Later today I am involved in an event where a number of young people are competing for a public speaking prize. I’ve been asked to do my talk on different generations, “Mind the Gap” as a ‘warm up act’ for this event. It’s one of my favourite topics, and still the talk I enjoy the most.
The heart of the message is simple: the era you were born in shaped you as much as other factors (like religion, culture, gender and personality). And the era that shaped you defines your generation as well. People roughly your age share a similar worldview to you. That’s why today’s young people feel so different from us who are a bit older.
People older and younger than you see the world in very different ways, and have different expectations of work, life and the world. By understanding the impact of different generations, inside and outside your organisation, you can improve sales, customer relationships, the productivity and interactions of your teams, and any other issue that depends on getting the most out of other people. And you can improve the interactions between young and old.
Here’s a video I recorded late last year that introduces these concepts just a bit more:
For more information, see TomorrowToday’s website on “Mind the Gap”.