Managing Individuality Across Generations

Please note: This post has been moved from its original location at www.lindadeluca.wordpress.com to provide a bit of historical reference. The links may no longer be active / accurate.

Are you a traditionalist? a boomer? a gen ‘X’? a gen ‘y’? a millenial? Are you sure?

As an existential coach, I don’t like to group people together in stereotypes. I believe each individual is very unique and can add value to any situation. But I have to face facts: my brain can only create, store, and recall so many individual categories! So I, like most others, try to group people together and generalize these groups based on similarities. One of those categories is Generations. What generation does a person belong to?

But even that question does not have a simple answer. Just because I am born in a particular year does not mean I ‘belong’ to a generation. This is one of the main points of the Managing Across Generations workshop. It is a workshop developed by my business partner, Deb Denis, and I last year. The focus is how to Coach or manage across the 4 (or more) generations that are currently in the workforce. But the first obstacle is often identifying which generation a person relates with (not belongs to). That one distinction can make the difference between a successful connection and an alienating experience.

In the coming weeks, I will be posting more information here about the generational nuances and some of the great moments Deb and I have had conducting these workshops. But in the meantime, I would like to invite you sample the workshop at this month’s ASTD (American Society of Training and Development) lunch meeting in northern Alabama. The topic is Managing Across Generations and here is the information…please join me!

When: March 24, 2009, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Where: Redstone Federal Credit Union, 220 Wynn Drive, Huntsville AL
Subject: Managing Across Generations
Meeting Dues: $20 for non-members; $15 for members or for guests of members at the meeting
Reservations required: Reserve your seat by e-mailing the treasurer (JohnHightower@LFSP.com)  or calling voice mail (256)539-7117.

Reservations need to be made by close of business on the Friday, March 20, before the scheduled meeting on Tuesday, March 24.

Link to ATDNAL (formerly ASTD NA -North Alabama)