I purchased a “new” used car last week from a college student who wanted to “downsize” his vehicle. This was my first purchase of an automobile from an individual. He was well organized with his “Bill of Sale” and all other proper paperwork. I don’t know that at his age I would have been that savvy, but then I wasn’t using the Internet at his age.
This weekend, I realized I would be 50 sooner than I cared to think. Not like next year but in just a few years. This revelation along with the experience of purchasing the car really caused me to think about generations.
There is no way I can explain to my grandfather (age 84) what I do for a living. I’m not sure I would even understand it if someone tried to explain it to me. However, I have no doubt that the college guy would get it and fast.
It is interesting to note that there is a lot of writing in the media today about generational differences in the workplace. This blend of talent, knowledge and workstyles presents both challenges and opportunities. The collective knowledge and creativity is overwhelming and presents the opportunity to innovate in unforeseen ways.
The challenge is providing a balance to the work methods and expectations to accomplish business goals. Generation Xers, myself included, bridge the gap between the Boomers and Millenials. Perhaps not as well as we should, but we can talk gaming and social media as well as music and politics depending upon the audience. We also understand the motivations and preferred work methods of both styles.
The academic librarians I know are doing a great job of reaching out to their undergraduates. The librarians I know in corporate environments work hard to create training opportunities that bridge the generation gap. Teaching new legal research tools to attorneys requires diligence and creativity because all three working generations have to learn the tools.
Do you have a bridge maker leading your corporate training efforts? Are you motivating the millenials while teaching the boomers in their preferred learning styles?
