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What we need to know about generational differences

Coaching Across Generations

VOLUME 14 • NUMBER 3 • WWW.CHOICE-ONLINE.COM

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VOLUME 14 NUMBER 322

Is there really a difference between generations or is it about different stages of life, and how do we coach clients from this lens? What are the different generational needs, expectations, values and conflicts and what is the impact on coaching? What do you need to know about generational differences in order to build rapport and effectively work with them? How do you coach leaders to manage and build relation-ships with team members from different generations? Come along to learn more about intergenerational challenges presenting themselves in coaching.

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VOLUME 14 NUMBER 3 23

Feature

MBy Dr. Vikki G. Brock, MCC, EMBA

uch has been written about generational chal-lenges in the workplace, from ‘Working with Five Generations in the Workplace” by Forbes in 2011

to “Winning the Generation Game” by The Economist in 2013. How does this impact our coaching leaders in the workplace? With this article I will present a conceptual model put forth by Neil Howe and William Strauss in their

book, The Fourth Turning, followed by one approach to effectively coach people of different generations.

Lets begin by understanding generations. In 2012, Brett and Kate McKay shared this:

“Talking about generations is simply a way to acknowledge that because different age groups are raised in less or more nurturing families, and experience historical events at differ-ent times in their development, their ‘generational persona’ – their ‘attitudes on family life, gender roles, institutions, poli-

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VOLUME 14 NUMBER 324

tics, religion, lifestyle, and the future’ are shaped in a distinct way. It’s also important to keep in mind that no generation is ‘better’ or ‘worse’ than another; each generation has unique strengths and weaknesses, each is important, and each pro-vides balance and self-correction to the cycle of history.”

According to Strauss and Howe, a generation is the “aggre-gate of all people born over a span of roughly 20 years, or about the length of one phase of life: childhood (0-20 years old), young

adulthood (21-41), midlife (41-62), elderhood (63-83), late el-derhood (84+). People “belong to a generation that happens to be passing through an age bracket – a generation with its own memories, language, habits, beliefs, and life lessons.” The peo-ple who comprise a generation change as they age.

Strauss and Howe discovered a pattern of generational events they call turnings, each of which lasts about 20 to 22 years. They identify a four-stage cycle of social or mood eras (i.e. turn-ings) that lasts about 80-90 years. Each turning can be likened to a season: First (High) is Spring; Second (Awakening) is Sum-mer; Third (Unraveling) is Autumn; Fourth (Crisis) is Winter.

A generation is born approximately every 20 years and people are living well into their 90s. The current generations are known as G.I., Silent, Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Homeland (see chart below). Each generation experi-ences “four turnings” approximately every 80 years. His-torical turnings and generational archetypes work together to fuel the generational cycles.

Because each of the four generation types experience the four historical turnings at different times in their lives, each generation is shaped differently by the formative moments in history (see chart at right). Looking at the American High (First Turning, 1946-1964) in this chart, America ascended as a global superpower while social movements stalled. The middle class grew amid huge peacetime defense budgets. Looking at the generations in the workplace today, the Silents were entering young adulthood and the Boomers were enter-

As a coach you bring your own uniqueness andperspective from your generation.

According to Wikipedia, the timing and turnings of the generations alive today are:

Generation Type Birth years Era when members came of age

Famous Member Ages

G.I. Hero(Civic)

1901-1924(23)

Unraveling:World War I/ Prohibition

John Kennedy; Katharine Hepburn; Carl Rogers 92-115

Silent Artist (Adaptive)

1925–1942 (17)

Crisis:Great Depression/

World War II

Martin Luther King, Jr.; Sandra Day O’Conner; Mikhail

Gorbachev

74-91

Baby Boomer Prophet (Idealist)

1943–1960 (17)

High:Superpower America

George W. Bush; Hillary Clinton; Tony Blair 56-73

Generation X

Nomad (Reactive)

1961–1981 (20)

Awakening:Consciousness Revolution

Barack Obama; Sarah Palin; Princess Di; Tony Cameron 35-55

MillennialsHero

(Civic)1982–2004

(22)

