Haven’t you heard this phrase?  The fashion industry reinvents fashion trends every 40 years or so.  An example of this is a scarf my grandmother owned and a slender neck scarf I wore in the late 1980’s.  They have the same color schemes, yet the design, form and function is different.

There are many management organizations which are still in business, e.g. Peter F. Drucker Institute, Zig Ziglar, Dale Carnegie Training, and the Grateful Dead Band.  The primary message each of these companies express is still relevant in our global communities.  The implementation of their messages probably wasn’t even considered when they were developed; yet practical applications currently abound in our workplace and are reapplied to fit within our lives.

There is much discussion, within conventional wisdom today, about four generations of employees working together.  What works, what doesn’t work and why.  Where does the responsibility lie for a better understanding among each of these four generations as to how they work and live together?  We’ve heard the phrases:  “They’re so old…they’re so young…I do things differently…they don’t understand.”

If we can start with ourselves and consider what triggers us to be comfortable within a different age group, it may lead to a better understanding.  What do we want someone older or younger than we are, to know about us?  All of us have been in this situation.  How do we want to be spoken to, and why – perhaps that’s the first step in choosing How We Want to Be Known As in our multi-generational world.  Have a great week!

Jo Ann M. Radja, Career Management Coach & Change Agent 0426/12