Episode #17: From Latchkey Kids to Workforce Leaders- Insights into Gen X
Jul 10, 2024
Transforming Culture Consultants
Ever wondered how pivotal historical events shape a generation's values and communication styles? Join us in today's episode of Transformation Talks, where we promise to uncover the unique characteristics and behaviors of Generation X. We sit down with Sharon Wilson, co-founder and Chief Mindset and Growth Officer and Cindy LaCom, co-founder and Chief Impact and Inclusion Officer at Transforming Culture Consultants, to dissect how events like the moon landing, Roe v. Wade, and the Challenger explosion have molded the perspectives of those born between 1965 and 1979. From the rise of LGBTQIA+ rights to the impact of Rodney King and Columbine, we explore the myriad experiences that define this resilient generation.
Discover how Gen X's latchkey childhoods have fostered their independence and resourcefulness, and learn about their strong preference for work-life balance. Cindy and Sharon also delve into the broader factors shaping Gen X, including increasing cultural diversity, higher education levels, and the challenges posed by economic recessions and the tech boom. By understanding these influences, you'll gain valuable insights to better navigate and support a multi-generational workforce. Tune in for a deep dive into the world of Generation X and enrich your perspective on this impactful age cohort.
Ever wondered how pivotal historical events shape a generation's values and communication styles? Join us in today's episode of Transformation Talks, where we promise to uncover the unique characteristics and behaviors of Generation X. We sit down with Sharon Wilson, co-founder and Chief Mindset and Growth Officer and Cindy LaCom, co-founder and Chief Impact and Inclusion Officer at Transforming Culture Consultants, to dissect how events like the moon landing, Roe v. Wade, and the Challenger explosion have molded the perspectives of those born between 1965 and 1979. From the rise of LGBTQIA+ rights to the impact of Rodney King and Columbine, we explore the myriad experiences that define this resilient generation.
Discover how Gen X's latchkey childhoods have fostered their independence and resourcefulness, and learn about their strong preference for work-life balance. Cindy and Sharon also delve into the broader factors shaping Gen X, including increasing cultural diversity, higher education levels, and the challenges posed by economic recessions and the tech boom. By understanding these influences, you'll gain valuable insights to better navigate and support a multi-generational workforce. Tune in for a deep dive into the world of Generation X and enrich your perspective on this impactful age cohort.
Welcome everyone to Transformation Talks. The intention of our podcast is to provide tips, strategies and inspiration to transform workplaces, communities and lives. I'm Sharon Wilson and I'm the co-founder and chief mindset and growth officer at Transforming Culture Consultants, and I have with me today our other co-founder, cindy LaCombe, our chief impact and inclusion officer. Today we want to explore some of the elements that define Gen X and key aspects of their communication, behaviors and patterns that might impact their role in our workforces, as part of our series of podcast episodes to support you in creating, sustaining and navigating a more effective multi-generational workforce. In our last episode, we defined an age cohort, but reminders are usually helpful. An age cohort is a group of people whose members are born during the same period in a nation's history and who therefore tend to experience significant events in similar life stages. Right now, we have four age cohorts in our workforce and by 2029, when Jen Alpha turns 16, we'll have five, so we need to be prepared.
Speaker 2:
Absolutely. In our last episode we talked about millennials, but today we want to talk about Gen Xers. Gen Xers were born between 1965 and 1979, or between the ages of 45 and 59, and are called Gen X for a number of reasons, but the one we'll talk about today is because of their generational resistance to being labeled or defined. When we think of the big events that shaped Gen X, there are a few in particular that might come to mind. They're the first generation, and I find this really interesting. They're the first generation to show marked increases in health and longevity. As children, they were witnesses to, and inheritors of, the first moral landing in 1969. They lived through the passage of Roe v Wade and national access to legal abortion and reproductive freedom in terms of contraception more generally. The birth control was really only made available in 1965, and initially a woman needed her husband's written permission to get it. So Gen X witnessed this pretty amazing change.
Speaker 2:
Remember that Watergate took place in 1972, at what was a foundational age for many Gen Xers in terms of their understanding of politics, ethics and presidential power. They witnessed and were part of the optimism of the first space shuttle in 1981, but also the horror of the Challenger explosion. Five years later, they lived through the AIDS epidemic and also experienced the growth and vibrancy of LGBTQIA plus rights movements across the country. They were in their teens when Rodney King was shot by police in 1991 and in their late teens or early 20s when the Columbine shooting occurred in 1999. Shooting occurred in 1999. They thus grew up witnessing racial violence and protests and school ground shootings in ways that previous generations had never. They were in their early 20s during 9-11, which shaped their generational attitudes about national safety and vulnerability. And in terms of music and music is actually really important we consider different age cohorts. They grew up with grunge music and they were part of the rise of rap and hip-hop.
Speaker 1:
Those are fascinating when you think about it and they're very pivotal events, definitely, and I agree that they had an impact on the values, perspectives and communication habits and patterns of Gen X. I want to share with our listeners information about Gen X that can impact their values, perceptions and communication. I want to extend that a bit to consider other factors that might shape Gen X, and there's a few other things. They experience declining birth rates and significantly higher divorce rates. They experience an increase in immigration rates. This is the start of a more ethnically and culturally diverse generation. One third identifies as non-white. They tend to have higher levels of education than preceding age cohorts and with that higher level of education and college loan debt. They experienced and began to be impacted by a huge tech boom. They witnessed the export of more jobs and the recessions of 1970 and the 1980s. So it is the case that there are an array of national events that shape them. We also know from our last podcast episode that, like every age cohort, gen X faces some specific stereotypes that can impact others when relating and communicating with Gen X. Here's a few. See if you have heard of these. Gen Xers are typically described as being resourceful and independent, traits partly stemming from their latchkey childhoods, as well as keen on maintaining work-life balance, perhaps due to witnessing the demands of their parents' work and subsequent absence from family life. In terms of communication patterns, they also have some different preferences and patterns. More than 54% say that they're tech-savvy and they are very comfortable with email, texting, zoom, face-to-face meetings and certain social media, but they may still find it difficult to relate to the different priorities and goals of both their older and younger colleagues, potentially leading to feelings of isolation and disconnection. So it's important, when we think of building inclusive, empowered workplaces, that we really consider generational diversity to make it work for us in ways that are meaningful, innovative, collaborative and respectful.
Speaker 1:
We'd love for you to feel free to email us. You can email me directly at Sharon at transformingcultureconsultantscom If you're interested. We're putting together a free Zoom workshop on creating a successful multi-generational workforce. We'd love to hear your thoughts. We can put you on a waiting list to get you more info when that is available.
Speaker 1:
Our intention is to be a support resource for you to help navigate these challenges in our workplace cultures and to create thriving cultures that have a ripple effect that impact us all in a positive way, and we'd love for you to join our community of HR professionals, executive directors, managers, supervisors who are wanting to create and grow more empowered workplaces and organizations. You can get free tips, resources and opportunity to attend free virtual gatherings where you can engage with industry leaders and innovators, exchange ideas, strategies and best practices. Just go to transformingcultureconsultantscom slash HR and we'll make you aware of those. We're also available to provide you with a free virtual consultation to explore any challenges or opportunities in your workplace culture, and you can apply for that at transformingcultureconsultantscom slash free application. You can connect with us on LinkedIn at Transforming Culture Consultants. Our vision is a world where employees feel happy, respected, valued and safe, and thank you for being a part of this vision.
Speaker 2:
We hope that you're thinking in new ways and that you'll join us for our next episode.
