Age is no longer an indicator of mindset.
Grandparents are webcam-ing their grandchildren on Skype to stay in touch on a Sunday night.
Young adults are learning resilience in the downturn and becoming frugal with their finances after witnessing their parents’ superannuation disappear overnight.
Generational gaps are closing. The lines between traditionally distinct generational groups are becoming blurred and less relevant in our personal and professional lives. Skills, behaviours, mindsets, influences, values, hopes and fears are converging and morphing across generations every single day.
Take technology and social networking for instance:
> 33% of Twitter users are more than 40 years old;
> 40% of MySpace users are between 35 and 55 years old;
>The average age of a Linked-In user is 41 years old;
> 45% of Facebook users are more than 26 years old;
> The fastest-growing demographic of Facebook users is women aged 55+
Clearly, web 2.0 social networking is no longer just the domain of the young.
If a phenomenon as widespread as social networking, once seen as the domain of the young, has been embraced in everyday life by people of all ages to the extent it has ... what other popularised generational assumptions no longer hold true?
And are you ready for what that could mean?
We can no longer view our people, customers and leaders as members of distinct generational groups. It’s time for a Multi-Generational approach.
The challenge that will infiltrate how we lead, manage and grow our people is that we need to reframe how we think about generations. Gen Y, Gen X and the Baby Boomers are redundant definitions – so where do we and our people, customers and leaders fit in?
Chances are we don’t.
Our beliefs, behaviours and mindsets are shaped not only in our early years, today we are influenced and shaped every single day. The magnitude and reach of modern day change means no-one escapes its impact.
Choosing to operate with generic, generalised generational assumptions will disengage our people, disconnect our customers and disempower our leaders.
The impact of multi-generational thinking and the closing of generational gaps on young professionals, middle managers and senior leaders is profound.
If you were a young professional this year, what would it mean for you in 12 months time if your leader reviewed your performance and told you that over the last year you have been an extraordinary performer ... That you have stood out and caught the eye of senior leaders in the business who have all asked for your name and earmarked you for a fast track talent program to elevate your career forward? That you have developed an incredible ability to engage with people, customers and leaders of all ages and backgrounds like few young professionals they have seen?
If you were a middle manager this year, what would it mean to you if you could walk in to any meeting at any level in your business with any group of colleagues or clients with the capacity to inspire and the skill to engage people of all ages. Whether they be 21, 41, 61 or a convergence of all three, you drive them through change, uncertainty and growth and in to action to move your company forward?
If you were a senior leader this year, a top executive, what it mean for you if in 12 months time, that after leading through the second, maybe third major economic downturn in your esteemed career that you remain dominate in your industry as a leader of thought, people and success?
The Real Challenge
The real challenge is to rethink how relevant popularised generational assumptions are. The time is now to understand how skills, behaviours, mindsets and influences are converging across generations across all parts of our lives.
In our organisations, the questions leaders must answer are:
1. How can we best understand and leverage the generational convergence of our people and customers?
2. How can we best develop multi-generational leaders?
3. What is the impact of generational convergence on our strategy and plans for growth?
4. How can we best understand and leverage generational convergence in our every-day lives?
The Future
Leaders, teams and organisations who realise the challenges and opportunities generational convergence presents will be those who succeed in to the future.
Generational convergence is having profound implications on how all people interact, deal with change and do business.
Are you ready?
June 1, 2009
The New World is Generation-flat
Attention Gen Y, Gen X and Baby Boomers ... the new world is Generation-flat.
Leaders of the new world all over the planet are thriving using multi-generational mindsets, skills and tools. They give reckless abandon to the labels their generations hold and the expectations people have of them as a result. They do not identify themselves as Gen Y, Gen X or Baby Boomers.
Multi-generational thinking is unleashing empowered, forward thinking change agents all over the planet. To join the movement we need to throw redundant generational thinking out the window, move on and adapt to multi-generational thinking to succeed and grow in the new world.
Josh
Leaders of the new world all over the planet are thriving using multi-generational mindsets, skills and tools. They give reckless abandon to the labels their generations hold and the expectations people have of them as a result. They do not identify themselves as Gen Y, Gen X or Baby Boomers.
Multi-generational thinking is unleashing empowered, forward thinking change agents all over the planet. To join the movement we need to throw redundant generational thinking out the window, move on and adapt to multi-generational thinking to succeed and grow in the new world.
Josh
May 31, 2009
The NEW War for Talent
The new war for talent is the War for Engagement.
