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Generational theory is an effective way to better understand people from all areas of your life. This book focuses on applying that theory to the workplace and improving Millennial management techniques, but it’s a topic that’s applicable to all generations, and it’s relevant whether you’re at the dinner table or the conference table. It isn’t, however, the be-all and end-all solution to all things at work, so we want to be clear about what this topic encompasses.

Divvying up what the gen topic is and isn’t

What the generations topic is:

❯❯ A promotion of diversity: Generations are one form of diversity, and it’s a form that leaders and managers gravitate toward for two very special reasons: It’s a unique lens of diversity in that it steers clear of any “politically incorrect” blunders, and it’s also a topic that everyone can relate to. Every person in your office belongs to a generation, so it can feel like an easy, inclusive conversation. By now, we all understand the importance of building a diverse workplace. Promoting generational diversity is just as important as any other form, and you can only expect to build a (functional) multi-generational workforce if you understand the generations within your walls.

❯❯ An embrace of change: In many ways, the generations topic is a sneaky way to talk about change. The concept of change alone, in and of itself, is a difficult enough thing to grasp. It’s intangible. What does change mean? What’s that change going to be applied to? When you’re talking about people, though, it’s a little bit easier to have this conversation. It’s like telling your toddler that his broccoli is actually like eating tiny trees in an attempt to get him to eat his vegetables (or better yet, tiny trees that are covered in yummy cheese)! The generations topic can make change an easier pill to swallow and, sometimes, even a treat. When else do you get to talk about your favorite childhood toy at a diversity event? By using a generational framework, particularly when it’s focused on the next generation, you can introduce the concept of change in a tangible, approachable way.

❯❯ A shift in perspectives: As you consider how you may apply generational theory to your own management techniques, think about it as a useful lens – a Gen Lens, if you will – that can help you see your employees more clearly. It’s not a complete tool for finite categorization of human beings, but a way to overcome generational blind spots and understand the people you’re working with. Putting on your Gen Lens(es) gives you the 20/20 vision you need to gain insight into what makes the people around you tick.

What the generations topic isn’t:

❯❯ A definitive, be-all and end-all, comprehensive solution to manage any and all Millennials: Humans are complex and multilayered, and the last thing you want to do is put people into boxes. Instead of boxes, you can think of generational categories as unfixed containers that can bend and shift depending on the person. Every person is singular, and if you put people into a neat generational box, it can strip away the complexities that differ from Millennial to Millennial.

❯❯ A source of managerial prowess: Understanding your employees through a generational lens is not the sole indicator of an effective manager. Generational insights have to be used wisely and paired with other sets of knowledge and instincts.

ARE YOU A GEN JUNKIE?

Some people who discover the generations topic instantly become fascinated. Just by way of reading this book, you are more likely to be one of these people. To test whether you truly are a Gen Junkie, take this quick quiz. If you answer “yes” (Y) to three or more of these questions, chances are you can include yourself in the pack.

● Y/N Have you told anyone else about something you have read in this book yet (or marked something to share later)?

● Y/N Are you familiar with these terms: cusper, the Greatest Generation, and Homelanders?

● Y/N Have you ever disagreed with someone of a different age and said, “It must be a generational thing”?

● Y/N Do you ever fall into an Internet wormhole, clicking article after article about generational differences?

● Y/N Read the following: “Eighty percent of Millennials sleep with their …” Are you tempted to Google how that statistic ends?*

We’ll save you the trouble: Eighty percent of Millennials sleep with their phones.

Grasping the essential tenants

If you really want to nerd out on the generations, you should pick up any of the classic works written by William Strauss and Neil Howe, who have written foundational academic texts on the ins and outs of generational theory. To give you the CliffsNotes version, we dilute one of the key concepts of their academic tomes here – namely, the essential tenants of how a generation is defined.

A generation is a group of people born within the span of about 15 to 20 years. This span encompasses the length of roughly one life stage. According to Strauss and Howe, three central pieces define a generation:

❯❯ Age location in history

It sounds fancy, but all it means is that a group of people have experienced big historical events, conditions, and trends during the same life stage.

Okay. That was nice and academic, but what does it look like in real life? While coming of age, Baby Boomers can remember how it felt when Neil Armstrong landed on the moon or where they were when JFK was shot. Xers can wistfully list off the first handful of music videos that MTV cycled through and vividly recall the white Bronco car chase. For Millennials, the time the second plane hit the Twin Towers is forever burned into their memories. For each of these events, each generation faced its respective event in the same phase of life, solidifying their age location in history.

❯❯ Common beliefs and behaviors

In large part because of these collective experiences, each cohort shares many similar beliefs, behaviors, traits, values, and motivations.

To breathe life into this academic description, here’s an example: Baby Boomers, especially older Boomers, grew up in a time of massive growth and amazing social change. They tend to be an optimistic and positive bunch. Xers, on the other hand, saw institutions around them crumble and tend to be a skeptical lot. Millennials were encouraged to share their voices at home and work on group projects in school, making them a highly collaborative bunch.

❯❯ Perceived membership

In simplest terms, this is the feeling that you belong to a specific group. Because you belong to a group of your generational peers, you have a common bond. You’re in the members-only club.

Whether in a church congregation, a sorority, or a chess club, everyone has belonged to a group and bonded over their similarities (or their differences from those outside of their group). Generationally, Boomers may feel a sense of belonging when they recognize that their preference for professionalism in the workplace extends to others in their generation. Xers can reminisce about being latchkey kids growing up. Millennials remember AOL chat rooms and laugh about some of their embarrassing screen-name choices. The nostalgia factor in the generational game further strengthens this tenet of belonging.

