Presented by Laura Hamilton, CSP

Presented by
Laura Hamilton, CSP
1. Technology
2. Parenting
3. Life span
Cultural changes
Immigration
Outsourcing
Retirement
Employees will stay longer (65 + years old)
2000 – 11%
2015 – 20%
2030 – 33%
Value Shifts
40’s-50’s
60’s-70’s
80’s-00’s
1. Respect Authority
1. Anti-authority
1. Self Reliant
2. Loyal to Institutions
2. Idealist
2. Anti-institutional
3. Motivated by $$
3. Motivated by Change
3. Tribal
4. Hierarchy
4. Competitive
4. Info. Rich
5. Hands On
5. Technology becomes a
“Tool”
5. Technology Extension
of Self
Matures
Boomers
Generation X
Millennials
Net Gen
Born 1905-1945
Came of age during the Depression
Experienced younger years during WWII
Heroes – Army and Navy
Entered workplace following the war
Companies took care of employees
Company and employees were loyal
Stayed with company until retirement
Superb interpersonal skills
Team, collective whole
Work ethic measured by timeliness, productivity
Value quality over speed
Currently 30 million in US
5% of workforce
Born 1946-1964
Came of age during Civil Rights Movement, Vietnam War,
Women’s Movement
Experienced younger years during protests, unrest, relentless
change
Heroes were John Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Nelson
Mandela
Entered workplace in chaotic times
Always in crowded situations
Chose jobs either altruistic (Peace Corp) or competitive
careers (corporate)
Relationship skills critical for success
55 hours per week
Focus prosperity, status, individuality
Harder you worked, more you got
Expected loyalty from co-workers
View technology – as many problems as solutions
Currently 80 million in US
45% of work force
Born 1965-1978
Came of age during Nixon impeachment,
Challenger disaster
Experienced youth with divorced, dual career
parents
Heroes – parents and grandparents
Entered workplace during prosperous times
Taught to question authority – do not necessarily
honor authority
Skeptical, reluctant to conform
Self-reliant = prove it to me
Carpe Diem approach – seize the day because
things change quickly
Open communication no matter rank, position,
tenure
Productivity = success not number of hours on job
Companies should invest and buy loyalty of
employees
Want to control decisions based on personal point
of view
Short term plans
Change careers 3-5 times in a lifetime
Embrace technology as a tool for success
Currently 45 million in US
40% of workforce
Born between 1979-1992
Came of age with terrorist attacks
Experienced youth always with cell phones, laptops
and remotes
Coddled since birth, instant gratification
Overscheduled lives as children
Can’t focus on non-stimulating things
Never known slow economic times
Travel in packs, herds
Entered workforce when they wanted to
Seek open, constant communication with superiors
Chose jobs for personal fulfillment not financial
Work for altruistic company with security guarantees
Torn between being individual and fit in the group
Adult-o-lescent = no rush to grow up or be
responsible
Currently 75 million in the US
10% of workforce
Born 1992 to Present
Came of age when almost everything was “teched up”
Will enter school/college computer ready = digital natives
Surrounded by video games, digital music players, video
cams and texting
Can rapidly multi-task with ease
Want possessions instantly
Face to face conversation not essential
to communicate
Physical activity not a must
Life is sweet
61 million in the US
Some people estimate that there were nearly 500,000
of us at Woodstock. But if you were to survey the
country today, you’d have to think it was more like
several million.
a. Matures
b. Boomer
c. X’er
d. Millennials
My sister’s son contracted polio. Fortunately, when my
daughter was born a few years later, the vaccine had just
come out.
a. Matures
b. Boomer
c. X’er
d. Millennials
John F. Kennedy was assassinated when I was in junior
high. By the time I graduated, Martin Luther King and
Robert Kennedy had also been killed.
a. Matures
b. Boomer
c. X’er
d. Millennials
Crowded? I can tell you about crowded. The Catholic
schools in my neighborhood sometimes had 60 in a class!
