GenXers Key to Company Future

GenXers Unite!! 

Today I ran across interesting commentary, TEDX and white paper by Dr. Mary Donohue, CEO Donohue Learning. Her expertise is generational and social sciences in terms of learning. I found it refreshing to hear someone state the obvious (well at least the obvious to a GenXer) that we should be paying attention to the Gen X group as they are the intellectual capital of our organizations and the key to every company's future.

Like I said as a GenXer I've known this for awhile. I manage day to day interactions and projects with both boomers and millennials not only at work but at home and in a volunteer arenas as well. In Dr. Donoue's white paper, The Marcia Moment, she describes GenXers as those who are getting really tired and ask what about me just like Marcia did in her famous Brady Brunch episode. I've heard this from more than one GenXer in just this the past month and last week from my husband. While Dr. Donohue's work spoke to me on a personal level, well validated my own thoughts which always makes us GenXers feel good, how does this all tie to learning which is what my blog is about anyway?

In her white paper she describes this "what about me" frustration as being a generational communication challenge. She talks about attempting to meet that challenge with a change in job culture from Manage Me to Develop Me. This is a big deal for us in the learning field as our model for traditional training must fit into the new Develop Me dynamic. If we are developing them they won't feel ignored and won't ask "what about me". Moral of the story -- Treat the GenXer well, very well by creating learning opportunities that will satisfy the Develop Me dynamic.

Forget Millennials and Boomers GenX Will Save The Workplace. Retrieved on 5/2/2017 - http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/mary-donohue/generation-x-workplace_b_16271164.html 

The Marcia Moment, The Death of the Manage Me Workplace. Retrieved on 5/2/2017 - http://www.donohuelearning.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Final-White-Paper-Marcia-Moment-Copyright-Donohue-Learning-1.pdf

TEDX talk on a similar topic: How to get along with Boomers, GenXers and Millennials by Dr. Mary Donohue. Retrieved on 5/2/2017 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtDxPcQ8GJg