Leadership styles, values, and experiences of Generation-X Portland OR

The Boomers, who range in age from 44 to 62, will start exiting the work force over the next few years leaving the leadership reigns in many companies up for grabs.

What does this mean for Gen-Xers? Namely they'll be moving into leadership positions rapidly, not only leading their fellow Gen-Xers and the younger Millennial workers, but also Baby Boomers and possibly some older workers from the Veteran generation. It's a leadership transition the likes of which corporate America has never seen before.

For this to be a successful transition, you need to understand both how the younger people lead and how to harness their natural leadership style for the company's best interests.

You also need to remember business and society in general are changing, so it's only natural that the next generation's leadership style will change as well. Gen-Xers are not going to lead the way the Boomers did. They're working in a different economy and business model and they bring different values and experiences to the table.

Mentoring matters

Gen-Xers need mentoring before they step into a leadership role. Aside from knowing how the company runs, they also need to understand what makes the different generations tick and how to most effectively lead them. Since many older workers mistakenly believe that Gen-Xers are lazy and don't know what they're doing, you need to help the young leaders learn to come from a place of commonality so they can bring everyone together. Be sure to go over people skills, not just business processes. Help the new leaders understand what environment the Boomers and Veterans grew up in and what values shape their world. Truly great leaders know how to balance people and processes for the company's overall good.

Open dialog is key

Gen-Xers want fast results. They're focused on getting the job done, and to do that they rely heavily on technology and multitasking. They're self starters who prefer a collaborative environment while Boomers are used to the leader giving a directive and then focusing on that one task until it's done. Many still do tasks manually, or if they use technology, they don't use it very effectively. However, if a Gen-Xer were to start telling their older staff what to do, it probably wouldn't go over too well and they'd get a lot of resistance. Instead, Gen-Xers need to build trust and empower the older worker by recognizing their knowledge and their past experience. Gen-X leaders need to come from a place of ?we? rather than ?I.? When young leaders are open and ask the older workers their opinions rather than be assertive and tell them what to do, Gen-Xers are seeking to understand rather than to be understood. With open communication, people can overcome most resistance.

Value their values

Gen-Xers place a high value on life balance. As such, they tend to get the job done and leave at 5 p.m., while older workers believe in working late. In their view, the more hours you work the more loyal and productive you are. Though Gen-Xers might not work extra hours, they still get the job done because they value results rather than hours.

Focus on retention

In terms of retention, companies face two main challenges: older workers will leave, believing the ?young kids? have no idea how to lead, and Gen-Xers will leave feeling no one at the company is taking them or their new leadership position seriously. As the leadership transition emerges, companies need a retention program in place for both younger and older generations so they can keep the expertise in house and have future leaders. Remember Boomers and Veterans have the knowledge and wisdom. They went through a lot of trial and error. Gen-Xers need these people as mentors. If turnover gets too high from either segment, you'll lose a lot of knowledge and many future leaders and the company will suffer.

The next generation and beyond

Regardless of what happens, everyone needs to come from a place of understanding and humor. Remember, you can't change people; you need to focus on what you can do to bring understanding to the workplace. When you concentrate on harnessing the strengths of everyone ? especially the new Gen-X leaders ? you are helping the company successfully navigate the upcoming leadership transition. And as one generation passes the reigns to the next, everyone in your organization will realize we can all learn something from one another, regardless of age.