By Lisa Hochgraf
My Baby Boomer-generation boss (she's very young for a Boomer!) manages this Gen Xer very, very well. And, to my knowledge, she hasn't yet read the book Generations Inc. by Meagan Johnson and her father, Larry Johnson.
According to Johnson and Johnson (Meagan will speak at CUES' Directors Conference next month in Hawaii), Gen Xers' common experiences lead them to--in general--value such things as schedule flexibility to support the high priority they place on family time, getting rid of "stupid" rules and keeping things moving.
CUES and my boss together have made possible my telecommuting, driven out the kind of "just because" work that would drive me batty, and supported my need to regularly have new editorial topics to chew on. (Apparently Gen Xers developed their shortish attention spans by watching one-minute skit after one-minute skit on "Sesame Street," something I really did as a child.)
In all, this employee-employer relationship is working, as I'm approaching my 15th anniversary with the company.
At Directors Conference, Meagan Johnson will take the idea of managing a generation a step further, as she describes how managers can "zap the gap"--and help people from up to five different generations (with five distinct outlooks on life) work together well.
She might discuss in more detail something described in Generations Inc.: how to choose the best "mode" for managing a particlar person, team or situation. Should you direct, teach, persuade, collaborate or coordinate?
Based on your experience at your credit union, which of these modes works best for which people on your team? What are your best tips for managing people of different ages in your workplace?
Lisa Hochgraf is a CUES editor.
Also read "Meet the Linksters" by Meagan Johnson.
Learn how to maximize employee and customer relationships across multiple generations from Johnson at Directors Conference, Dec. 8-11, in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii.
