1. MASTERING
INTERGENERATIONAL
RELATIONSHIPS
NAVIGATING THE GRAY OF
LEADING ACROSS THE GENERATIONS

4. B
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7. 2019 – 8TH COLOR IN
THE GOLDFISH SERIES

8. 2018
Phillies, Mets,
Yankees, Nationals,
and the Red Sox

12. AGES (APPROXIMATE)…
Matures > 76 years old
Baby Boomer 58 to 75 years old
Gen X 43 to 57 years old
Millennial 27 to 42 years old
Gen Z < 26 years old

13. NAVIGATE THE
GRAY OF
LEADING FIVE
GENERATIONS

16. EXERCISE
1. What are some of the
grievances the older
generations have against
younger generations?

17. EXERCISE
1. What are some of the
grievances the older
generations have against
younger generations?
2. What are some of the
grievances the younger
generations have against
the older generations?

18. Let’s look at what
drives each of the
five generations

19. THE MATURES (BORN PRIOR TO 1946)
•Duty, honor, country
•Conformity, unity,
sacrifice – “We First”
•National pride

20. THE MATURES (BORN PRIOR TO 1946)
“If I do my full duty, the rest
will take care of itself.”
- General George Patton
ONE WORD:
DUTY

21. THE MATURES (BORN PRIOR TO 1946)

22. THE BABY BOOMERS (’46 TO ’64)
• It’s about the process …
paying dues and lifetime
learning
• Face time is important …
working late is a badge of
honor

23. THE BABY BOOMERS (’46 TO ’64)
•Defined by their
work
•“Career” is often
on display
ONE WORD:
WORK

24. GENERATION X (’65 TO ’79)
•Question authority
•Saw lifelong employment end
•Parents’ divorce rates up

25. GENERATION X (’65 TO ’79)
Appreciate work/life
balance and mix their
fun with their work
Image courtesy of Ford
ONE WORD:
BALANCE

26. BUT WE’RE MORE USED TO
MATURES, BABY BOOMERS AND GEN XERS ...

27. Why the Millennials
are Different

28. Parents Saved Less Than Ever Before
BigPicture.Typepad.com image

29. Millennials are “Trophy Kids”
Everyone’s a winner …

30. More (Way More) Parental Supervision

31. “The rear of the wagon is a play area.”

33. HOW THE MILLENNIALS ARE
DIFFERENT

34. MILLENNIALS (’80 TO ’96)
•“Future” is very short term
•Huge goals ... Struggle
with the execution
ONE WORD:
SPECIAL

35. Being Special
What it means for …
Millennials: Every person is unique; their future
possibilities are limitless
Gen X: Reserved for people with physical or mental
disabilities. For example, the Special Olympics
Matures and Baby Boomers: An insult; as in,
“What do you think you are … special?!

36. MILLENNIALS (’80 TO ’96)
• Group oriented
individuals …
collaborative leaders
• Diverse – Normal to
interact outside their
ethnic group

37. How long Millennials expect to
have to “Pay their dues.”

38. When young adults
realize they aren’t in
their dream job (and
don’t see a path
there), it can create
frustration and
depression.

39. What About
Generation Z?

40. GENERATION Z (’96 TO PRESENT)

42. GENERATION Z (’96 TO PRESENT)
Commitment
Layoffs
Foreclosures
Shrunken 401(k)s

43. Source: The M Factor, Lancaster & Stillman
9 out of 10
said
“meaning”
was most
important

44. Like Millennials
• Group oriented, diverse individuals
• Multi-tasking experts
But …
GENERATION Z (’96 TO PRESENT)

45. WE LOOKED AT 200+ BRANDS

46. 50 WAYS TO NAVIGATE THE GRAY
1. Recruiting and Onboarding
2. Vision and Purpose
3. Training & Development
4. Flexing
5. Project Management
6. Recognition & Motivation
7. Feedback & Mentoring
8. Retention & Loyalty

47. Join our team and we'll
guide your ambition
through training and
mentoring. We'll help you
apply your drive to real-world
problems where you can
make a real impact in the global
economy.
RECRUITING AND TRAINING

49. FEEDBACK
• Managers: Explain to
Millennials/Gen Z how to
reach their goals
• Millennials/Gen Z: Ask what
steps you should take to
achieve your goals (leave the
timelines out for now!)
MANAGING & MENTORING

50. EMPOWERMENT
• Managers: Assign
Millennials/Gen Z smaller
projects where less than 100%
success is OK
• Millennials/Gen Z: Look for
small projects to own and
suggest them
PROJECT MANAGEMENT

51. TRANSPARENCY
• Managers: Check in often,
but then get out of the way
• Millennials/Gen Z: Meet
your deadlines … and offer
progress reports
PROJECT MANAGEMENT

52. C Stan Phelps and Brian Doyle, 2021
Generational Leadership Matrix

53. EMPLOYEES
LEADERS
BOOMERS
MILLENNIALS

54. Groups of 3.
1. Imagine a current scenario wh
ere you are struggling with som
eone on a project.
2. Use the Generational Matrix to
identify your generation and then t
he generation of the person you ar
e leading.
3. Each person shares how the
y might handle the situation give
n the advice of the matrix.

55. LAGNIAPPE: FOLLOWERSHIP

59. MATURES
“This market is really
terrible… the customers are
thinking about bringing some
of our services in-house, the
competition is heating up and
I LOVE IT!”
REVIEW

60. BABY BOOMERS
“Some people think this
market is terrible, but it’s
great! With all the moving
pieces it’s really challenging.
Reminds of when I was a
sales leader at a small firm 20
years ago … the technology
industry was starting to take
off and they needed help …”

61. GENERATION X
“This market is terrible.
Because the market is so
dynamic, my manager
keeps telling me what to
do. If he’d just let me do
my job, I’d be done in time
to see my kid play in his
Little League game.”

62. MILLENNIALS
“This market is terrible … the
customers are thinking about
bringing some of our services in-
house and the competition is heating
up. With all the challenges, my
contributions are getting overlooked.
I have a lot to offer … If I don’t get
promoted soon, I’m going to start
looking for another job.”

63. GENERATION Z
“This is kind of cool. I have 3
gigs going right now – they
don’t pay a lot, but I have plenty
of time to do the things I want.
I might be the President of a
company next or start my own
business … haven’t decided
yet.”

64. StanPhelpsSpeaks.com
THANK YO
THANK YO