Old-fashioned bosses or young managers stuck in adolescence? .
X, Y, and soon Z, each generation follows the next and is not like any other—except in its difficulty to be understood by the one before it. The baby boomers certainly had as much trouble with their elders as the Ys will have with the Xs and so on. In short, each generation views the new wave of young professionals as though they were a bunch of space aliens, while the newcomers, for their part, find their elders out of date and not in synch with the “new realities.”
The generational shock has therefore always existed. Nothing is new except that the notion of the 
hierarchy is changing. Nowadays, it is no longer systematically seniority that guarantees status and power, but competence—which has nothing to do with age. It is said that “Worth is not measured by age,” but this is not easy to accept by older workers. Although younger generations are more highly educated and more knowledgeable, they are less tolerant of authority and expect the workplace to be collaborative, team-based environment that allows for entrepreneurship and creativity.
Young professionals are used to coping with change and know that they will have to adapt and be responsible for their own career development. Global access to information, and the speed of creation of new technologies enable young workers to be even more effective. The student now surpasses the master much more quickly than before. While some people are still struggling to understand how the new e-mail system works, the wiz kids have already explored the most advanced functions on their blackberries. Many senior managers are disconcerted and often technologically clueless compared to their young recruits, and consequently feel threatened. There is, however, a way to avoid conflict and learn from one another. Sceptical? Here are a few essential principles to apply, whether you are 25 or 55:
- Respect one another. Learn to listen to other people and give them room. Accept each others’ differences, and seek to understand where they are coming from to incorporate them into the group. Welcoming young professionals onto your team and treating them as equals implies accepting to have your usual processes questioned. It’s not because you have always done things a certain way that you shouldn’t try something new. Sharing ideas and experiences creates positive emulation.
– Forget preconceived notions and pat phrases! “In my day, we would never have done it like that!” or “He’s really not with it; he doesn’t understand anything.” Don’t seek to show your superiority by flaunting your knowledge and information—share them instead. Never say things like, “When you’re at my level, you’ll see that you can no longer… ” or “When I was starting out, I would never have done that…” or “In my MBA classes, I learned the very latest methods for … so let me tell you that your processes are really passé!” These types of gratuitous statements are frankly annoying to all concerned.
- Be patient. Remind yourself that when you started your career, you often stamped with impatience when your boss did not move your projects along as fast as you would have liked. For younger people, it also means that sometimes, taking your time allows you to better grasp the underlying issues of a project or business problem in order to avoid rushing head first—right into a wall.
- Know how to recognize value in the other person. If you decided to hire that younger worker, surely you had good reasons? Why then not give him or her the opportunity to prove him or herself? On the other side of the coin, realize that you just might have something to learn from your boss’s grey hairs. Trust him or her and ask questions.
- Be aware of your limits. Recently, a typical generation X manager told me that he successfully managed a team of workers older than him. He confided that his secret was to readily admit his shortcomings and draw on the workers’ experience by assigning them projects in areas he did not excel in. Finally, a bit of humility never hurt anyone.
- Trust each other. Let younger workers figure things out for themselves, and allow them to them gain some hands-on experience, even if it means making mistakes. Many of the managers I asked about this all told me similar stories about bright, ambitious young workers who systematically wanted to “do things their way.” Recognizing their underlying potential, the managers let them go ahead and “make mistakes” while discreetly keeping an eye out. The results were often surprising. Seeing their mistakes, the young workers gained maturity and accepted advice from those with more experience (of course, be careful that you do not exaggerate and humiliate them). In this way, managers succeeded in creating a joint experience combining respect, trust and patience.
In summary, generational conflict can be avoided by seeking to build a sustainable relation based on sound values. Now don’t you think that’s wise?