Builder, Boomer, Gen X, Millenials plus more!

Take the Generations in Our Nation Survey TODAY!

2011-07-22T11:00:00.000-04:00

Take the Generations in Our Nation Quick SurveyHello everyone, please take this quick survey for continued research for my book. Thanks a bunch!

She Speaks 2010!

2010-07-28T16:08:00.000-04:00

She Speaks is right around the corner and Amy and I are so excited. This year, 2010, is the year of a clear vision and I believe God is revealing some things in the lives of His children. Thank you Lord for your vision and your patience with all of us. Here's to a great She Speaks and Ladies, you are in for a treat. Age to Age: Bridging the Generational Gap in your Women's Minsitry is sure to be a great seminar and we are praying that God gives you guidance and wisdom in your Women's Ministries as you return home. God Bless you all and safe travels!

Gen Y/Millenials Contracts with a Boomer, LOL

2010-07-24T23:58:00.000-04:00

In my favorite place to see new people, I encountered a Boomer transacting with a Gen Yer. It was the neatest thing. The Boomer came out of the coffee shop as I was parking with a fellow Boomer friend and headed toward his late model sedan with a briefcase in hand, neat collared shirt tucked in his casual, loose fit jeans with a belt, and very polished speech as he addressed the Gen Yer. The Gen Yer came out behind him with a lap back cocked to the side of his waist, coffee in his hand, headphones around his neck, and keys in hand. He was headed to the sunshine yellow Ford Mustang parked right next to me. Well, me being me, I asked him directly, “How old are you?” I really already knew but I wanted to humor myself, and he said, “24.” I thanked him for answering my random question and the conversation ensued. I began to tell him what I did for a living and how this brief observation intrigued me. He found it humorous and told me about his friend that maintained a blog on similar topics. I asked him one final question in a casual, non threatening way, about why he dressed this way to meet a Boomer and contract business. His answer, “ I was just trying to be comfortable.”

Millenials/Gen Yers don’t mean to be disrespectful of an organizations dress code—they just want to be comfortable. If you have to go to a place and stay for hours on end or do business in the field and get in and out of cars and constantly moving, why then should you not be comfortable doing so. If we consistently interact with each other, why can’t the whole nation just decide that we will all just be comfortable daily and not try to impress people with our clothing unless they are from a foreign country and don’t appreciate our casual everydays instead of just Fridays? Just a thought and another observation of this fascinating generation.

Encounters with Millenials

2010-07-22T23:58:00.000-04:00

So, I was in the coffee shop, the one place of choice these days to clear my head, write and actually get some things done, when I observed 5 Millenials doing various things. One guy with curly hair, a Mac, Chuck Taylors, a cell phone, and two texts entitled “Jesus the Jewish Theologian” and “Parables”, headphones, and two additional books whose titles I couldn’t see, looked as if he was preparing to teach a lesson or write a book perhaps. His conversation continued on the phone and he was so passionate about the topic and about his mission, whatever it may have been, and it clearly showed in his mannerisms and conversation.

The young ladies I saw, four of them together adorned in the customary flip flop/shorts/leggings look, appeared as if they were catching up on life during the summer off from college. They met at the area of the counter where one’s drinks are made available and they seemed to be so elated to have some face to face time with each other. They laughed, giggled, told stories, and seemed to tell a whole life story in those brief moments at the counter and then they made their way to their seats to continue their reunion.

Each of these encounters remind me of the passion for excellence and the desire to have social time and continued connection with friends that I so admire about Gen Y/Millenials. I am elated to see them in my daily life and observe all things beautiful about them. Truly we have yet to see the overall effects of such a fascinating group of young people.

Jeans at work! What do you think?

2009-12-01T07:52:00.000-05:00

Are we still having this conversation about jeans at work? Give me a break. Let’s be honest. It’s less about jeans and more about style. And even more than that, the issue is if women can wear jeans at work. Because men have been doing it forever. The Wall Street Journal reports:

The thing most power-jeans looks have in common is that the denim is dark and plain, and worn with the executive uniform: dark jacket, crisp buttoned shirt, good shoes. It’s as though the pants say, ‘I’m cool,’ and the rest of the outfit says, “I know how to conform.”

Jeans can suggest a leader is modern and confident, innovative, and willing to roll up those sleeves and work. There’s a bit of James Dean in the right kind of jeans (those worn without metal studs, acid washes, embroidery, skinny cuts or worn very low) and that hint of rebel can read as creative in a board room.
Denim at the Desk via Wall Street Journal.

