This is a unique time in the workplace where there can exist four generations in the same office and even the same working team. Managing across generations is essential.

1.
Art
of
the
W ingman
for
Business
is
dedicated
to
the
businesswomen
and
businessmen
who
seek
greatness
beyond
their
own
and
find
their
successes
through
helping
others
succeed.
The
Business
Wingman
follows
the
path
of
the
selfless
person.
Managing
Across
Generations
Key
Points
• Lead
by
example,
respect
everyone’s
diversity
• Do
your
research,
every
generation
lives
by
a
different
code
• Unify
the
team
with
common
goals
and
expectations
We
are
in
a
unique
time
in
the
workplace,
where
there
can
exist
four
different
generations
in
the
same
office
and
even
the
same
working
team.
If
this
resembles
your
team,
then
I’m
sure
you
have
experienced
the
vast
differences
in
how
each
of
those
team
members
both
approach
problems
and
work
together
with
others
in
the
workplace.
These
varying
differences
typically
can
cause
trust
issues
and
discipline
problems
within
teams
especially
when
a
30-­‐year
veteran
of
the
workplace
learns
one
day
that
his
new
manager
is
a
young
female
in
her
late
20’s
with
less
than
10
years
of
experience
but
with
multiple
degrees.
This
situation
requires
the
morale
and
leadership
of
a
Business
Wingman
to
help
minimize
any
issues
that
may
come
up.
Managing
across
generations
is
essential
to
the
success
of
the
team.

2. 1) Lead
by
example,
respect
everyone’s
diversity
In
every
office
and
in
every
team,
there
is
going
to
be
a
time
when
rumors
start
and
someone
says
something
that
is
taken
out
context.
It’s
typically
a
he
said/she
said
situation
where
someone
makes
a
big
assumption
based
on
stereotypes.
And
now
you
have
a
situation
where
tempers
can
rise
and
productivity
can
fall.
This
may
be
a
time
where
a
team
member
from
the
Baby
Boomer
generation
(Ted
for
example)
sees
a
much
younger
team
member
from
the
Millennial
Generation
(John
for
example)
watching
shows
on
Hulu.com
for
lunch
and
simply
assumes
that
John
is
lazy
and
wasting
time
at
work.
John
is
a
proven
hard
worker
with
a
strong
work
ethic
but
has
decided
that
since
he
is
on
lunch
and
in
not
required
to
work
during
lunch,
that
he
can
spend
his
lunch
any
way
he
wants.
Ted
on
the
other
hand
comes
from
generation
where
work
is
taken
seriously
throughout
the
day
and
there
is
no
time
for
being
lazy.
As
a
Business
Wingman,
it
is
your
responsibility
to
help
diminish
the
situation
and
set
a
new
tone
for
the
team
and
squash
the
problem.
Lead
by
example
and
show
how
the
team
should
respect
everyone’s
diversity.
Help
explain
to
Ted
that
this
is
not
a
problem
and
reinforce
to
Ted
that
you
also
think
it’s
ok
and
that
John
is
still
a
valued
hard-­‐working
member
of
the
team.
It’s
the
little
things
that
matter.
2) Do
your
research,
every
generation
lives
by
a
different
code
Although
we
are
referring
to
4
different
working
generations,
I
am
going
to
remove
the
Traditional
Generation
(also
known
as
the
Greatest
Generation)
from
the
example
and
focus
on
Baby
Boomers,
Generation
X
and
Millennials.
There
is
a
great
article
from
Workforce
Central
Florida
that
explains
the
working
characteristics
of
the
generations
of
working
Americans,
and
we
will
be
taking
some
references
from
them.
Working
Characteristics
of
Baby
Boomers
Since
Baby
Boomers
grew
up
during
a
time
of
war
and
constantly
battled
authority
and
lived
to
fight
for
their
rights,
they
tend
to
disagree
with
strong
authoritative
management
and
are
the
first
to
speak
out
in
disagreement.
Boomers
don’t
quickly
take
to
technology
when
it
comes
to
having
meetings.
They
prefer
to
communicate
one-­‐on-­‐one
and
like
to
look
someone
in
the
eyes
when
asking
questions.
Boomers
are
not
found
of
flexible
or
relaxed
work
schedules.
Boomers
are
proud
of
their
professional
career
and
accomplishments
(rewards
and
recognitions).
They
prefer
a
competitive
working
environment,
quality
of
work
and
being
personally
involved.
When
rewarding
Boomers,
do
it
in
the
form
of
money
or
title
recognition.

