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Topic of the Week: Talking About My Generation: Managing Different Ages at Work

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Topic of the Week  Talking About My Generation: Managing Different Ages at Work

• DO appreciate differences.
• DO accept there is no truth.
• DO look for common ground.
• DON'T expect problems.

Generations may come together in Sweden for Donald Duck, but it's often tougher to bring together different ages in today's workplace. Much tougher. That's why I've included three Do's and one Don't for surviving working alongside your parents, your kids and everyone in between at work. For more, check out, Meaghan & Larry Johnson's book, "Generations, Inc." (Amacom, 2010).

DO appreciate differences. It's easy to get annoyed at the young kids who don't really understand how the workplace operates or the older people who you think are past their sell-by-date. Adopting either attitude will limit your effectiveness at work. You'll get more done if you learn how to appreciate, and leverage, the differences that each generation brings to work. Viva la difference.

DO accept there is no truth. If you read the literature on generations at work you'll learn all sorts of generalities about Millenials, Gen-Xers, boomers and the greatest generation. Millenials like challenges, Gen-Xers have trust issues with Boomers, many Boomers have control issues, etc. But you need to be careful, as much as there are common patterns and attitudes among members of each generation, there are also many differences. So you've got to be careful to not jump to conclusions to quickly, just like I did earlier in this paragraph. Take the time to get to know your people and what they value.

DO look for common ground. Whenever I think of finding common ground at work among generations, I always think of Tony Bennett. Popular among the oldsters in today's workplace, he's also created an entire generation of younger fans too. And many of the situation comedies that older folks watched as kids have become popular again among a much younger generation because they watched the same programs on cable as they were growing up too. You can mine this shared experience to create metaphors that will work for people who are 25 or 52.

DON'T expect problems. If you approach multigenerational workforces as an opportunity rather than a headache you just might be surprised. Create situations where they can come together to get the most out of their different experiences and insights.

Follow these tips and you won't have to duck when different generations come to work, you'll discover that people can actually learn from each other.

About the Author: Bob Rosner is a best-selling author and award-winning journalist. For free job and work advice, check out the award-winningworkplace911.com. Check the revised edition of his Wall Street Journal best seller, "The Boss's Survival Guide." If you have a question for Bob, contact him via bob@workplace911.com.

Thought of the Week

""Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding." "

–Albert Einstein

Weekly Comic by Jerry King

Blog of the Week

Top Five News Headlines

List of the Week

from CareerBuilder.com

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• Worker burnout: 32 percent
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• Can't find high-skilled applicants: 24 percent
• Don't have the budget to recruit: 13 percent

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