She Speaks 2009!!

2009-08-03T14:37:00.000-04:00

Wow, what an experience. She Speaks 2009 was totally awesome. Having the opportunity to share with all the women information on Generational Diversity was incredible. Because Amy and I shared a lot of information, we have decided to place it on this blog so below are the notes from the session. Enjoy ladies and anyone else. Also, let us know what you think.

I. Biblical Mandate for Connecting Generations
A. Mary and Elizabeth
· Read Luke 1:35-38
· A teenager’s need to tell a friend to make it real
· Mary was a teen girl with a need for connection
· God did not disappoint her.
· Read Luke 1:39-45
· God connected Mary with an older woman who could not only BE with her but encourage and affirm her.
· God desires to connect generations. It’s His idea!

B. Titus 2
· Read Titus 2:3-5
· Paul was instructing Titus to teach the various groups in the church
· Titus instructed the older women
o Not to slander, talk about others, drink heavily,
o But to teach the younger women to: love their husbands and children, to live wisely and pure, work in their home, to do good, to be submissive
o ALL SO THAT God’s word would be HONORED!

* The goal of connecting generations is so that God’s Word is honored.

Today’s goal is to understand each generation and to strengthen women’s ministry by learning practical methods for including them all.

II. Who Are They?

A. Builders (1901-1942/1946) Women from 67-108
What they’ve experienced:
· The Great Depression
· World War II
· Radio and the Big Band Era
· Heros: The Lone Ranger, Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio
· Because of these experiences, they are influenced by military backgrounds and comfortable with conformity and top-down management styles
· Value structure and discipline and following the rules

Strengths:
· Loyal—to careers and causes
· Team players
· Willing to sacrifice
· Bring a conservative voice to a group
· Respect authority
· Known for their integrity

Challenges:
· Desire respect for their knowledge –ask for their input, work on implementation together
· Motivated by verbal or written recognition, awards and public acknowledgement—be intentional about thanking Builders
· Desire to be mentors—if you are a younger leader, tap into Builders’ life experience and wisdom

Communication:
· Person to person
· Handwritten notes

B. Boomers (1943/1946-1960) 76 million; Women from 66-49
What they’ve experienced:
o Vietnam War (1968) & Anti-War demonstrations
o MLK, John & Robert Kennedy Assassinations
o Beatles
o Woodstock, hippies, drugs, flower power, tie die shirts, afros
o Father Knows Best/Leave it to Beaver
o First to grow up with TV in the home
o Mod Clothing
o Beatles/Motown Sound/Motown Sound
o Transistor Radios
o Military Draft
o Sandwich Generation (have to care for aging parents and school age/college kids simultaneously)
o Heroes: Ozzie & Harriet, Ed Sullivan, Captain Kangaroo, First Boomer on record based on 1946 year-Kathleen Casey-Kirschling (1/1/46 at 12:00:01am)

Strengths:
o More liberal
o High concern for aging
o Comprise Lion’s Share of political, cultural, industrial, academic leadership class in the US
o 1st built computer and wireless communication devices
o Show care and concern about next generations
o Great leadership qualities
o Exhibit high expectations
o Idealists, great visionaries
o Diverse in thought and policy
o Nurturers

Challenges:
o Helicopter Parents (hover over Gen X & Y kids)
o Life was catered to them as postwar babies
o 1st to be marketed to thus creating a great desire to buy
o High income/big spenders (money management a challenge)
o Freedom movements which contribute to anti-bellum behavior
o Have a high need for respect
o Like others to look up to them for advice, guidance and wisdom
o Desire public recognition from managers and superiors

Communications:
o Desire face to face interaction (Generally not likely to forget things, engagement dates, etc.
o Want handwritten notes but will email and text to maintain connection with current generation.

