Coach v Mentor? Hard to argue with that…
Posted On January 3, 2016
As a card-carrying member of Generation X who also participated in sports from elementary school on up through high school, I get a very clear picture in my head when someone uses the word “coach.” There is a whistle, a certain comically ugly style of beltless shorts, a lot of physical exertion and pain, and usually a lot of yelling. That’s not to say I questioned their methods. All the wind sprints and all the yelling were designed to make me and my teammates better athletes. The fact that most of it failed miserably reflects more on me than on… Read More
Categories: Baby Boomers, Generation Y / Millennials, Work, Workplace
Trampoline, not a free ride.
Posted On August 31, 2015
Many millennials, like their Gen-X parents and Baby Boomer grandparents before them, are ready to jump right out into the world and get on their own once they leave college. In our culture of independence, there may be a certain social stigma attached to those who continue living with Mom and Dad after they’re finished with school. CNN Chief Business Correspondent Christine Romans, author of Smart is the New Rich: Money Guide for Millennials, suggests in a recent video for USA TODAY that it’s not a bad idea for newly graduated millennials to live at home for a couple of… Read More
Categories: Baby Boomers, Generation Y / Millennials
Because betting on Social Security is like standing on 15 when the house has an ace showing.
Posted On July 30, 2015
The Government Accountability Office’s 2013 Survey of Consumer Finances has revealed a rather frightening statistic: About half the U.S. population age 55 or older has no retirement savings. The GAO report found that 48 percent of households age 55 or older have some retirement savings; 23 percent have a defined benefit plan – which typically provides a monthly payment for life — but no retirement savings; and 29 percent have no defined benefit plan or retirement savings. What will that 29 percent live on? It’s likely that they’re counting on Social Security, which is a major gamble. About half of… Read More
Categories: Baby Boomers, Retirement
You Can’t Judge Every Individual By His Generation
Posted On April 28, 2015
We live in a digital age, so it only stands to reason that Millennials will be quicker to adapt and integrate new technologies into their everyday lives than Baby Boomers and Generation Xers. The folks at Millward Brown Digital set out to test that theory, but instead found something far more elemental: You can’t judge every individual by his or her generation. A survey conducted by the company found that while Millennials are the first generation to really embrace mobile shopping, they – like their Gen X parents and Baby Boomer grandparents – still fall back on the trusty old… Read More
Categories: Advertising, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation Y / Millennials, Generations
Is Generation Z bigotry-proof?
Posted On January 8, 2015
Youthful idealism. Every generation has been accused of it, but a recent commentary by Bloomsberg View contributor Leonid Bershidsky suggests that for Generation Z (or iGeneration – born after 2000) this may be a lasting state. He writes “Gen Z may be different in being genuinely bigotry-proof. It may be the first generation for which diversity is a natural concept that will not be ruined by anything older people do or say.” This is not the main point in Bershidsky’s article, but it is what stood out when I heard him read it. Considering the younger generations’ views on gender… Read More
Categories: Generations, iGen
The Boomer List: The stories of a generation
Posted On October 21, 2014
As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, PBS has a new documentary film, The Boomer List, which provides a look at life from the perspective of 19 famous Boomers. I had a chance to watch it and I think it is worth the 1:22 of your time. The film doesn’t have a specific point other than that there are common threads and vast differences in the people who make up the Baby Boomer generation. The stories told by the 19 individuals, each born in one of the 19 years that make up the Boomer generation, are shared out of… Read More
Categories: Baby Boomers
American Masters: The Boomers List – tune in Tuesday
Posted On September 22, 2014
A departure from my typical blogging, to encourage you to watch the premiere of the PBS documentary “American Masters: The Boomers List” tomorrow night (Sept. 23). Or at least set your DVR. The film showcases 19 iconic boomers – one born every year of the generation – and promises to provide an interesting perspective on one of the most talked about generations ever. Then again, getting the Baby Boomers to talk about themselves is never difficult. View the trailer here and check your local listings for times. Then come back here and tell me what you thought.
Categories: Baby Boomers, Uncategorized
A word about stereotypes
Posted On September 9, 2014
In a recent discussion about generational differences in the workforce an employee was skeptical of the stereotypes being applied to his generation. “I’m a (generation),” he said, “and I’ve never thought like that, and I don’t feel like my peers do either.” I’m purposely not sharing his generation because, it has happened for years and with every generation. Though, right now, the Millennials are most likely to be singing “but not me” as they are the current focus of the most intense scrutiny. This person, or group of people, exists in every single large workshop. The vocal anomaly who refuses… Read More
Categories: Generations
Searching for role models, Millennial women still come up empty
Posted On July 31, 2014
Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg made big waves with her book, Lean In. But a recent study of Millennials, conducted by Bentley University’s Center for Women in Business, seems to agree with her assertion of an ambition gap among female workers. According to the study, while nearly 20% of Millennial women seek to emulate women leaders in their companies, another 20% have “no interest in becoming a leader at my current company.” Of course that leaves a good majority floating somewhere in the middle. It’s even more interesting when you apply the assumptions these Millennials are making about the women CFOs… Read More
Categories: Generations, Parenting, Work, Workplace
If there’s one thing for certain, it’s not taxes
Posted On July 22, 2014
Don’t tell the Baby Boomers, but despite their numbers and impact on the world, they are not going to live forever. Apparently the most universal of truths is contributing to the latest in Boomer-driven business trends: eco-friendly burials. At least that’s what the Associate Press is telling us. According to “Eco-friendly burials gain favor among Baby Boomers,” Al Gore’s generation is feeling a little guilty about the environmental legacy they are leaving behind and are increasingly opting to eschew traditional burials for a more “ashes to ashes, dust to dust” approach. Make no mistake, the 40 green cemeteries in the… Read More
Categories: Baby Boomers, Generation Y / Millennials