Illustration by: Michael Mucci
UPDATED 8-2-2010 – There is always a lot of discussion about the different generations in the workforce and how to manage each one better. The need to understand the differences between the generations is also essential in the nonprofit sector given the wide variety of generations typically present and working closely together. However, this blog post is about my generation, Generation X, and how we are playing a critical role, but under-appreciated, role in today’s nonprofit workforce.
Let me set the table with a couple definitions. None are perfect as there is no agreed upon standard but in general here are some ways to categorize the different generations.
Baby Boomers - is the group of people born during the demographic birth boom between 1946 and 1964.
Generation X - the group of people born after the baby boom ended, extending from the early-to-mid 1960s to late 1970s.
Generation Y – also known as The Millennial Generation, is the group of people born following Generation X. Most commentators used dates from the early 1980s to early 1990s.
Generation Z – is the group of people born after the mid 1990′s.
As part of Generation X I remember entering the workforce with a lot of discussion about Baby Boomers managing the difficult Gen Xers needs and how Gen Xers would need to learn how to manage up with Baby Boomer bosses. However, with the entrance of Generation Y to the workforce in the past few years there has been a sudden shift to focus almost completely on how to manage GenY better and how Gen Y can work more effectively with Baby Boomers.
I’m here to say don’t forget about us Gen Xers! We are still here and in fact will be here for many years to come. Not only that but Gen Xers will be the essential link between Baby Boomers and Gen Y for a long time.
Many Baby Boomers are already relying on Gen Xers to hold senior management positions and seeing us as possible successors in the future. While at the same time Gen Yers will likely be reporting to a Gen Xer, being interviewed by a Gen Xer, or at the very least working more closely with a Gen Xer than a Baby Boomer. Though the poor economy and the trend for Baby Boomers to delay retirement is limiting opportunities for many Gen Xers to take on head honcho roles there is still plenty of room for Gen X to assume middle management and number two roles at many nonprofit organizations. Many nonprofit professionals in my generation, Gen X, are now assuming higher level leadership and management roles in their respective nonprofit organizations as Vice Presidents, Directors, Deputy ED’s, etc., if not yet the head roles of CEO, Executive Director, or President.
This means that Gen Xers must continue to be more adept at not only working with Baby Boomers as our bosses but also Gen Yers as our peers and employees. What I want to emphasize here is that Gen X is a critical link in the management system at most nonprofits and both Baby Boomers and Gen Yers should be taking the opportunity to see how Gen X works, functions, and thinks in order to better manage both up and down.
The Baby Boomer nonprofit leaders should not only look at the young bucks comin in from Generation Y but more importantly they should examine the seasoned talent that are already present right under their noses in Generation X. This will help Baby Boomers find ways to better utilize their middle and senior management in moving their nonprofit forward in the short term. I believe they will also discover a very useful tool in Gen Xers to help understand and manage Gen Yers because Generation X overlaps in many ways with both Baby Boomers and Gen Y. We can serve as interpreters between Baby Boomers and Gen Yers.
For Gen Yers it wil be useful to study up on Generation X to see what will be expected of them as many will eventually report to a middle manager or senior leader and not a Baby Boomer CEO. Learning how to manage up with your boss is a key skill and it very well may be a Gen Xer not a Baby Boomer. Additionally, in the same way that Baby Boomers can use Gen Xers to interpret info from and Gen Y, Gen Yers can use Gen Xers to understand why Baby Boomers do what they do and perhaps help teach Gen Y how to explain themselves to Baby Boomers in a way that will be better understood and accepted.
All this is to say that Gen Xers can and will play an important role in the future of nonprofits, and should not be disregarded. We may not be as many in number but we can make a major contribution. Soon we will be focusing on the entrance of Generation Z and who knows what new challenges that will bring. Let’s start be having all generations agree that we will work together to see how we can better understand each other and in turn make the nonprofit sector even better.
Below are a few resources about understanding different generations, especially Generation X, that I found interesting. While no one can be generalized to fit perfectly into a generation or type it is nonetheless helpful to at least have a starting point or frame of reference when learning how to work best with other generations.
What are your thoughts on different generations working together in nonprofits? Does any generation have it better or worse? Do generations even matter? Please share your thoughts in the comments.
<Updated> MetLife released a great study in July 2010 that investigates many of the attitudes and employment views of the various generations. You can download the complete 2010 MetLife Study of The American Dream. It contains useful information to anyone looking to better understand the motivations and concerns of your employees.
