The Miscellaneous Ramblings of a Gen Xer

Like a lot of people, I have a natural curiosity about the various generations in the work force.?Most of the information is, of course, generalizations of a group.?I hope this does not come as a surprise, but we as individuals are not determined by our generational characteristics.?The real value is how we can leverage experiences of various individuals within multiple generations to create great value via diversity.?

As a Gen Xer it is natural to start having thoughts about time, life, career. I look back with amazement and gratitude of all the individuals I have met, worked with and who, for better or worse, have helped shape who I am today.?

At this stage of my career, I am asking some questions.?What do I still want to accomplish? The real question is…. what do I want to do with my most valuable and precious resource…my time??Do I reflect, act or both??The answer is in the famous words of Star Lord at the end of the Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 1 “a bit of both.”?

There is great value in having extensive life and work experience.?This is even true in our fast-changing environment.?Life experience is the human version of Chat GPT.?Improving over time (hopefully that is ??).?It is lessons learned from many experiences.?The best lessons are those lessons learned by mistakes. We can leverage that experience and yes…wisdom to the issues and challenges that arising in today’s workforce.

What also happens with time and experience…we can “naturally” make determinations without thought.?Our “inner AI” can jump to conclusions without assessing all the information.?This information or cognitive bias can become problematic if we are not aware of what is happening to our thoughts.???

How can we combat this??In the words of Walt Whitman (even with the debate of its origins), but made recently popular by Ted Lasso, “Be curious, not judgmental.” ?In simple, practical terms this means listen more, talk less.?Ask more questions, make less statements.?

In my experience I have noticed there are different ways people view themselves in my generation.?Some say you “can’t teach an old dog new tricks” or “I am the way I am.”?That mindset just fosters complacency and does not promote personal or professional growth.?

Others are still looking for growth and change.?Change can happen, but it may not be easy.?Don’t be afraid to reinvent yourself or intentionally put yourself in uncomfortable situations.?Discomfort can create growth regardless of your age.?

I would love to hear from others. ??What are some generational tendencies you see??What have you seen in terms of successful multi-generational teams?????