It's nice to look back on the good old days for some lessons that can be applied today. Like back in 1976, when every time I came into the Foodtown where I worked, Charley the assistant manager would offer to cut my shoulder length hair free of charge. He wasn't any too fond of the earring I wore back then either.
"Why do you want to look like some girl? Do you even like girls?" the Korean War vet always wanted to know. "Who the hell is going to hire you looking like that?"
I told him that Frank (the store manager) did.
Of course that would only make Charley mad and he'd find stuff for me to do like working in the cold box or the freezer for hours on end. The fact that I took everything he dished out and went back to ask for more work didn't ever seem to register. In three years working with the man, he never seemed to grasp that despite our vastly different haircuts (his was a flat top), we shared most of the same values.
Today (you knew I'd eventually get around to the point), the very same thing happens in retail stores and in other business settings. An older person (buttoned down, to be sure) comes face-to-face in the workplace with someone younger who sports tattoos and/or piercings and, after one look, decides the kid must be a slacker.
The kid, for his part, probably has a number of opinions about the older worker and few of them are good.
The fact is, however, that just like Charley and me all those years ago, the two share many of the same values and a basic outlook on life and work.
Jennifer Deal, author of Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground, said, "Fundamentally, people want the same things, no matter what generation they are from. The so-called generation gap is, in large part, the result of miscommunication and misunderstanding, fueled by common insecurities and the desire for clout."
A study conducted by the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) found 10 principles that transcended generational differences.
- All generations have similar values.
- Everyone wants respect.
- Trust matters.
- People want leaders who are credible and trustworthy.
- Organizational politics is a problem - no matter how old or young you are.
- No one really likes change.
- Loyalty depends on the context, not on the generation.
- It's as easy to retain a young person as an older one - if you do the right things.
- Everyone wants to learn - more than just about anything else.
- Almost everyone wants a coach.
Discussion Questions: Have you been witness to intergenerational conflict in a business environment? What are your recommendations for managers responsible for supervising younger workers and, in some cases, older employees who take jobs while in semi-retirement?