Shortage Decade: Where Will the Next Generation of Nonprofit Leaders Come From? http://www2.guidestar.org/rxa/news/articles/2006/shortage-decade-where-will-the-next-generation-of-nonprofit-leaders-come-from.aspx?articleId=732
Gen X in the Newsroom – Kellogg School of Management and Medill School of Journalism http://www.mediamanagementcenter.org/research/genX.pdf
Generation X from About.com http://legalcareers.about.com/od/practicetips/a/GenerationX.htm
Generation X and The Millennials: What You Need to Know About Mentoring the New Generations http://www.abanet.org/lpm/lpt/articles/mgt08044.html
Mixing and Managing Four Generations of Employees http://www.fdu.edu/newspubs/magazine/05ws/generations.htm
New Learing Strategies for Generation X http://www.ericdigests.org/1998-1/x.htm
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: | Baby Boomers, charity, Generation X, Generation Y, nonprofit, nonprofit advice, nonprofit management, nonprofit professional, nonprofits, not-for-profit
Great column! I am a Gen X nonprofit professional in a leadership position at my organization and am also a founding Board VP of our local YNPN chapter. I find that I am in a good middle spot to translate and facilitate between Baby Boomers and Gen Y. I think I’ve developed a skill to understand and articulate the needs of both groups.
My biggest “ah ha” recently is that the groups share many of the same values for why they work in the nonprofit sector and the change they want to make. How they express those values, what they desire out of their careers, and how the language they use might be different for Baby Boomers and Gen Yers. But, I think they have more in common then they realize.
Gen X nonprofit professionals can serve as a bridge between the two groups, maybe even generate some cross generational dialogue.
Thanks Aaron. This got caught up in the spam filter for some reason. I like you thoughts and totally agree that the common thread among the generations in nonprofit work is our committment to making a difference. I think that can trump all and we Gen Xers can help make this the most important thing if and when misunderstanding happen at our orgs. Thanks again and please come back in the future and participate in the conversation. T.J.
I totally agree: Gen X (born 1961-1981) has a critical role in society now that we are reaching middle-age. Although Boomers (born 1943-1960) often perceive us as cynical, the truth is we are practical and pragmatic and know how to get things done, especially in a crisis. And unlike Millennials (born 1982-200?) we don’t have an attitude of entitlement or expectations of greatness.
Don’t get me wrong, I think that both Boomers and Millennials have important qualities that are critical to our success as a society. The idealism of Boomers and the optimism of Millennials are examples of those qualities. But I agree with the author: let’s not forget Generation X!
Dave Sohigian
http://www.thegenxfiles.com
Thanks for your comment Dave. I know a lot of my friends and peers who think the same thing and just felt it needed to be put out there for all to see. I also appreciate you spreading the word on Twitter. Please come back again in the future and lend your thougts. Thanks. T.J.
Don’t forget GenX? We won’t forget GenX if you won’t forget Generation Jones (born 1954-1965, between the Boomers and Generation X).
Google Generation Jones, and you’ll see it’s gotten a ton of media attention, and many top commentators from many top publications and networks (Washington Post, Time magazine, NBC, Newsweek, ABC, etc.) now specifically use this term. In fact, the Associated Press’ annual Trend Report forecast the Rise of Generation Jones as the #1 trend of 2009. Here’s a page with a good overview of recent media interest in GenJones: http://generationjones.com/2009latest.html
It is important to distinguish between the post-WWII demographic boom in births vs. the cultural generations born during that era. Generations are a function of the common formative experiences of its members, not the fertility rates of its parents. Many experts now believe it breaks down more or less this way:
DEMOGRAPHIC boom in babies: 1946-1964
Baby Boom GENERATION: 1942-1953
Generation Jones: 1954-1965
Generation X: 1966-1978
Here is an op-ed about GenJones as the new generation of leadership in USA TODAY:
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20090127/column27_st.art.htm
Awesome! Thanks so much for your comments. I did see one reference to Gen Jones but not much else. These are good resources and yes I don’t want any Generation to be overlooked. I am by no means an expert on Generations and this is great additional reading for the nonprofit community on who they are working with and for. Thanks again for taking the time. Hope you stop back by again in the future and contribute. T.J.
@HD4020 – Actually we can all forget about Generation Jones because, well, it just doesn’t exist. Although I do see this same person (under a variety of pseudonyms) posting to every blog that talks about Gen X or Boomers, that does not make Generation Jones a viable theory. I put up a post about this topic a while back (“Does Generation Jones Exist?”). Mostly its just a name looking for a purpose.
Here is the question for HD4020: who are you and why do you persist in saying the same thing again and again all over the blogosphere without ever identifying yourself? Answer that question and maybe people will take you more seriously.
Dave Sohigian
TheGenXFiles
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