The Value of Generational Teams
December 15, 2020
By Sean Bernard
Sitting in a meeting a few months ago, as the leadership team that I was a part of debated a new marketing strategy for a program, the generational differences among those at the table were blatantly obvious. There were people at the table from “Baby Boomers” to “Generation Z” and everything in between. What became so clear was that the ideas being shared were from all ends of the spectrum, but no one was able (or willing) to see the value that each one of the ideas brought. The only message that was getting across was that the Baby Boomer ideas were “outdated” and “how things were done back in the day,” and the “Generation Z” ideas were “out there” and “not how we do things.”
When I left that meeting, I walked out feeling as if we had spent two hours of our precious time debating something that seemed so simple and yet we all left having accomplished absolutely nothing towards the task at hand. That said, reviewing that meeting led me to the realization that we are at a difficult time in our business lives. Never before have we had such a massive divide in mindset and motivational cues between generations of employees/teammates. On a personal level, I have been very fortunate to have been surrounded by real leaders throughout my career, many of whom have developed into mentors and confidants for me, who have been open to new ideas and doing things outside of the box. That said, not everyone that I have done business with or worked with has been as welcoming to doing things differently as they always have.
Let’s face the facts: our business is changing at a rapid pace and the retirement rate coming to the electrical industry in the next five years is staggering. We need to be grooming the next wave of leaders today, not tomorrow. The Gen X and Y industry members have valuable insight into what the next wave of customers are looking for and ways in which to reach them effectively. That said, I have spent my career being a sponge to the more experienced men and women that I deal with on a day-to-day basis. The industry knowledge and experiences that they bring to the table will be retiring with them, which will be a problem if we do not prepare and undertake succession planning effectively. Creating an atmosphere for knowledge sharing and mentorship will be essential to the long-term success of our industry.
During my time in one of my past roles, I was fortunate enough to work with a gentleman with over 60 years in this industry (yes, you read that correctly, 60 years). Every single morning, I looked forward to getting to the office. The 4:30 am wake-up and being on the road by 5:30 every day weren’t my favourite parts of the day, but once I got to the office there was no one around except myself and this gentleman. I would prepare my agenda for the day and then around 7:00 he would come to my office and sit down. We would discuss ongoing projects and issues that we had to deal with, but inevitably the conversation led to him telling stories from the past and outlining experiences that he had in dealing with similar issues that I as the leader of the team was dealing with today. Again, this happened every single day and I can’t thank him enough for it. The insight that I gained on how this industry was and incorporating those experiences and values into how I managed the team and my daily activities for the day and moving forward was invaluable.
The point is, team members from all generations have valuable ideas and information that will set the course of our industry moving forward. It will be how we work together and embrace the changes that we are living today that will dictate our success or failure tomorrow.
Sean Bernard is National Chair of Electro-Federation Canada’s (EFC’s) Young Professionals Network and Intelligent Controls Manager – Canada for Ideal Industries (Canada) Corp.
