By Sherri Petro, President of VPI Strategies & California Miramar University (CMU) Professor
We’ve got turbulence brewing. Please take your seat and fasten your seat belts. Make sure your seat back and folding trays are in their full upright position. Generation X (born 1965-80), the first generation of latch-key kids, is taking over the leadership reins. And it’s going to be different kind of ride. We can navigate well if we understand their expectations of communication and how it impacts teamwork and delegation.
It makes sense. Along with our families of origin, we are influenced by the culture around us as we grow up. We take those influences into the workplace. Sarcastic, freedom-loving, hybrid-creating Gen X likes to do things their own way. We see friction as Baby Boomers (born 1946-64) want Gen X to conduct business by Boomer’s prescriptions. In this case, Bart Simpson is a long way from Donna Reed! Or as a Gen X might say….hmmmm….Donna who?
The Price
This author has also seen organizations lose qualified, successful Gen X leaders when Boomers have not appreciated the differences in generational communication and work styles. Sure, they think and do things differently. Is that so bad if they are leading well and achieving organizational goals?
Yes, when their behavior is misunderstood and misinterpreted by others in charge, according to Dr. Larry Bienati, a fellow Organizational Development professional and owner of a Northern CA consulting firm. Some of his Boomer client organizations are choosing to bypass Gen X for leadership roles entirely, going straight to the next generation. Why? Gen X won’t lead and work the way Boomers want them to!
Let’s Get Educated
While the votes are not tallied yet for Gen Ys (born 1981-96) still in college, Gen X is currently the most educated generation in the workplace. They are familiar with learning. Let’s take a page from their book and get ourselves educated on the generational differences at work here and how to deal with them. To quote the old movie classic, Cool Hand Luke, “What we have here is a failure to communicate.”
Lesson #1
Rather than wailing, “Why won’t someone understand us?” Gen X is more apt to concentrate on things they can control, results. Oriented to results versus process, they have a direct, no-nonsense communication style. Impatient with flowery explanations, Monday morning weekend woes and too much backstory, this generation has better things to do than spend their life at work, a tell-tale sign of their Boomer predecessors.
Succinct, relevant bullet points work just fine for them. No need for pussy-footing around. That applies to everyday conversation -- and performance reviews. With a thick skin, they handle constructive feedback better than other generations.
Bottom Line: Save time. Get to the point -- FAST. Don’t be afraid to say what you mean.
Lesson #2
Generational research tells us Gen X is efficient, works smarter not harder and values leveraging technology in a rapidly-changing vista. What they perceive as time-wasting activities keeps them from accomplishing more important tasks.
Boomers, having little voice when they came into the work landscape 40 years ago, changed it when they earned positions of power. Boomers emphasized teamwork and two hour meetings where everyone has a chance to contribute. Gen X wants a lot less talk and lot more action. While others may perceive them as being somewhat abrasive, they simply want progress.
Bottom Line: Plan shorter meetings, create and honor agendas and commit to tangible progress.
Lesson #3
As the first generation of latch-key kids, parents gave them the creative latitude to get things done at home. They expect the same from their supervisors and their employees now also. Tensions abound when Gen X feels micro-managed. They make projects their own. As long as they honor the decided-upon definition of success, they feel they have the goods to accomplish the goal. Whether in the leadership transition process or just doing work, Gen X is not okay with constant monitoring.
This does not make the Gen Xer an ideal supervisor for the next generation. Gen Y desires feedback, support and frequent check-ins after delegation. Gen X then has a tendency as seeing Gen Y as needy.
What can the Gen X do when delegating to a Gen Y?
Here are a few questions for the Gen X to think through:
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Why did you choose the Gen Y? Tell them.
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Why are we doing this project/task? They want to understand the back story.
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What is the goal and what is the priority? Make it very clear.
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How soon do you need it? Gen Y has different time–sensitivities.
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When shall we have milestone checks?
Bottom Line: Gen X, be very clear when delegating to Gen Y. Boomers, when delegating to Gen X, concentrate your time on the answers to questions 3, 4 and 5 –and micro-manage at your own peril!
Conclusion
Speaking of peril, if we want to decrease communication turbulence, we have three lessons. It boils down to this. We need to understand Gen X’s expectations. Get to the bottom line(s) and we will all have clearer communication.
Written by Sherri Petro, President of VPI Strategies & California Miramar University (CMU) Professor Sherri is a professor, accomplished strategist, organizational development professional and executive coach. She consulted for 13 years in the for-profit, non-profit, and government sectors after a 16 year corporate career. She teaches the Strategy Capstone as well as Leadership, Change Management and Business Ethics courses in CMU’s MBA program. Her current passion is educating organizations on how to increase organizational sustainability by leveraging the talents and skills of all in multi-generational workplaces. Sherri offers remedies to misunderstandings that result from different belief structures and lack of coherent communication by creating understanding and making connections at the belief level not only at the behavioral level.
Do you have a question for Sherri? Please visit our Workplace Communication Skills Community, she will be happy to help: Ask an Expert