Bridging the generation gap

Diversity / 01 March 2010

Do you view the younger generation as upstarts who know nothing about good management or think that the older generation is out of touch? If so, your closed-off attitude could be damaging your business, says Sue Weekes

'Every generation blames the one before’, goes the line in the Mike and the Mechanics hit The Living Years. It may be a simple song lyric but it is also a neat summing up of how we feel about the generational cohort that precedes us. The writer may have meant the words in a familial context but the sentiment can equally apply to leadership.

As we emerge from the worst global recession in decades, it’s little wonder that the X and Y generations, who are respectively midway through and at the start of their careers, are looking at the baby boomers in positions of power and wondering why it went so wrong.

No-one has a standard job and comes in at nine and does the same thing the next day. Tasks change from week to week and this works well for a young workforce. It’s part of the motivation.

Gen Y, Robert Matthams, founder, Shiply.com

But there are inherent dangers in taking generational analysis too literally. Richard Brown, managing partner of Cognosis Consulting, warns against painting generations in black and white, “when it should be more of a smoothing of grey”.

However, generational analysis does have a role to play: it can help leaders and managers better understand themselves and their teams, and provide insight into the kind of leadership styles we’ll see emerging as each generation moves into the seat of power. Until now, for instance, Gen X have been the ones implementing the boomers’ strategies but what will happen when they start setting their own? And looking even further ahead, what sort of leaders will the fast-paced, short-termist Gen Ys become?

We asked three high-flying execs to give us the lowdown on how they manage their teams and achieve their long-term goals. Here's their reaction to the generation question.

Baby boomers - 1946-1964 Mark Watson, co-founder and CEO, Volantis Systems

In typical boomer fashion, Mark Watson places a high premium on knowledge. “I’ve always tried to get a core of senior people who know more than me and who I can therefore trust to do the job,” he says.

Watson co-founded Volantis Systems in 2000 and it has become a world leader in software for mobile website management. He began his career at IBM, which he joined in 1984. By the end of his time there, he was in charge of a European-wide sales support team of around 45 people. As a tail-end boomer born in 1962, Watson says he has a “consensual and collaborative” style of leadership.

“As a leader, I also try to play sweeper and work in a variety of positions to ensure I know exactly what is going on in the business. I’ll try to get out on calls with our sales lead, or with our professional services head, or go out with our support manager,” he says. “But my view is that you have to manage people through your managers, which is why I’ve always tried to build a strong layer beneath me.”

Classic boomers prefer face to face contact and, consistent with this, Watson divides his time between offices in the UK, US, Poland, Hong Kong and India. “Volantis’ offices have a lot of video conferencing technology that we use to talk to the other offices but I’d never use it to do business,” he says. “Our biggest customers are the mobile operators, and I find that the more people I meet at them, the more it helps.”

Traits - baby boomers:
Can be rational and transactional
Like face-to-face communication
Want to be valued by colleagues
Prone to working long hours
Have worked up the corporate ladder
Money is an important motivator

Gen X - 1965-1979 Steve Izquierdo, director, PepsiCo

Like many Gen X leaders, Steve Izquierdo likes to lead with a vision and then take people with him. “I set the agenda, provide direction and then make sure there’s lots of space for people to deliver with plenty of support,” says the 36 year old Izquierdo, who has been at PepsiCo for two years.

“I’ve always tried to be an authentic leader, true to myself, but have also learnt and adapted my style from leaders I’ve respected.” Izquierdo has three direct reports and is responsible for a commercial HR team of 10. He describes his approach towards his team as open and transparent, and he likes to build solid personal relationships.

It’s clear from Izquierdo’s comments that although the books by Daniel Goleman on emotional intelligence (EI) have been published in the baby boomer leadership era, it’s the Gen X leaders who are embedding EI into their leadership practices.

“Emotional intelligence is one of the values I look for in leaders of the future. A key criteria is being able to take people with you,” he says.

Izquierdo says many of his colleagues are from Gen X and operate within a similar value set. Their next challenge, he believes, is ensuring Gen Y and the millennials are able to develop into the leaders of tomorrow.

“When I entered the workplace the internet was just kicking off, but Gen Y are so tech-savvy, socially networked and externally wired. Our challenge is to create the right conditions, culture and environment for them to flourish and develop.”

Traits - Gen X:
Lead with a vision
Energising and like to engage people
Value emotional intelligence
Look for a good work-life balance
Not competitive
Not loyal to any particular company

Gen Y - 1980-1995 Robert Matthams, founder, Shiply.com

There’s no doubting Robert Matthams’ typically Gen Y green credentials. His online shipping and transportation marketplace Shiply.com has saved nearly 3m kilos of CO2 emissions since 2008 by allowing consumers to list goods they want to move and receive competitive bids from transport providers who want to use their excess capacity. The service has been likened to eBay for shipping.

He employs seven people and recently opened offices in Germany and the Netherlands. The expansion means Matthams is making the transition from one-man band to business leader at the age of 25. While he doesn’t feel he has a particular leadership style, he does aim to preserve the vibrancy of a “fun internet” company.

Gen Ys are often accused of being short-termist and he says there is an element of this in how he leads, but believes it is more to do with the pace of change at this type of business.

“Instead of quarterly results we look at them every day or two days,” he says. “We grew 2,000% last year so we need that level of analysis. We have a want, need and necessity to move quickly and stay on top of technology. We can’t move like a traditional business.”

Shiply.com also differs from a traditional company in that there are no conventional job descriptions and roles for employees. “No-one has a standard job and comes in at nine and does the same thing the next day. Tasks change from week to week and this works well for a young workforce. It’s part of the motivation.”

Traits - Gen Y:
Collaborative and enjoy co-creation
Used to change
Governed by principles and ethics
Can be short-termist and fast-paced
Happy with online communication
Value freedom and want to have fun