#SIMON SINEK MILLENNIALS PROFESSIONAL#

If a ‘fence’, a basic word, causes this much trouble then imagine the challenges communicating more complicated topics in both our professional and personal lives. The challenge is compounded when you mix in native and non-native speakers. Those four fences are going to wildly different, ranging from a chain link fence with razor wire on top, to a white picket fence. This is exacerbated by age, experience, and native language! I routinely share the example below:Īsk four people with different backgrounds to draw a fence:ġ) One raised on a Farm with horses and cows Interesting, there is an underlying issue that needs to be factored in vocabularly. There is still the same mix of good and bad in every generation. Now they experiment and can end up instantly addicted, or dead.Įveryone needs to try to understand the others perspectives. Teens used to experiment with alcohol or maybe Marijuana. The dream of the house and lawn and white picket fence has been replaced with a housing crisis. One generation believed they would have 'forever jobs', and their children saw those disappear. Technology changes, so younger kids are exposed sooner and longer to not only the technology, but to the things it has brought like Social Media and endless news cycles. Parenting styles change, so kids don'tget spanked or beaten (not openly anyway). Of course different generations have different perspectives on life. While we may be doomed, it will likely be in spite of Gen Z, not because of them. Now we are hearing how terrible Gen Z are, and how our world is doomed. Now Millenials are the majority of the workforce. They have a different viewpoint than previous generations, much as a result of how their parents (people my age!) raised them. I heard for a decade about how horrible Millenials were. Look for shared interests and experiences, and build on them to create a connection. No matter how different we may be, there are always things that we can find to relate to one another on. Be willing to try new things and listen to different points of view. We all have our own way of doing things, but that doesn't mean that other ways are wrong. This will help you to better relate to them and see things from their perspective. Each generation has its own unique set of experiences and values, so it's important to take the time to learn about what shaped them. Make an effort to understand where they're coming from. So how can we best communicate with our coworkers from different generations? But despite our differences, there is one thing that we all have in common: we want to be heard and respected at work. With four distinct generations currently in the workforce - Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z - it can be tricky to find common ground. If you've ever found yourself feeling like a fish out of water at work, it might be because you and your colleagues are from different generations. This is partly because younger people were raised in an environment where everyone was encouraged to speak up, whereas older generations were taught not to speak unless spoken to (or something along those lines). For example, an older person might just say 'that's stupid' while a younger person might ask 'what do you think about this?' before making a similar statement or opinion. In my experience, younger people tend to ask more questions and make more statements than older people do. Younger generations have had different experiences in school and at home than older generations, so it's no surprise that we're communicating differently than our parents did. They can come off as harsh and unkind, but that doesn't mean they actually are. They're not afraid to say what they mean, and they don't worry about hurting your feelings-even if it means saying something that might be considered 'rude' by today's standards. One thing I've noticed is that older generations tend to be more direct and blunt. I think it's important to understand that there are a lot of reasons why people from different generations communicate differently.

Simon sinek millennials