Gen X

Let’s go back once again to our foundational understanding of who they are. Gen X is a generation of nomads. Gen Xers move from place to place trying to find their desired lifestyle combined with interesting work that fits. They are marked by and thrive on independence. They are somewhat irreverent, cynical, and indifferent, often refusing to live by corporate or societal rules. They are the most entitled group we have seen in the workplace in recent generations because of their small size and the Roaring 90s, but they are adjusting their attitudes along with everyone else.

However, they love to learn. They are big givers, and they are not afraid to step out and try new things. Remember, they brought us Google, Amazon, Yahoo, and eBay to name a few big brands. And they have also proven to be a lot less lazy than originally thought with more billionaires under 40 than at any other time in history. They apply their entrepreneurial, pragmatic spirit to causes, and they are quickly dispensing with common stereotypes around gender and race. Here’s the high level:

•   What are they best at?

–   independence

–   entrepreneurialism

–   unafraid to try new things

•   What gets them going?

–   professional growth

–   flexibility

–   work-life balance

And how can we use this information to drive revenue? If we were in a large company, we would take a team of Gen Xers who show high potential and put them into an action learning program defined in Chapter 15 to challenge them and have them work on real business problems and create real solutions. Out of action learning teams, we often identify potential new businesses. These are an excellent opportunity to use Gen X strengths. We would then assign a team of Gen Xers to take the potential new business and create it, drawing on their entrepreneurial spirit. We would give them the freedom to build it within a given timeframe and require that they report in on a regular basis so that they don’t just disappear for six months without a few reality checks from the seasoned Boomer leaders and some creative pushback from the feisty Gen Yers.

We would create measures of success for the new business and watch Gen X take the business to new levels of success or failure. Of course this would all be done in an incubator-type environment so that the rest of the business was protected from any dot.com, no-profit-needed type business models. We would give them regular feedback and put some pressure on to see how they handle it. After all, we have to know who can handle more intense leadership roles and who is better as a team or an individual contributor.

We would analyze their decisions along the way by asking questions and listening to their logic. We would guide, mentor, and coach, but we would definitely not micromanage this group. Micromanaging Gen X will backfire in a major way, and “Do it because I said so” will never work. Gen Xers have to do it themselves. Boomers will want to teach them from experience and historic precedence, and they can but they have to do it in a way that Gen X will listen. So we would try to create an environment where Gen X would go to others regularly and ask for help and feedback instead of making them feel like it was required. We want them to want it. Maybe the best thing to do would be to tell them they can’t ask for help from senior leaders. That would probably ensure that they would find ways to do just that.

If Gen X implements a successful new business line, we would allow them the option of staying to run it or creating something new. That way, Gen Xers won’t feel slighted by us taking their new baby and handing it over to a seasoned Boomer for safe keeping. Many Gen Xers will not want to stay and run the day-today. It’s too, well, mundane. But some will, and they need to be given that opportunity, again with mentors and help readily available so that they can be effective and successful. Also, we would reward Gen X with money or vacation or both. Remember they are the ones with the big debts from the Roaring 90s and children who will eventually need to go through college, so money is always a good bet for Gen X rewards.