1.
Generational Conflict in the Workplace

2.
www.scottdaviscre.com

3.
GI
(1901-1924)
Gen X
(1961-1980)
Silent
(1925-1942)
Millennial
(1981-2004)
Baby Boom
(1943-1960)
Homeland
(2005-)

4.
No, I've never
noticed, 16%
Yes, there are, but
they NEVER pose
challenges, 12%
Yes, they
SOMETIME
S/OFTEN
pose
challenges,
72%
Neil Howe & Reena Nadler, WHY GENERATIONS MATTER: Ten Findings from LifeCourse
Research on the Workforce, Feb 28, 2012

5.
"I see no hope for the future of
our people if they are dependent
on the frivolous youth of
today, for they are reckless
beyond words. When I was
young, we were taught to be
discreet, respectful of elders, but
the
present
youth
are
exceedingly disrespectful and
impatient.“
– Socrates, c. 400 BC
Image credit: marzolino / 123RF Stock Photo

6.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Pragmatic
Cynical
Value liberty, survival
Children of Artist
Children in Awakening
Nomad
•
•
•
•
•
Principled, creative
Ruthless, narcissistic
Value vision, values
Children of Hero
Children in High
•
•
•
•
•
Open-minded, expert
Sentimental
Value due process
Children of Nomad
Children in Crisis
Hero
Prophet
Rational, Competent
Unreflective, bold
Value community
Children of Prophet
Elder in Awakening
Artist

7.
• Gen X
• GI
• Millennials
Nomad
Prophet
• Boomers
Hero
Artist
• Silent
• Homeland

8.
Nomad
Washington
Hero
Jefferson
Artist
T Roosevelt
Image credit: paolag / 123RF Stock Photo
Prophet
Lincoln

9.
Hero: GI (1901-1924), Millennial
(1981-2004)
Artist: Silent (1925-1942), Homeland
(2005-Present)
Prophet: Baby Boom (1943-1960)
Nomad: Generation X (1961-1980)

10.
24,000
23,000
22,000
21,000
20,000
19,000
18,000
17,000
Homeland
41 million
16,000
Under 5 to 9
5 years years
Generation X
61 million
Millennials
85 million
10 to
14
years
15 to
19
years
20 to
24
years
25 to
29
years
30 to
34
years
35 to
39
years
40 to
44
years
Series 1
Baby Boomers
81 million
45 to
49
years
50 to
54
years
55 to
59
years
60 to
64
years
Silent & GI
58 million
65 to
74
years
75 to
84
years
85
years
and
over

11.
Shortage
Equilibrium
Surplus
World Economic Forum, Stimulating Economies Through Tenant Mobility, 2010

12.
4.5 M Millennials/year
enter economy w/ 130M jobs
160,000
120,000
4.5 M Boomers/year
enter economy w/ 50M jobs
80,000
40,000
0
F-48
F-52
F-56
F-60
F-64
F-68
F-72
F-76
F-80
F-84
F-88
Total Non-Farm Payroll, Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2013
F-92
F-96
F-00
F-04
F-08
F-12

13.
Image credit: violanda / 123RF Stock Photo

14.
-37%
Absenteeism
-25%
High-Turnover Orgs.
Low-Turnover Orgs
-65%
Safety Incidents
-48%
Patient Safety Incidents
-41%
Quality (Defects)
-41%
10%
Customer
Productivity
21%
Profitability
22%
-80%
-60%
-40%
-20%
0%
20%
40%
Gallup, State of the American Workforce: Employment Engagement Insights for US Business
Leaders, 2013

15.
Image credit: michaeljung / 123RF Stock Photo

16.
 Selfless, rational, competent
 Unreflective, mechanistic, overbold
 Community, affluence, technology
 Children of Prophet Generation
 Young adult in Crisis, Elders in Awakening
 Thomas Jefferson, John Kennedy, Walt Disney, Ronald
Reagan, Mark Zuckerburg
 Millennial (1982-2004), GI (1901-1924)

17.
 Hero Generation
 Born 1983 – 2004
 Politics: Clinton-Lewinsky, No Child Left
Behind, relatively stable political
culture, 9/11, War on Terror
 Society: helicopter parents, every body gets
a ribbon, zero tolerance, social
media, diversity, self-esteem
 Business: Technology bubble, startups, Facebook, Google, Apple, Netflix
 Culture: focused on technology, celebrity
sex tapes, “famous for being
famous”, sharing

18.
 Be brutally honest in the interview
 Don’t hire them if you sense a whiff of entitlement
 Do a hunger check
 Everyone announces themselves in the interview
 Shake them up a little
 When you find the good ones, help them move up – even if that means losing them
Lesley Jane Seymour, How I Hire: 6 Ways I Find and Hire Hardworking Millennials, Sept 24, 2103

19.
 Principled, resolute, creative
 Narcissistic, presumptious, ruthless
 Vision, Values, Religion
 Children of Hero Generation
 Children in post-crisis, young adult in Awakening
 Ben Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin
Roosevelt, Steve Jobs, Bill Clinton
 Baby Boom (1943-1960)

20.
 Prophet Generation
 Born 1943 – 1960
 Politics: Eisenhower, JFK/LBJ – Great
Society, Moon Landing, Civil
Rights, Vietnam, Riots
 Society: mass movement to
suburbs, consumer culture, child-focused
because of boom
 Business: “Business of America is
Business”, creation of large national
corporations, challenge to be noticed at
work
 Culture: focused on
values, family, “truth, justice and the
American way”