The fight for the hearts and minds of our people has exploded in to our lives, in to our teams and across our organisations.
Regardless of the greatest economic downturn since the Great Depression many people, believe it or not, have been largely unaffected in their jobs. While wary of the downturn many actually feel comfortable enough in their work amidst the turmoil around them.
That's good news ... right?
Comfort leads to complacency. Complacent people become disengaged.
Leaders now lead people focussed on ‘sitting out’ the downturn and ‘hanging on’ to their jobs in order to ‘survive’. In the boom, disengaged talent got up and left ... in the recession disengaged talent are staying. I am not sure which is worse!
This is the War for Engagement. And the good news is we can win.
Leaders of the new world get engaged using Multi-generational mindsets. They give reckless abandon to the labels their generations hold, not identifying themselves as Gen Y, Gen X or Baby Boomers.
Multi-generational mindsets are unleashing engaged, forward thinking change agents all over the planet.
The War for Engagement will be won by those willing to think differently ... change agents from all generations using Multi-generational mindsets to get engaged with the next era of leadership and growth ... moving from "survive" to "thrive" and taking the new world with them.
The fight for the hearts and minds of our people has exploded in to our lives, in to our teams and across our organisations.
Regardless of the greatest economic downturn since the Great Depression many people, believe it or not, have been largely unaffected in their jobs. While wary of the downturn many actually feel comfortable enough in their work amidst the turmoil around them.
That's good news ... right?
Comfort leads to complacency. Complacent people become disengaged.
Leaders now lead people focussed on ‘sitting out’ the downturn and ‘hanging on’ to their jobs in order to ‘survive’. In the boom, disengaged talent got up and left ... in the recession disengaged talent are staying. I am not sure which is worse!
This is the War for Engagement. And the good news is we can win.
Leaders of the new world get engaged using Multi-generational mindsets. They give reckless abandon to the labels their generations hold, not identifying themselves as Gen Y, Gen X or Baby Boomers.
Multi-generational mindsets are unleashing engaged, forward thinking change agents all over the planet.
The War for Engagement will be won by those willing to think differently ... change agents from all generations using Multi-generational mindsets to get engaged with the next era of leadership and growth ... moving from "survive" to "thrive" and taking the new world with them.
April 23, 2009
Team Obama - A Multi-Generational Machine
Fast Company Magazine recently named Team Obama the #1 Most Innovative Company in the world, ousting Google from the post and beating Apple, Intel and Facebook to poll position.
http://www.fastcompany.com/fast50_09/profile/list/team-obama
The degree to which Obama has inspired and engaged millions of people across multiple generations all over the world has been stunning to watch and be part of.
A "Baby Boomer" by redundant single-generational definition, Obama, along with his campaign team, made history by thinking and acting differently.
The world watched in awe as multiple Multi-Generational Mindsets were embraced ... from old-school door knocking and phone calling to new-world social networking and SMS sending, Obama broke new ground as the momentum towards Capitol Hill grew ... and grew ... and grew.
To learn from the mindsets behind this historic movement is the real opportunity.
Singular-generational thinking and action is dead. The new world is being influenced by the Multi-Generational Mindsets shaping the future of this planet.
Regards,
Josh
http://www.fastcompany.com/fast50_09/profile/list/team-obama
The degree to which Obama has inspired and engaged millions of people across multiple generations all over the world has been stunning to watch and be part of.
A "Baby Boomer" by redundant single-generational definition, Obama, along with his campaign team, made history by thinking and acting differently.
The world watched in awe as multiple Multi-Generational Mindsets were embraced ... from old-school door knocking and phone calling to new-world social networking and SMS sending, Obama broke new ground as the momentum towards Capitol Hill grew ... and grew ... and grew.
To learn from the mindsets behind this historic movement is the real opportunity.
Singular-generational thinking and action is dead. The new world is being influenced by the Multi-Generational Mindsets shaping the future of this planet.
Regards,
Josh
April 22, 2009
A 'Million' Multi-Generational Mindets?
Stealing the best mindsets of different generations provides opportunity for enormous impact on life, business and community in very new ways.
The 'Million' program in New York City is testimate to the Multi-Generational Mindsets of:
- Personalisation
- Collaboration
- Customisation
- Simplification
- Integration
- Connection
How they have been applied to make this awesome project a success? Check it out:
http://www.abc.net.au/tv/gruentransfer/stories/s2549912.htm
Regards,
Josh Mackenzie
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