June 2024
The Multigenerational Workforce and The Lifeboat
By Ron Hewett
Picture this: An eclectic mix of Baby Boomers, Gen Xers, Millennials, and Gen Zers, each with unique experiences, skills, and perspectives, all converging within the same organizational lifeboat. This diverse ensemble, spanning decades of history and innovation, is not just navigating the turbulent seas of modern business but also collaborating to steer towards a shared horizon. People often find multigenerational workforces particularly challenging due to differences in communication styles, values, technological proficiency, work-life balance expectations, career development, and feedback preferences. "Mayday! Abandon Ship! Man the Lifeboats!" Are you up for the challenge?
Daily we get reminders via various blog and journal articles of how differently today's workforce generations approach their work. Terms like "silent quitting," "ghosting," and "purge the bosses" frequently surface, along with plenty of finger-pointing across electronic media platforms. It's enough for anyone in a position of leadership to want to wring their hands. I repeatedly notice this on the second day of our 3-day Battleship North Carolina Leadership Course. Initially, participants are energized, but their mood shifts as we delve into the fundamentals of creating a motivational climate. They become thoughtful when confronted with the day-to-day challenges of managing a multigenerational workforce. Indeed, it's the gorilla in the room.
At this point I must admit to the class that I come with a perspective of optimism. I served 24 years in the U.S. Navy and morphed from a youthful Ensign to a Pentagon-tested Captain, went on to teach high school for several years, and later joined the maritime industry as an executive working on the waterfront in the midst of union labor. I have seen work life from all sides and all ages and agree with Gerhardt, Nachemson, and Fogel, authors of Gentelligence: The Revolutionary Approach to Leading an Intergenerational Workforce, that a diverse workforce leads to "more creativity, resilience, effectiveness, and profitability." So, I suggest, if there is so much to gain from a multigenerational workforce, why not look at the half-full glass and not dwell on the half-empty?
That's my que to use some of the points in Gentelligence to lead the class through a discussion of how we got to where we are because of the differences in perspectives brought into the workforce by the different generations. The authors make it clear that to understand today, we need to juxtapose the various circumstances each generation grew up with and how those circumstances formed their attitudes toward work and socialization. For instance, the older generation comes with an attitude of "make do" and focus on getting the job done. Younger generations are more inquisitive and voice different demands. Today we are all dealing with different levels of success with the digital age. The book goes into a much more detailed breakdown of the differences and reasons for them. Psychologists may describe it more eloquently, but suffice it to say, we are products of our past. Why not use the lessons absorbed by a variety of generations to become better problem solvers as a whole?
So let me put my Naval background to work and give you my lifeboat analogy. Whether you go on a relaxing vacation cruise or get underway aboard a modern Naval vessel, you will at some point take part in a Lifeboat Drill. On the cruise ship you may be nonchalant about it, but whether you like it or not, understanding the mechanics of the drill may spell the difference in life and death. The Navy takes it very seriously because you run across adversaries whose intent is to sink your ship.
As the drill is announced over the loudspeakers, you are told the direction of the nearest friendly land and prepare to abandon ship. Your training kicks in and you review your priorities to consume as much water as you can and bring critical items with you such as navigation aids, long sleeve shirt, ball cap, food rations if available and medical supplies. You hustle to your lifeboat station and muster with the crew chief. In reality, the ship would be starting to roll onto its side as it starts to go under, you would smell smoke and probably see flames.
You are looking at your shipmates who gather with you at the lifeboat, some wounded, and suddenly you are confronted with a new reality. Regardless of your age, your ethnicity, political views or petty dislikes for each other, you realize that you are now totally interdependent for your survival. Regardless as to how long you think you will cohabitate in the lifeboat, your focus now shifts from your personal priorities to one purpose—contribute your capabilities to survive. Aboard the lifeboat, you have no choice. Diversity of ideas and variety of contributions now become an asset. No other thoughts are as important to your success of getting through this ordeal.
Recently I watched a PBS program on the sinking of the battle cruiser, USS Indianapolis, by a Japanese submarine in the later stages of WWII. The survivors had to endure 4 days of shark infested water before being rescued. Their mutually shared survival techniques and sense of purpose saved many of them.
The military has always trained teams to understand the value of priority awareness and shared sense of purpose. As leaders in business and society we owe it to the generations that came before us to develop the same mindset of shared purpose within our multigenerational resources. Understand why we are different, and cherish the value of diverse opinions and contributions. We're all in this boat together.