21.
4.5 M Millennials/year
enter economy w/ 130M jobs
160,000
120,000
4.5 M Boomers/year
enter economy w/ 50M jobs
80,000
40,000
0
F-48
F-52
F-56
F-60
F-64
F-68
F-72
F-76
F-80
F-84
F-88
Total Non-Farm Payroll, Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2013
F-92
F-96
F-00
F-04
F-08
F-12

22.
 Protecting through involvement
 What’s best for the GROUP of children
 Giving children what they need to be
successful
 Aspirational – you can do anything!
 Everybody wins
Adapted from Frank N. Magid Associates, The Pluralist Generation, 2012

23.
50%
Percentage who DISAGREE: "I believe in
working only so long as it adds value for the
client or customer. Working harder or longer is
pointless."
46%
40%
36%
32%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Boomer
Gen X
Millennial
Neil Howe & Reena Nadler, WHY GENERATIONS MATTER: Ten Findings from LifeCourse
Research on the Workforce, Feb 28, 2012

24.
Alan Framm, One In Four Working Baby Boomers Say They'll Never Retire, Survey
Finds, Huffington Post: Retirement, 4/5/11, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/05/babyboomers-retirement-fears_n_844957.html

25.
 Emphasize how the company mission affects the customer or
the greater society at large
 Involve them in decision making processes
 Lead and establish authority by example
 Encourage them to forge social connections in the workplace
 Understand they may want to communicate differently:
memos/phone calls vs. email/texts
 Try to limit “office politics” in work assignments and evaluations
 Provide continual training and assistance with technology

26.
 Savvy, practical, perceptive
 Unfeeling, uncultured, amoral
 Liberty, survival, honor
 Children of Artist Generation
 Children in Awakening, midlife in Crisis
 Queen Elizabeth I, George Washington, Ulysses
Grant, George Patton, Harry Truman
 Generation X (1961-1981)

27.
 Nomad Generation
 Born 1961 – 1982
 Politics: Nixon resignation, Energy
crisis, Iranian hostage crisis, IranContra, Challenger, Gulf War
 Society: end of 1960s, “Me” decade, divorce
revolution, working Moms, “quality
time”, latchkey kids, Catholic church/Boy
Scouts abuse
 Business: downsizing, multinational
corporations
 Culture: focused on technology, nontraditional families, independent
youth, alienation

28.
65%
59%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
Women
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Men
Sylvia Ann Hewlett and Lauren Leader-Chivée, The X Factor: Tapping into the Strengths of the
33- to 46-Year-old Generation, Center for Work Life Policy, 2011

29.
Sylvia Ann Hewlett and Lauren Leader-Chivée, The X Factor: Tapping into the Strengths of the
33- to 46-Year-old Generation, Center for Work Life Policy, 2011

30.
 Try to find opportunities for advancement
 Xers are caught between Boomers who
expect face time and Millennials who expect
work life balance
 Measure performance by
accomplishment/achievement
 Allow them to work independently or look for
“entrepreneurship” opportunities
 Eliminate red-tape and bureaucracy
 Provide continual training and assistance
with technology

31.
90%
81%
80%
70%
71%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
14%
12%
8%
10%
0%
Baby Boomer
Generation X
Importance
Millennials
Satisfaction
LifeCourse Associates, INDEPENDENT INSURANCE AGENTS AND BROKERS: THE
GENERATION GAP, 2012

32.
 Authority – How to be an authority to older customers
 Communications competence – talk on the phone
 Endurance – stick with the program long enough to
be successful
 Social Networking – how to leverage your social
network for business, and how to do old-school in
person networking

33.
Help the client identify explicit need
Let the client know you understand the need
Bring focus on how your solution (you) solves
the need
ASK FOR THE BUSINESS

34.
PRELIMINARIES
5%
80%
DEMONTRATING
CAPABILITIES
10%
INVESTIGATING
5%
OBTAINING
COMMITMENT
Successful sales professionals put their main
effort here.

35.
Image credit: stlylephotographs / 123RF Stock Photo

36.
Sales call
reluctance is
the fear of
self-promotion
in professional
sales
.

37.
Not
Selling, 59
.0%
CSO Insight, 2011
Selling, 41
.0%

38.
35000
30000
Opportunity
Gap
25000
20000
15000
10000
5000
0
11-Jan
11-Feb
11-Mar
11-Apr
11-May
11-Jun
Anticipated Calls
11-Jul
11-Aug
Cumulative Calls
11-Sep
11-Oct
11-Nov
11-Dec

39.
Category
Anticipated Calls
Cumulative Calls
Missed Calls
Missed Meetings
Missed Deals (1/4)
Average Commission
Missed Revenue
Metric
32,700
26,501
(6,199)
(32)
(8)
$30,000
$(240,000)

40.
 Introduce two other connectors
 Introduce two people with an idea in mind
 Have a dinner of interesting people
 Follow up
 Re-establish contact
 Show up
 Interview people
 Produce something of value
 Time
James Altrucher, Become a SuperConnector, October 2011
Image credit: Ratchanida Thippayos / 123RF Stock
Photo

41.
You should feel the
greatest satisfaction if one
day your subordinate can
do your job better than
you ever did, not
disparaging. For this is
the ultimate in
achievement …. The next
generation must be more
than ready to fill our
shoes; they must be
ready to run faster in
them.
-Lieutenant Col. Om Prakash, 87th Flying
Training Squadron commander