C. Gen X/ Me Generation (1961-1978) Women 48-31
What they’ve experienced:
· End of the Cold War
· Falling of the Berlin Wall
· First woman Supreme Court Justice and Presidential candidate
· First black Presidential candidate
· Space Shuttle Challenger
· Favorite tv shows: Sesame Street, The Brady Bunch and MTV
· What’s new? Microwave, the internet, the fight against AIDS
· Political distrust and apathy
· Increase in divorce
· Increase in working moms
· Concern over ecological issues
· Designer clothes for children (conflict between simplicity and materialism)
· Reject boomer values and try to embrace a work/life balance

Strengths:
· Self-driven, independent workers
· Create a fun and casual work environment
· Innovative
· Pragmatic
· Some technological savvy
· Bring a balance of work and rest

Challenges:
· Hazy sense of self identity—help to define roles and tasks
· Prefers to work independently—clear roles and tasks in a team
· Judgmental of Boomers’ style—do team building, get-to-know you times
· Don’t like many rules—encourage, keep rules to a necessary minimum, build relationship
· Communication:
· Well-produced mass mail
· Email—preferred
· Blogs
· Facebook
· Texting (some)

D. Gen Y ( 1978-2002) Women 31-7; 78-82 million-Me, however I am a CUSP-defined as a person on the edge of both generations and have strong characteristics of both
What they’ve experienced:
· Nurtured all their lives
· High influence of electronic age
· Waco, Texas Compound deaths
· Oklahoma City bombings
· Colombine High School Shootings
· 9/11
· War in Iraq
· Nuclear threat from North Korea
· Hip Hop/Rap, R & B, Michael Jackson
· Two parents working
· ½ marriages ending in divorce
· Work balanced around social and other commitments
· Never experienced life without computers
· Childhood activities-always scheduled, everyone wins, no losers

Strengths:
· Very technologically savvy
· Neo-traditional
· Optimistic
· Definite display of work/life balance
· Open to constant feedback
· Peer oriented
· Work in teams, all must do their equal share
· Desire to network and build relationships and lasting connections
· Are green, ecological, and environmentally aware

Challenges:
· Technologically overloaded
· Flexibility-Life is not all about work so this may complicate their work/social/church environment
· Need consistent feedback which may halter success
· Product of helicopter parents and therefore decision making is a challenge
· Ambitious and clueless
· They are their first and main priority
· Collide with Boomers/Builders particularly over time/work ethic
· Not loyal to companies or organizations but to people

Communications:
· Email is a must
· Facebook-don’t make it without it
· MySpace-one hobby done for fun & for hours
· Texting-Generally don’t have a cell phone plan without unlimited data plan or text
· Blogs/Twitter/Photo-bucket-site arms-more ways to communicate and keep in touch with friends

Now that we’ve learned all about the various generations that exist, let’s ponder a few questions just to get our minds thinking about a few things.

III. Questions for Reflection
1. Does your women’s ministry struggle with connecting women of all ages?
2. What characteristics of other generations frustrate you?
3. How have your generational experiences differed from others?
4. What ideas, perspectives and goals do you have that might frustrate other generations?
5. What am I willing to do to create harmony, mutual respect and team effort within our multigenerational workforce/church/community organizations?

In thinking about the varied answers to these questions, let’s look at how we can practically apply the information we’ve learned and create some win-win answers to the questions I’ve posed to you.

IV. Application
A. Build a Multi-Generational Team

· Refer to “How to Ruin a Women’s Ministry” article
· Make room at the table, be intentional
· There are blessings that each generation has to add. Each must be valued.
· Story about generational conflict at Brookwood (WMU vs Women’s Ministry)
· Mona as a bridge-builder
· Find an influential, godly older woman to be part of your team. Ask her for input in building a diverse team. Let her do the invitations.

B. Planning Events and Bible Studies

· When planning with your leadership council or group, create a calendar for the whole year making sure each generation is addressed at some point during the year-This allows you to work backwards in your planning
· Plan events generationally
· Be intentional in deciding what the purpose of each event will be and who the target audience will be
· Gain input from a member of each generation that will be targeted-allow them to assist you in planning
· Example of age group planning
o Builder-Sewing a laptop case (Builders teaching Gen Y)
o Boomer-Christian author book club
o Gen X-21st century scrapbooking, possibly electronic
o Gen Y/Millenial-Facebook, MySpace, Twitter setup training session

C. Program Ideas

· Mentoring Ministry
· A natural fit AND God’s plan
· Many kinds: formal (Apples of Gold, other programs), informal, mixed-age Sunday school classes
· Highlight Giftings
· Older teach younger to cook, shop, can, cross-stitch (ie. Sister Cook—read description)
· Younger women teach older technology skills
· United Behind a Cause
· Sponsored children—Compassion and P31
· Stop human trafficking/children in the sex trade
· Fund-raising
· Letter-writing campaigns
· Prayer shawls knitted for those in need, blankets made for children in foster care
· Volunteering at a women’s shelter from domestic abuse

Generations not only can work together, they should. Become the champion for intergenerational ministry at your church: Pray, learn the traits of each generation, ask yourself questions for reflection, build a team, examine your communication (including your website), plan events and programs.

