Reading \u201cThe Generational Imperative,\u201d many moments, I stood still\u2026 lots to ponder\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat is this \u2018Generations\u2019 Thing?\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The good news about this stuff? It\u2019s really easy to <\/em>get.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The premise of generational dynamics is simple. It is based upon three well-researched, universally accepted, and easy-to-understand truths:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Truth #1:<\/em><\/strong> Between the time we\u2019re born and the time we leave the full-time classroom for adulthood and our career years, usually in our early twenties, we will form most of the core values and beliefs we\u2019ll embrace our entire lives\u2026 <\/em>by sharing the same core values, we will become a generation,<\/em><\/strong> or what the intellectuals like to call an \u2018age cohort\u2019\u2026 <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Truth #2:<\/em><\/strong> In the past century, life in America has changed frequently, and often in sharply new directions\u2026 for the first time in history, American life expectancy now permits five living generations, each of whose formative years were notably different from the other generations and whose core values, as a result, are also very different.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Truth #3:<\/em><\/strong> Our generational core values and attitudes are going to exert astonishing influence over our consumer decisions, career choices, and lifestyle preferences for life. So if marketers want to influence those decisions, and if employers want to maximize their human resources in the workplace, and if Americans want to understand themselves and their families and their fellow Americans, then they must understand each generation\u2019s unique core values.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Some initial, immediate, key takeaways\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Each generation is unique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Their core values are unique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What happened to each generation in their formative years is also unique; it shaped what they believe and how they behave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Note \u2014 and an important one at that \u2014 no generation is better nor worse than another; instead, it is unique. Hence, if we are going to be engagers of respectful dialogue, we must learn to communicate with, listen and learn from the unique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So let\u2019s highlight that uniqueness\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n First, those Silents (born between 1927-1945)\u2026<\/em> \u201cas <\/em>consumers,<\/em><\/strong> they are richer, freer spending, less brand loyal, and more receptive to advertising and new products than the generations that previously occupied their current age bracket.\u201d<\/em> As employees,<\/strong> \u201cmany Silents are working beyond the traditional recruitment age, at least part-time\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Next, those Boomers (born between 1946-1964)\u2026<\/em> \u201cFirst-Wave Boomer kids (1946-1954) are raised by stay-at-home mothers who consider themselves democratic and tolerant. Their fathers become the rock-solid <\/em>provider<\/em><\/strong> figures in their lives\u2026 and\u2026 after spending their early childhood in the carefree and innocent Happy Days of the 50\u2019s, that cocktail \u2014 that recipe of idealism and a strong sense of right and wrong \u2014 goes a long way in explaining one the most tumultuous periods, but also one of the most socially enlightening periods, in our nation\u2019s history\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGeneration X. It is not a derogatory label\u2026 The premise is this: This generation is so individualistic in its thinking and so diverse in its ethnicities and lifestyles that it tends to resist any single label, and it resents attempts by marketers and advertisers to pigeonhole it\u2026 GenXers also experience the most psychologically difficult childhood in American history, as one adult institution after another fails to deliver on its promises to them\u201d\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n And the Millennials (again, don\u2019t call them \u201cGen Z\u201d!)<\/em> \u2014 noting that we don\u2019t have enough distinct, decision-making info on the upcoming Gen Y yet \u2014 the Millennials are a \u201cdramatic departure from the core values and attitudes of Gen X, because Millennials are experiencing dramatically different formative years. Where Gen X children had been the least adult-supervised generation, Millennials are the <\/em>most<\/em><\/strong> adult-supervised\u201d\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I will say what I said on Sunday: \u201cGenerational differences are not about right vs. wrong or better vs. worse. Once more, it\u2019s about learning how to respect and communicate with those who are different than we.\u201d<\/em> Friends, we need to learn to communicate with those who are different than we. Generations mark a significant difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Will you join in the conversation? Will you be intentional in listening and learning from those who are different than we?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Respectfully\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n AR Reading \u201cThe Generational Imperative,\u201d many moments, I stood still\u2026 lots to ponder\u2026 \u201cWhat is this \u2018Generations\u2019 Thing?\u2026 The good news about this stuff? It\u2019s really easy to get. The premise of generational dynamics is simple. It is based upon three well-researched, universally accepted, and easy-to-understand truths: Truth #1: Between the time we\u2019re born and the … <\/p>\n
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