Harnessing the power of an inter-generational workplace
Posted On September 21, 2022
I have long been an advocate of Baby Boomer and Generation X CEOs and managers not only listening to their millennial employees, but learning from them and giving them an active role in the decision-making process. The unique perspectives and skills of millennials are valuable in today’s workplace and can help a business ensure it is reaching the younger segments of the marketplace in the most effective ways. In the latest episode of “What’s Working with Cam Marston,” I spoke with someone who has taken that mindset a step further. Tanya Hart Little met Allison Johnston Frizzo while serving as… Read More
Categories: Baby Boomers, Blog, Entrepreneurship, Generation Y / Millennials, Generations, Podcast, Real Estate, What's Working with Cam Marston, WorkplaceCoronavirus gives millennials, Baby Boomers something else to argue about
Posted On March 18, 2020
When you stop and think about it, our response to the global spread of coronavirus, or COVID-19, has been pretty remarkable. Professional sports leagues have suspended their seasons. The NCAA canceled March Madness and the College World Series. Disneyland and DisneyWorld have closed. People all over the country and the world have willingly curtailed their daily activities –many of them voluntarily quarantining themselves — in order to not only decrease their own chances of catching the virus, but the chances of unwittingly passing it on to others. But not everyone has completely bought into the social distancing methods many of… Read More
Categories: Baby Boomers, Blog, Generation Y / Millennials
OK, Boomer: iGen strikes back
Posted On December 2, 2019
If you are of a certain age and like to share your opinions on open social media platforms like Twitter, you may have come across a cryptic response: “OK, Boomer.” It should not be mistaken as acquiescence. You have just been given a two-word slap-down by the younger generation, a phrase that has taken on a life of its own. As noted in a recent New York Times article, what started as a cynical reaction to the same old, tired generalizations about millennials and iGen has become a rallying cry of sorts, complete with memes, merchandising opportunities and the inevitable… Read More
Categories: Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation Y / Millennials, Generations, iGen
Many Baby Boomers starting businesses instead of retiring to rockers
Posted On July 30, 2018
As millennials take over the workforce and Generation X moves into management, Baby Boomers are ready to slide off into retirement. But what if they don’t? Citing a 2018 small business trends surveyby Guidant Financial, Forbes noted in a recent piecethat instead of retiring, many Baby Boomers are doubling down. While Guidant’s parameters for the Baby Boom generation were a little wide, its survey found that more than half of the country’s small business owners are over 50. And these aren’t just Boomers who have been running their own show for a long time. A 2017 USA Today article notedthat… Read More
Categories: Baby Boomers, Blog, Workplace
Lifeguarding isn’t just for the young anymore
Posted On July 13, 2018
They were the cool kids, the kids we aspired to be. They sat atop their chair, with their mirrored sunglasses and tan skin, twirling a whistle around their finger and reminding us, once again, to stop running and stop hanging on the rope by the diving well. One day, we told ourselves, we’ll be lifeguards too. But a funny thing happened on the way to the pool for today’s generation of would-be lifeguards. According to the Washington Post, you might be just as likely to see a Baby Boomer sitting atop the chair at your neighborhood pool this summer as… Read More
Categories: Baby Boomers, Blog, Parenting, Work, Workplace
Pop the bubble: the value of inclusive decision-making
Posted On May 14, 2018
In my last “What’s Working with Cam Marston” episode, we looked at the value of reverse mentoring. Forbes contributor Erik Larson goes one step further, however: For the best chance at desired results, younger employees need to be part of the decision-making process. A study by Larson’s company, Cloverpop, found that inclusive teams arrive at better decisions — and make them faster — than individual decision-makers. Furthermore, the study found that teams of younger members outperformed older teams by 40 percent in reaching decisions that led to positive outcomes. What’s more, teams that included members of a wide range of… Read More
Categories: Baby Boomers, Blog, Generation Y / Millennials, Workplace
‘This is not the Army:’ Why reverse mentoring can be beneficial for your business
Posted On May 10, 2018
What can we learn from millennials? The best flavor Frappuccino at Starbucks? What all the emojis mean? The appeal of a standing desk? Actually, at least one 60-something CEO believes there’s a lot more we can learn from millennials. That’s why he’s accepted one as a mentor. Mark Tibergien, CEO of Pershing Advisor Solutions, says reverse mentoring – younger employees mentoring their older peers — isn’t just a retention tool for hiring and keeping talented millennials. He and his millennial mentor, Pershing VP of Business Development Kayla Flaten, share how it has been a beneficial tool for both of them… Read More
Categories: Baby Boomers, Generation Y / Millennials, Podcast, Workplace
With Baby Boomers in Golden Years, ‘gray divorces’ are on the rise
Posted On April 2, 2018
As America’s Baby Boomers settle into retirement, it’s time for them to finally reap the rewards of their decades of hard work, take that trip they’ve been putting off, sleep in while the working world is racing itself to the office, enjoy spoiling the grandkids. And, increasingly, to get a divorce. According to the Pew Research Center, divorce among couples 50 and older doubled in the 25 years from 1990 to 2015, from 5 per 1,000 to 10 per 1,000, and tripled among couples 65 and older to 6 per 1,000. While that’s still only about half the rate of… Read More
Categories: Baby Boomers, Wealth
Boomers and millennials find common ground — on vacation
Posted On March 1, 2018
Many Baby Boomers think millennials are lazy, coddled and have entitlement issues. Many millennials find Baby Boomers out of touch, technologically illiterate and over-judgmental. Frank Sinatra or Kanye West. All in the Family or The Walking Dead. Encyclopedias and card catalogues or the internet and smartphones. These two generations can’t have any common ground, can they? Actually, it appears they do – when it comes to travel. Lisa Iannucci, a contributing writer for travelpulse.com, recently talked with several travel industry professionals who saw many similarities between Baby Boomers and millennials in what they want in a vacation: Authentic experiences Learning… Read More
Categories: Baby Boomers, Generation Y / Millennials, Travel
On today’s episode in the Generational Blame Game: The Baby Boomers
Posted On January 16, 2018
A favorite narrative these days goes something like this: If you’re wondering about the source of society’s ills, look no further than the millennials. Participation trophies. Entitlement. Pumpkin spice lattes. No wonder we’re in such a mess. You can hardly run a Google search without finding another blustery column by a Generation X or Baby Boomer writer cataloguing the many different ways in which millennials are screwed up, and how they’ve screwed up the country as a result. And all that is a load of bunk. So says Bruce Gibney, a Gen-Xer who was one of the early investors in… Read More
Categories: Baby Boomers, Recession Economy, Work