Unraveling:Culture Wars, Reagan

Revolution, Postmodernism

Mark Zuckerberg; Anne Hathaway; Prince William 12-34

Homeland Artist (Adaptive)

2005– present

Crisis:Global Financial Recession,

Climate Change, War on Terror

Prince George; 0-11

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VOLUME 14 NUMBER 3 25

ing childhood. The Consciousness or Awakening Revolution (Second Turn-ing, 1964-1984) began with urban ri-ots and counterculture driven by the Boomers who were entering adult-hood. This included Vietnam War protests alongside feminist, environ-mental and black power movements. The counterculture peaked in 1974 with President Nixon’s Watergate, and the Boomers turned toward New Age lifestyles as hippies turned into yuppies. The Silents were entering midlife, Boomers were entering young adulthood, and Generations Xs were entering childhood.

For the Third Turning of Unraveling (1984-2008), we saw a long boom pe-riod with celebrity scandal and a stock market boom. During this time people felt optimistic about their own lives and pessimistic about the country. Rising violence and widening inequal-ity were coupled with individualism. The Silents were entering elderhood, the Boomers were entering midlife, the Generation Xs were entering young adulthood, and the Millennials were entering childhood.

We entered the Fourth Turning in 2008 with a global fi-nancial crisis that led to the most severe global economic downturn since the Great Depression, and the election of Generation X’s Barack Obama over Silent Generation’s John McCain. With public trust continuing to ebb, we see the controversial 2016 U.S. presidential elections as an indi-cation that this Fourth Turning is not likely to end soon. If history holds true, the Crisis will last until approximately 2029. During the Crisis, Prophets (Boomers) enter elder-hood, Nomads (Generation X’s) enter midlife, Heroes (Mil-lennials) enter young adulthood, and a new generation of Artists (Homeland Generation) is born. The other two liv-ing generations (G.I. and Silent) are unlikely to be candi-dates for coaching.

As coaches, understanding the characteristics of the three generations present in the workplace today may be benefi-cial. Looking at the chart on the following page, we can make generalities about each generation in areas such as work ethic, leadership and communication styles, motiva-tion and technology.

Understanding CrisisAnother and possibly more beneficial way to view the Boomer, X and Millennial generations is from the lens of the Crisis turning we are in.

• Boomers are idealist prophets who place value on inner convictions and spiritual awakening – self-discovery and authenticity are valued. During the Crisis, Prophets are en-tering elderhood while providing moral vision and values-oriented leadership to younger generations. Boomers are also redefining ‘retirement’, with many transitioning to oc-cupations that bring purpose and meaning to their lives.

• Generation Xs are reactive nomads entering mid-life dur-ing the Crisis. They are assuming roles as parents and influe -tial leaders within society. Nomads will make personal sacri-fices for society’s good – and are blessed with cunning and survival instincts well suited to lead during the Crisis. Effective at pushing efficiency and innovation, they will continue to be free workplace agents.

• Millennials are civic heroes entering young adulthood during the Crisis. They are confident ambitious, and optimis-tic about life, even in tough times. Oriented toward action, they work well in teams. They are about community, technol-ogy, and affluence Redefining what young adulthood is, they place importance on getting married, having children and be-ing community leaders.

McKay and McKay look at the four generational archetypes and turnings to show at which point in life each generation experiences the turnings:

Era 1908-1929 1929-1946 1946-1964 1964-1984 1984-2005? 2005?-2025?

Turning (UNRAVELING)THIRD

(CRISIS)FOURTH

(HIGH)FIRST

(AWAKENING)SECOND

(UNRAVELING)THIRD

(CRISIS)FOURTH

Key Events

Women’s suffrage

WWIRoaring 20’sScopes trial

Crash of ’29New Deal

Pearl HarborD-day

McCarthyismLevittown

Affluent societyLittle Rock

Kent StateWoodstockWatergateTax revolt

Morning in America

Culture warsLong Boom

Y2K

Post-9/11 America

Entering ELDERHOOD

age 63-83Progressive

(artist) empatheticMissionary(prophet)

wise

Lost(nomad)

tough

GI(hero)civic

Silent(artist)

