What do you think of when hear the phrase, “Kennedy died”? Do you think of a gun shot in Dallas or do you think of a plane crash near Martha’s Vineyard . On the other hand, maybe you think Kennedy Who? Depending on what generation you are part of may depend on what answer comes first to your mind.
I have been doing a lot of reading about generational differences (preparing my annotated bibliography). There are so many differences of how we might relate depending when (the year) we were born. Of course, these differences between generations are generalizations. However, it is so interesting to note their differences.
I was born the last year of the Baby Boomer (1946-1964) generation. I relate probably more towards the X (1965-1980) generation. My children were born in the era of the Y (1981-1995) generation; the youngest of this generation are High School students today. The oldest are the young teachers that are joining our ranks.
So this is the situation. In our schools, we have a mix of generations, three sometimes four, (The Silent Generation; 1925-1942) serving as teachers, college professors, and administrators. Because these differences are sometimes so prevalent, the questions are.
1. Can we work together?
2. Will the teachers of the Y generation find their place in a school culture mostly built on the ideals of the Baby Boomer generation?
Aside: Even though the Baby Boomer generation is growing towards retirement, many are delaying when they will retire. Teachers of the Y generation are leaving the teaching field only after three to five years of teaching.
Leading this mixed group of generations can be a challenge. Is this not another aspect of transnational leadership? Not only are we to cross cultural differences but also generational differences.
However, leadership can bring out the best each generation has to offer. The winners if this can be accomplished are the generations to follow. Generation Z (1996-2009) and Generation Alpha (2009- ).
You post good questions about dilemmas in leadership. What comes to my mind is the continuum we looked at in Transnational Leadership. I suspect we go back and forth on that continuum trying to find a place to stand. That is one definition of leadership.
ReplyDeleteSome employers are concerned that Millennials have too great expectations from the workplace. Studies predict that Generation Y will switch jobs frequently, holding far more than Generation X due to their great expectations. To better understand this mindset, many large firms are currently studying this conflict and are trying to devise new programs to help older employees understand Millennials, while at the same time making Millennials more comfortable.
ReplyDeleteI retrieve this information from Wikipedia. Although it not an authoritative site, I thought this was interesting. I am part of Generation Y, and I think it is silly that companies are trying to help employees "understand" Millennials and trying to make Millenials more comfortable. Part of the problem is Millenials need to learn to understand the generations ahead of them, not the other way around. We (me and the rest of the Millenials) might actually stick it out in a profession for a respectable amount of time if we stopped crying about being "misunderstood" by older generations and started to learn a thing or two from them.
Wow......I agree Ben. One of the biggest things that I have observed jus this week is that as times change, the older generations (who have been in education for a very long time) have had enough of the "Changes" taking place. The newer generations don't seem to have the work ethic, the need for educators to be servant leaders, even though they have the knowledge of technology that many of the older generation do not possess. This is not to say that there are any from all generations.....just the majority as a whole. As Leaders, regardless of profession - how do we get people on board for something other than materialistic reasons.....??? How do we get them to see beyond what's in it for them???
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