Retiring the Generation Gap

Why is there so much conflict between the
generations?
Why do older employees hate change so much?
What do younger people want to learn?
Do younger people want all development through
their computers?
Why do younger people dress so informally at work?
Do older people have any interest in learning?
What can we do about the feeling of entitlement
among younger employees?
Who wants coaching?
What can we do about the feeling of entitlement
among older employees?
Why don’t our employees trust us? Is it a generational
thing?
Why are younger people so disrespectful, and what
can we do to fix the problem?
What do we need to do to retain younger employees?
Why are younger people so disloyal?

Prepared by Jennifer J. Deal, Ph.D.; © Copyright Center for Creative Leadership® 2008

Principle 1: All Generations Have Similar Values; They Just Express Them
Differently
Principle 2: Everyone Wants Respect; They Just Don’t Define It the Same
Way

Principle 3: Trust Matters

Principle 4: People Want Leaders Who Are Credible and Trustworthy

Principle 5: Organizational Politics Is a Problem—No Matter How Old or
Young You Are

Principle 6: No One Really Likes Change

Principle 7: Loyalty Depends on the Context, Not on the Generation

Principle 8: It Is as Easy to Retain a Young Person as an Older One — If You
Do the Right Things

Principle 9: Everyone Wants to Learn—More Than Just About Anything Else

Principle 10: Everyone Wants a Coach

Principle 1:
All Generations Have Similar Values;
They Just Express Them Differently

• People of all generations have similar values.
• FAMILY is the value chosen most frequently.
• Values and behavior aren’t the same thing –
someone can behave very differently from you and
still hold the same values.


Principle 2:
Everyone Wants Respect;
They Just Don’t Define It the Same Way
• People of all generations want respect, they just
define it differently.
• People in positions of authority want their decision
to be respected.
• Older people want their experience and wisdom to
be respected and deferred to.
• Younger people would like their fresh ideas and
suggestions to be listened to.
• Questions do not necessarily demonstrate disrespect.

Principle 3:
Trust Matters
• People of all generations and at all levels are more likely to trust
the people they work with directly (bosses, peers, and direct
reports).
• People trust their organizations less than they do the people
they work with directly.
• People trust upper management less than they trust their
organization.
• What generation you are from or how old you are does not
affect how much you trust other people or your organization.
• The less people trust, the more likely they are to leave.


Principle 4:
People Want Leaders Who Are
Credible and Trustworthy
• People of all generations and at all levels want their leaders to
be credible, trustworthy, dependable, farsighted, encouraging,
and good listeners.
• If you can’t tell the truth, say that you can’t talk about the
subject; if possible, do not engage to begin with. Don’t mislead
intentionally.
• Behave as someone you would want to follow.
• If you work at having the attributes people want in a leader you
may lose out to the dissembling backstabbers, or you may end
up on top . . . But at least you’ll be less likely to end up in a
defendant’s chair!


Principle 5:
Organizational Politics Is a Problem—
No Matter How Old or Young You Are
• Different generations have similar attitudes towards office politics,
though they may express those attitudes slightly differently.
• People higher in organizations think they got there because of
their hard work and strong performance.
• People lower in organizations think political behavior is more
important for advancement than do people higher in
organizations.
• Employees may not like it, but they generally understand that
office politics is a reality. So if you’re a manager, there’s no need
to pretend that office politics doesn’t exists and has no real impact.
• You can improve at office politics by understanding the forces that
shape the political climate. What you want to do is learn how to
manage the competing forces more effectively so that you can
achieve what you want. Prepared by Jennifer J. Deal, Ph.D.; © Copyright Center for Creative Leadership® 2008

Principle 6:
No One Really Likes Change
• Both older and younger people believe (erroneously) that older
people dislike change more than younger people do.
• People of all generations dislike change because they think it is
going to affect them negatively.
• People of all generations think changes are often instituted and
communicated poorly.
• Managers and executives don’t like change much more than do
people lower in organizations.
• If you’re instituting a change , you can’t just expect people to
trust you and go along with the change happily – or even
quietly.


Principle 7:
Loyalty Depends on the Context,
Not on the Generation
• Different generations have about the same levels of loyalty.
• Younger generations are not more likely to job‐hop than older
generations were at the same age.
• People who are closer to retirement are more likely to want to
stay with the same organization for the rest of their working life.
• People higher in an organization work more hours than do
people lower in the organization; working more isn’t a matter of
what generation an employee is from.


Principle 8:
It Is as Easy to Retain a Young Person
as an Older One—
If You Do the Right Things
• Employees of all generations are more likely to remain with an
organization if they receive:
– good compensation,
– learning and development,
– opportunities for advancement,
– respect and recognition,
– good quality of life outside of work
• Employers can focus their efforts on this list, but must realize
that each individual wants a slightly different combination.


Principle 9:
Everyone Wants to Learn—
More Than Just About Anything Else
• Of employees surveyed, 97% said it was important to them to
learn on the job.
• 90% said they were learning on the job.
• Younger people do not want to learn everything over the
computer.
• Everyone wants to learn on the job.
• What people want to learn is related to what they need for their
job, not to their generation.


Principle 10:
Everyone Wants a Coach
• Everyone thinks coaching is a good idea.
• People from every generation and at every level want
a coach.
• Coaching is one of the best methods for helping
employees learn and improve because the learning is
individualized, targeted, and reinforced.


The Bottom Line

1. Fundamentally, people want the same things
at work, no matter what generation they are
from.
2. You can work with (or manage) people from
all generations effectively without becoming a
contortionist, selling your soul on eBay, or
pulling your hair out on a daily basis.


Most intergenerational conflict shares a common
point of origin:
the issue of clout –
who has it, and who wants it.


Prepared by Jennifer J. Deal, Ph.D., Copyright Center for Creative Leadership, 2008

Retiring the Generation Gap

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