It made everything very competitive. The good thing is
you had to learn how to get along, how to team up with
other people.
a. Matures
b. Boomer
c. X’er
d. Millennials
You might not believe this, but sometimes I borrow my
mother’s CD’s. I mean, we don’t exactly have the same
taste in music – but we like some of the same stuff.
a. Matures
b. Boomer
c. X’er
d. Millennials
The year I turned 15, the unemployment rate was nearly 25%.
a. Matures
b. Boomer
c. X’er
d. Millennials
You might hear Ludacris and think: ridiculous. I hear it and
want to turn up the radio.
a. Matures
b. Boomer
c. X’er
d. Millennials
I was just old enough to drive when I heard about the
Chernobyl accident in the Soviet Union. Comforting… I
don’t think I quite understood the magnitude of that at
the time, but I do now.
a. Matures
b. Boomer
c. X’er
d. Millennials
Sometimes I get tired of hearing the word loyalty. I think
people who have a lot of power like to throw that word
down on the people who don’t. Look at the record. Look
at all the people who were supposed to have long careers
and big pensions and got unemployment and social
security instead.
a. Matures
b. Boomer
c. X’er
d. Millennials
You pay your dues. You make the sacrifice necessary to
make things work. People today ask too many questions.
They expect too much too soon. Just do what you’re told.
Get the job done. You’ll get what you deserve in time.
Your company puts a roof over your head and food on
your table. You have an obligation.
a. Matures
b. Boomer
c. X’er
d. Millennials
It was Bicentennial year. Everyone was in love with
Colorado and looking for a Rocky Mountain high. So we
packed up the dog in the van took off cross-country with
no particular route, and hardly a dollar to our name.
a. Matures
b. Boomer
c. X’er
d. Millennials
I was in high school when Dallas was huge on TV. The
“Who shot JR?” thing was everywhere. Pretty crazy.
a. Matures
b. Boomer
c. X’er
d. Millennials
Geraldine Ferraro becomes Walter Mondale’s running
mate in a presidential election. I was only 17 at the time. I
told my mother I was going to either own my own
business or hold public office. She just grinned at me.
a. Matures
b. Boomer
c. X’er
d. Millennials
When I was a kid The Battle of the Bulge was not a book
about getting rid of the “spare tire” around the middle.
a. Matures
b. Boomer
c. X’er
d. Millennials
I’ll never forget it. I sat with my mom and dad and
watched as tears came to Walter Cronkite’s eyes as he
reported Neil Armstrong walking on the moon.
a. Matures
b. Boomer
c. X’er
d. Millennials
Matures
Boomers
Generation X
Millennials
How do you prefer to communicate – email,
phone, face to face?
What computer skills do you currently have?
Who are your role models?
Other suggested questions?
Matures
Boomers
Generation X
Millennials
Allow employee to
set “rules of
engagement”
Show them how you Put all the options
can help them use
on the table
time wisely
Offer customization
– a plan specific to
them
Ask what has
worked for them in
the past
Assess their comfort Be prepared to
level with
answer “why”
technology in
advance
Offer peer-level
examples
Let them define
quality and fit your
approach to that
definition
Demonstrate how
important a strong
team is
Spend time
providing
information and
guidance
Value their
experience
Customize your style Use their peers as
to their unique
testimonials when
needs
possible
Present yourself as
an information
provider
Be impressed with
their decisions
Matures
Boomers
Generation X
Tried and tested
Customized for
individual needs
Buy things they
need
Think Internet first
Warranty and
guarantee
Look to save time
Prefer to shop
online
Search Internet for
best deal
No fancy options
required
Eternal youth
Deliver to me
Never carry cash
Loyal to current
product, company,
sales force
Best they can afford Buy quality, not
cheap
In debt from college
loans
Most affluent
Buy more than any
generation
Most savvy
consumer
Skeptical of
guarantees
Millennials
Generational context is not about age but common
experiences.
Acknowledge the team’s expectations not just
yours.
Age-ism is the death of any coaching strategy.
Generational understanding does not take the place
of concern for the individual.
Assess each member’s technology level of
understanding before making communication
assumptions.