Page 36 - Becoming a Successful Manager

The Staff Mosaic—Working Together 27

mentary workers based on their generational skills as well as their
functional skills. At the end of this chapter we provide a table of
“generational traits.” The Discovery Lesson will encourage you to
review your staff and see how to best match people based on their
relative strengths and weaknesses. Here are a few examples of how
to do that.
Gen-Y folks are creative, optimistic, achievement-oriented,
and tech-savvy. They seek out creative challenges, personal
growth, and meaningful careers. So what do they want? They look
for supervisors and mentors who embrace their creative energy
and encourage their professional development.
Traditionalists can teach Gen-Y folks the value of fi nesse,
face-to-face conversations, and building trust over time. At the
same time the Traditionalists can feed off the creative energy and
technological mastery Millennial or Gen-X team members pos-
sess. Then everybody wins!
Baby Boomers often equate high salaries and long hours with
success and commitment to the workplace. High levels of responsi-
bility, perks, praise, and challenges motivate members of this gen-
eration. Members of the Gen-X generation have an entrepreneurial
spirit. They are independent, resourceful, and self-suffi cient. Gen
Xers value working alone, and having both freedom and respon-
sibility. How do they work well together? Gen-X members might
learn how to work better in a team environment, while Baby Boom-

ers might learn some efficiencies and success through life balance.
Yes! There is a great attitudinal and behavioral divide among
generations. But with awareness, understanding, and willingness
the successful manager can bridge the divides and produce har-
monious collaboration.
The following table highlights just a few of the personal,
social, and professsional qualities that defi ne each of the four gen-
erational groups.