Classifying the different generations

Now that you know that generational bands span about 15 to 20 years, here is the official breakdown of generations by birth years.

When you’re looking at these birth years, you may be wondering to yourself, “Wait a second. Does this mean that if someone is born on December 31, 1979, and someone else is born on January 1, 1980, that they have two completely different generational perspectives?” Naturally, that would be ludicrous. These birth years are simply a way to frame the generations and serve as a point of reference. It’s the events and conditions that occur during a generation’s formative years that are most important in defining how that cohort behaves. Because of this, you may see other books or articles that cite slightly different birth years. They aren’t set in stone, nor is any aspect of generational theory. It’s what you do with these facts and figures that makes the rubber meet the road.

Linking generations to events and conditions

Events and conditions are the heart and soul of generational theory. It is here that we can identify the key influencers that go into forming generational identities. Before diving deeper into this concept, consider using the exercise in Table 2-1 to get your mind in the right place.

TABLE 2-1 Nostalgia Exercise

After you’ve done this activity yourself, consider using it as a team-building tool with your employees.

Exercise instructions: Find your generation and circle two or three events, conditions, or icons from the corresponding list that you feel had an impact on you. The next part is the hard part: Think about how those things influence who you are today. It’s not just about how it made you feel at the time, which is entertaining and fun, but how it still impacts you. If you are up for an extra challenge, ask yourself: How does this event/condition/icon impact who I am at work?

Below this chart you’ll find examples of what we’ve heard members from each generation say in response to this exercise, but don’t read those until you’ve done the exercise yourself. No cheating. You’ll be disqualified.

To help move the conversation along, or if you’re just curious to know what people typically say, read on:

Traditionalist condition: Radio

“Unlike kids today who get all their news and entertainment from their phones, we all gathered around the radio growing up. Everything from listening to shows like Superman to a presidential address was all audio, so you had to imagine what you couldn’t see. I think that it still makes me better at visualizing things when no picture exists. We may not have had as much information as we do today, but we were still able to make decisions with what we had. At work, I am able to imagine the unseen and make decisions with the information in front of me.”

Baby Boomer event: OPEC oil embargo

“I’ll never forget the gas shortage. I was 14, and my dad made me wake up two hours before the gas station even opened – on our assigned day, no less – to get in line just to fill up our tank. Growing up as a Baby Boomer, it felt like there was never enough for us. We were just such a huge generation that it felt like we were too big for the world that was built for us – we had to fight to get not just what we wanted, but what we needed, whether that was gas, a good grade in school, or a job. Today, it has definitely made me a more competitive person. Just like I got to that gas station two hours before it opened, I’m always the first one in the office. I know that if I don’t do the job right, there are plenty of others who will.”

Generation Xer event: Challenger explosion

“I’ll never forget. I was in eighth grade. The teacher rolled in a TV cart so the whole class could watch the shuttle launch with a teacher on board. Within minutes, the entire classroom was filled with stunned silence as we watched the Challenger explode. I remember being so scared and sad. And then, it didn’t end on the day of the explosion. Cable news replayed the footage over and over and over, and as the months went on, it was discovered that the cause of the explosion could have been prevented, but someone was trying to save a buck. I think that event still impacts who I am today because I just don’t feel like I can trust anyone or any organization. I mean, if NASA is willing to cut corners and put people at risk, who am I to think that my organization wouldn’t do the same?”

Millennial condition: Napster/streaming music

“When I started high school, Napster was all the rage. Until that point, if you wanted to hear a song you had to wait until it came on the radio or buy the entire album. Thanks to Napster, you could listen to any song you wanted with the click of a button, whenever you wanted to. And not only that … it was totally free! I think this has affected me at work in a few ways: My generation expects immediacy, we want to be able to customize our experience at work and not just do things the way as generations past, and at times it’s like we expect to get something for nothing.”

Generation Edge condition: YouTube

“I use YouTube so much in my life right now, it’s hard to think of a time without it. It’s just the greatest tool because I use it to learn how to do anything. I guess my entire generation is self-taught in a way, because if we want to know how to do something, we can YouTube it. And then if we’re especially good at it, we can create our own tutorials!”

Understanding the global influence

Of course the events, conditions, and icons a person experiences are inextricably linked to the country he lives in. Some events have implications worldwide, like world wars, but others, like the tripling of the divorce rate and extreme hikes in college tuition, are specific to the United States. Taking this into account, it should be no surprise that the generations topic plays out differently across the globe. A Boomer in the States is going to have different traits than a Boomer in India. Primarily in the West, certain countries show generational similarities across borders in large part due to similar access to technological innovation and shared experiences of international events. However, in more emerging economies like China and India, there can be stark differences from country to country. Research has shown that when it comes specifically to Millennials and Generation Edge, because of globalization and the Internet, there are more similarities than differences across the globe.

Immigration and ethnicity

How does a Millennial whose grandparents and even great-grandparents grew up in the United States differ from a Millennial who is a first-generation immigrant? The answer is slightly complicated. Most simply, generational theory has a cyclical component to it. Research has found that first-generation immigrants tend to behave much like the Traditionalist generation (loyal, hard-working, patriotic, grateful for the job). The second generation tends to behave more like Boomers (pushing for more education, finding ways to get ahead, working within established systems), with the third generation acting more like Generation Xers (questioning the status quo, not totally trusting institutions, finding individual paths). These are only general trends, but they should help give a framework for examining people you work with from an immigration perspective.

As we mention earlier, people are multilayered and complicated. It is not enough to just throw a generational label on them and move on. The key is to understand that several factors are at play, and immigration and ethnicity are important lenses.