3. Working
Characteristics
of
Generation
X
Generation
X
(also
known
as
Gen
X)
grew
up
in
the
shadows
of
Baby
Boomers
and
recognized
their
extreme
work
ethic.
Because
of
this,
Gen
Xers
work
hard
but
prefer
to
work
in
companies
that
offer
a
strong
work/life
balance.
Gen
Xers
are
naturally
independent
and
entrepreneurs
at
heart.
They
are
constantly
looking
to
re-­‐evaluate
their
career
path
and
because
of
that,
they
focus
on
the
skills
and
experience
of
the
job
rather
than
the
relationships
that
can
be
built.
Changing
jobs
every
3
to
4
years
is
not
uncommon.
Gen
Xers
are
tech
friendly
and
would
rather
communicate
through
IM
or
email
than
have
in-­‐person
meetings
so
that
they
can
multi-­‐task.
Working
Characteristics
of
Millennial
Generation
The
Millennials
(Generation
Y)
are
also
known
as
the
Internet
Generation
and
the
Echo
Boomers,
are
the
youngest
in
the
workforce.
This
generation
grew
up
in
a
world
already
inundated
with
technology
and
multitasking,
which
translates
to
being
flighty,
non-­‐committal,
and
with
low
attention
spans.
Millennials
have
also
been
known
to
be
the
entitled
working
generation
where
they
feel
that
because
they
choose
to
work,
they
are
entitled
to
flexible
work
schedules,
instant
feedback,
recognition,
and
high
expectations
from
their
employer.
Millennials
are
extremely
comfortable
with
technology
and
prefer
to
use
it
to
communicate
rather
than
meet
in
person.
Millennials
also
seek
work-­‐life
balance
and
lack
loyalty
to
a
workplace
and
it’s
employees;
it’s
all
about
the
experience
of
the
position.
They
tend
to
be
entrepreneurial
and
goal
oriented,
but
work
is
a
means
to
an
end.
3) Unify
the
team
with
common
goals
and
expectations
After
reading
about
the
vast
differences
among
the
generations
in
the
workplace,
it’s
easy
to
see
that
there
can
clearly
arise
differences
and
arguments
among
the
team.
Your
role
as
the
Business
Wingman
is
to
identify
these
misunderstanding
and
mitigate
the
risk
before
anything
happens.
I’m
not
saying
that
you
should
become
the
team
babysitter
and
listen
to
gossip
all
day.
I
am
saying
that
this
effort
is
a
part
of
your
everyday
management
and
leadership
among
the
team.
For
example,
rather
than
encouraging
others
to
hold
their
opinions
to
themselves
and
letting
pent
up
anger
and
frustration
build,
it’s
imperative
that
you
notate
that
there
are
differences
in
how
we
approach
each
situation.
Reinforce
to
the
team
that
everyone
is
diverse,
unique
in
their
experience
and
wisdom,
but
each
person
is
here
because
they
bring
a
certain
element
to
the
table
and
together
they
can
make
something
great.
Then
by
identifying
a
common
goal
to
reach
for
and
an
understood
set
of
expectations,
you
can
start
to
see
the
team
unite
to
help
each
other
solve
problems
and
approach
the
situation
differently.
Visit
our
blog
at
http://www.artofthewingman.com.