All Generations Matter Because Your Generation Matters

Dear Reader:

For most of us this has been a season of strife: horrendous wars, unimaginable hurricane damage, and an election season that defies logic. I decided to initiate a group hug by sending you this missive I wrote in January 2022.

Cholé Simone Valdary, founder of diversity and resilience training company Theory of Enchantment, sums it up well: “A person cannot love another human being or treat another human being with the dignity they deserve if they do not love themselves.”

I started generational inclusion consulting in response to the hostile work environment encountered by Millennials. I knew first-hand that this generation was brimming with potential, so why were Boomer bosses finding it so hard to accept difference? Us vs. them aspersions flew in all directions. Sometimes overt; often covert.

My questions were 1) Do you understand the real vs. imagined differences between generations? 2) Do you understand how generational differences impact the way we work? 3) Do you know generational identity means a paradox of gifts and weaknesses?

The first thing we do in my introductory course is gather as many company members as possible for a conversation in which all generations hears why their generation matters. I lay down each generation’s origin story and let participants weave their own story from what they hear.

Believe it or not, through this simple act of storytelling—and affirming the power of one’s own generation—defenses are replaced by empathy. From there we can move on to challenges we all share.

Millennials often tell me it’s the first time they hadn’t felt shamed during a generational diversity discussion. Boomers say it’s easier to take responsibility for helping younger people because they could accept the different contexts in which every generation came of age.

Here’s the bottom line: We can’t love our neighbor, or our neighboring generations, unless we love ourselves. And it’s difficult to love yourself when bombarded by ageism or ageist messages.

So the first step of helping all generations matter is first recognizing, owning, and loving your generation. Knowing and loving the characteristics, challenges, and wins of your generation is the place to start.

Your generation matters. By resisting assumptions, building empathy, strengthening trust, and finding win-wins, all generations can matter. Your Generation Matters helps us get to all generations matter!

Is this one way we can be kind to ourselves and each other?

More soon,