Generation X (1964-1978)

2009-07-01T11:53:00.000-04:00

Born from 1964 to 1978, Generation X also known as the Me Generation makes up about 25% of the current workforce. This is byfar one of the smaller generations born by way of numbers. It consists of approximately 45 million and they experienced things such as the falling of the Berlin Wall, the end of the Cold War, Space Shuttle Challenger, Sesame Street, the Brady Bunch and MTV. Also known as the MTV generation, the group was the first to experience hip hop, rock, and rap music. This generation has disaffection for governance and a lack of trust in institutional leadership. They were the first generation to be exposed to high divorce rates and an increase of mothers in the workplace. This led to the Latch Key Kid-kids who stayed home to watch themselves after school while parents worked. Gen X were among the first to be exposed to microwaves, fast food, designer clothing for children and other luxury services. Concerns over environmental destruction and ecological issues became important as did other social issues such as the fight against AIDS, racial strife, homelessness, and fractured families. Traditionally Generation X has denied the ideals of their predecessors, the baby boomers, but have a somewhat hazy sense of their own identity. They grew up in drugs, divorce and economic strain and also witnessed their parents reinventing themselves after hostile corporate takeovers, mergers, & downsizing. They like fewer rules, independence in where and how the work gets done, respect for work and life balance, frequent feedback, and a desire to build a portable career that can be taken from one place to another in the event of a merger with another company.

Baby Boomers (1943-1964)

2009-06-15T12:58:00.000-04:00

Born from 1943 to 1964, boomers undoubtedly have been one of the most influential generations of the 20th Century. Affectionately known as “Boomers”, this generation is responsible for some of the largest economic booms and sales figures of all times topping the sales charts for things like diapers, jar baby food, Buster Browns shoes, cars, homes, etc. There were over 76 million boomers born during this time, the largest surge of live births to date with only close competition by the coming Generation Y. Boomers flourished during the Vietnam War, which they adamantly protested against, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr., John & Robert Kennedy, and the Civil Rights Movement. This generation was the first to be heavily marketed to by mass media and also held the first televisions in their homes. They are characteristically more liberal and less churchy than any previous generation. Boomers are very concerned about aging and seek health and wellness as highly critical in slowing the aging process. From a business perspective, baby boomers desire public recognition from their managers or superiors that their contributions are valuable. They also desire rewards for their hard work, ethics, and long hours and they desire to build a stellar career. They appreciate loyalty and longevity with one company. The baby boomers have tremendously influenced the age of business and the foundation of education and technology in the 1900’s.

World War II or Silent Generation (1925-1942)

2009-06-03T12:00:00.000-04:00

Born between 1925-1942, this generation differed significantly from the Builders. They grew weary of complacent childhoods and mundane days. This generation secretly thinks of itself as invincible and do not want to be referred to as “senior citizens.” The post war years brought new types of production for this generation shifting from war supplies to convenience items. This led to more choices for this group and a broader influence in arts and cultures. This was among the first generation of divorcees and they strove to not get old and take advantage of technology to help them stay and look younger.

Builder News Magazine, 10/2006, Shelley Herochik

Builder or GI Generation (1901-1925)

2009-05-18T13:01:00.000-04:00

Born between 1901 and 1925, the Builder generation consisted of those who either served in or were eager to see the end of World War II. These loyal, patriotic individuals were influenced heavily by the Great Depression, a war torn society, and the nuclear age. Due to the chaos of their childhoods and adult lives, they often found solace in lush, quiet, safe retirements. This stress free retirement was a reward from the decades of service they gave to their communities and employers. Builders typically are very dedicated individuals and stress loyalty to companies and organizations. They rarely changed jobs. The name of the game was often to stay at a particular place of employment for 30 or more years. They held marital vows especially important and divorce was a taboo subject. The Great Depression produced cost conscious, efficient individuals who paid cash for purchases and did not have debt or credit established. They found it much easier to just save for items that they desired because they saw first hand the devastation of not having enough resources to make ends meet and provide for their families.

Builder News Magazine, 10/2006, Shelley Herochik