Inter-generational perspectives

JohnR1972JohnR1972
in General

I’ve been spending a lot of long days working with an incredibly talented project team. None of us knew each other prior to being recruited for this team.

In addition to the unorthodox recruiting, another thing that makes this team different than anything I have experienced before is the age distribution. As a Gen X, I am by far the oldest person on the team with all my teammates being Gen Z.

I originally assumed I was mainly recruited for my technical skills but I will admit, my Gen Z teammates outperform me in that area. Rather than getting a bruised ego, I see it as a chance to learn from people who are much better than me at certain things. I was recruited mainly for some unique experience I have and my ability to leverage that experience to help our team.

This whole endeavor has been an amazing learning experience, not just with the work itself but with the inter-generational aspect of our team. Initially I felt a little out of place, like “Maverick” in the bar scene when all the younger aviators showed up. But we have all come to see and value the strengths each person brings to the team.

Have you ever had the experience of being significantly older or younger than everyone else in a given group? Did the age gap cause any friction? How long did it take for everyone to really “click” as a group?

Comments

  • CaramelNotesCaramelNotes

    I love this for you.

  • JohnR1972JohnR1972

    @CaramelNotes
    It is a LOT of work and long hours but I am loving every minute of it.

  • lovingspoonfulllovingspoonfull

    I was always the young gun that punched above my weight and was generally the youngest, and then the young lead.

    Now I’m the seasoned fixer that makes order out of chaos.

    It’s been a real cognitive evolution (after the initial dissonance) in how I saw myself versus how others now see me.

    It’s been great to make that transition and learn from it.

    My only real complaint is now I’m mostly fixing other peoples mistakes instead of my own. 😇

    That requires a different skill set. My mentor was the kind of person that could tell you you were absolutely wrong but make you feel good about it and yourself because now you can do better. I hope im even half as good a mentor one day.

  • RapidCuddlesRapidCuddles

    What’s interesting to me is there a lot of books on generational differences. For every book that says one thing, another book contradicts.

    The only data that goes back far enough is department of labor data on various work place studies.

    Often what is found is that a 28 year old today, vs 20 years ago, 40 years ago, 60 years ago tend to have similar thoughts and mindsets.

    There is a book by Arthur Brooks, I don’t recall the name - it’s a deep study on innovation and wisdom. Innovation peaks at 38, something like that, but wisdom peaks at 50 something. When your “young” your brain is innovative. When “old” relies on lessons learned and open to learning from others. That idea is being echoed here.

  • JohnR1972JohnR1972
    edited February 2025

    @lovingspoonfull

    Now I’m the seasoned fixer that makes order out of chaos.

    That has been my modus operandi for nearly 2 decades. The last time I looked for a W2 job was 2005. Since then, I have accepted three W2 jobs that came looking for me (organizations who found and contacted me to offer me a position).

    I have also had my own consulting business for the past 14 years. Sometimes I worked full time as a consultant and sometimes I worked as a W2 employee and did a little consulting on the side.

    In all of my consulting work, I am accustomed to being the one called in to collect and analyze information to diagnose and fix complex problems. That usually means being the best data person in the room so this project threw me at first when I realized the skill level of my teammates. My role now is more of a big picture mentor - what to do after they have found and analyzed data.

  • JohnR1972JohnR1972

    @RapidCuddles - I read a few of those books but it has been a number of years ago and the books focused on Baby Boomers, Gen X, and Millennials. Gen Z was young enough at that time the books didn’t say much about them.

    I remember reading years ago, “Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put them in fruit salad.” 😂

  • jackwallacejackwallace

    It is energizing for some of us to have new colleagues in a truly collaborative work environment. Some of us enjoy accepting challenges and seizing opportunities, others prefer to never step outside their comfort zone. They are intimidated and exhausted by new people and ideas.
    Every day in a collaborative work environment is unique until rhythm and trust is established: evaluating strengths and weaknesses in work style, personality and motivation. The personal growth is phenomenal.
    Leadership is more than a title or age, it is a skill. Leaders don't remind everyone of their title. Leaders like to see others shine, that is their success.

  • msmoonmsmoon

    I am usually the youngest <cannot think of one time where I wasn't actually> in my professional circles, and even though I hold leadership titles in these spaces, I always carry myself with a collaborative air. I can usually tell pretty quickly who's cool and who isn't. And by cool, I mean the ones who aren't threatened by my tenacity and have their own collaborative air about them.

    I get to just...exist. Me, my passion, and my expertise...even as a young person. And I enjoy it very much so when I'm allowed to do just that.

    One of my favorite colleagues is well into their 80s. Another well into their 60s. Listening to them share could easily be one of my hobbies. I'd say the "click" happened quickly and quite natural.

    For us, it's pretty simple. Don't be an a$$h0l3 and we'll all get along quite well, differences welcomed.

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