empathetic

Boom(prophet)

wise

Entering MIDLIFE

Missionary(prophet)moralistic

Lost(nomad)

pragmatic

GI(hero)

powerful

Silent(artist)

indecisive

Boom(prophet)moralistic

Generation X(nomad)

pragmatic

Entering YOUNG

ADULTHOOD age 21-41

Lost(nomad)alienated

GI(hero)heroic

Silent (artist) sensitive

Boom(prophet)visionary

Generation X(nomad)alienated

Millennial(hero)heroic

Entering YOUTH age

0-20

GI(hero)

protectedSilent (artist) suffocated

Boom(prophet)indulged

Generation X(nomad)

abandoned

Millennial(hero)

protected

Homeland(artist)

suffocated

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VOLUME 14 NUMBER 326

How can we coach to accommodate each generation dur-ing the Crisis turning?

1. Recognize that each individual is unique, and character-istics of each generation are generalities rather than absolutes.

2. Know that as a coach you bring your own uniqueness

and perspective from your generation.3. We will coach three generations over the next five years,

each at a different stage of life.a) Boomers are wise, respected, principled and creative.

Boomers entering elderhood will provide wise guidance and inspiring words through this Crisis.

b) Generation Xs are transitioning from alienated to mel-low as they enter midlife. They are pragmatic leaders who are hands-on and get it done.

c) Millennials are focused on building and working in

teams as they enter young adulthood.While it is beneficial to understand trends and common-

alities across generations, what is critical is to be aware of our personal bias and coach the individual, rather than the generational characteristics.

NOTES:www.forbes.com/sites/rawnshah/2011/04/20/working-with-five-generations-in-the-workplace/ 2 www.economist.com/news/business/21586831-businesses-are-worrying-about-how-manage-different-age-groups-widely-different 3 www.artofmanliness.com/2012/07/12/the-generations-of-men-how-the-cycles-of-history-have-shaped-your-values-your-place-in-the-world-and-your-idea-of-manhood/ 4 www.lifecourse.com/about/method/phases.html5 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strauss–Howe_generational_theory6 www.artofmanliness.com/2012/07/12/the-generations-of-men-how-the-cycles-of-history-have-shaped-your-values-your-place-in-the-world-and-your-idea-of-manhood/ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: www.fourthturning.comHarvard Business Review, July-August 2007 “The Next 20 Years: How Customer and Workforce Attitudes Will Evolve” by Neil Howe and William Strauss.www.lifecourse.com/assets/files/turnings_in_history(1).pdf “Turnings in History”www.lifecourse.com/about/method/timelines/generations.html “Generations in Anglo-American History”www.lifecourse.com/about/method/timelines/turnings.html “Turnings in Anglo-American History”www.lifecourse.com/assets/files/gens_in_history(1).pdf “Generations in History”

We will coach three generations over the next five years, each at a different stage of life.

Workplace Characteristic

Baby Boomers(1946-1964)

Generation X(1965-1984)

Millennials(1985-2005)

Work Ethic Workaholics, desire quality, question authority

Eliminate task, self-reliant, structure/direction, skeptical

What’s next, multitasking, tenacity, entrepreneurial

Work is… Exciting adventure Difficult challenge, contract Means to an end, fulfillment

Leadership Style Consensual, collegial Each same, competence,

challenge others, ask whyAchievers. collaborative, creative thought

Communication In person Direct, immediate Email, voice mail

Rewards & Feedback

Money, title recognition, give something to put on wall

Sorry to interrupt-how am I doing, freedom is best reward

When I want it-at push of button, meaningful work, cool perks

Motivated By Being valued and needed Freedom and removal of rules Working with other bright people

Work/Life Balance No balance ‘live to work’ Balance ‘work to live’ Balance – it’s 5pm and I’ve

got another gig

Technology is… Acquired: microwave, master it Assimilated: hold in hand,

enjoy/use itIntegral: Internet, intangible, employ it

Education is … A birthright A way to get there An incredible expenseAuthority Attitude Replace or challenge leaders Ignore leaders Leaders must respect you

Characteristics of Generations in Today’s Workplace:

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