view and can work with everyone. You need to find some Generation Xers.

©Craig Price 2008

For more information on professional speaker Craig Price’s generations based keynotes and training call 877-572-7890 today or email craig@speakercraigprice.com

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