Critical.
Authoritative.
Strategic.
Subscribe to CIO Magazine »

Generation X: Stepping Up to the Leadership Plate

How to leverage the mind-share of retiring Baby Boomers to advance your career
Page:

The United States is on the brink of a generational transition the likes of which has not been seen before. The largest generation in history to retire — some 77.5 million people, according to the AARP — will begin vacating the workplace in the next five years. And over the next 15 years, our workplaces will continue to shift to a new generation of leaders. That's right: The reign of the seemingly omnipresent Baby Boom generation is in its final season, raising many questions about what this means for organizations and institutions throughout the nation.

So what, you might ask? What does this have to do with me? Well, if you are in your 30s or early 40s (so-called Generation X), have a mid-level position in your organization and see yourself needing a job for the next 20 to 30 years, this has everything to do with you.

Due to generational differences, the Baby Boomers have not been good about sharing their knowledge and experience, and Generation X has not been good about tapping into it
The problem posed by the upcoming generational changing of the guard is that the generation in line to succeed the Boomers, the Gen X-ers, has not been equipped with the leadership skills and knowledge needed to assume the responsibility being passed on to it. Due to generational differences, the Baby Boomers have not been good about sharing their knowledge and experience, and Generation X has not been good about tapping into it.

Currently between the ages of about 45 and 64, Baby Boomers inhabit the most powerful leadership positions throughout the United States — the average age of all CEOs is 56, and 65 percent of all national leaders are Baby Boomers, including the president. (By contrast, 2005 data indicates only 7 percent of national leadership is Gen X.) As such, they retain much of the experiential, technical, institutional and political knowledge in the workplace. They have the industry connections, networks and inside scoop to get things done. They've experienced successes and learned from their failures. They are community builders and can galvanize a force of their own at the drop of a hat. And they have vision. Those are the characteristics that Gen X-ers need to learn in order to assume the leadership mantle in the future.

Generation X is also a cohort of employees who share some common traits. Born between 1961 and 1981, Gen X-ers tend to be a transient workforce, averaging a three- to five-year life span in any one organization. Gen X-ers are technologically savvy, pragmatic and competent; they are efficient at managing themselves to get the job done. They tend to be free agents, frequently distrusting corporate motives. And most have received very little training, development or mentoring in the workplace, and hence are adept at learning on the fly. Additionally, as a generation they have notably different values from the Baby Boomers. For example, many believe family time is so important that they are less willing to sell their souls to the 24/7 devil and often put work/life balance over income and career advancement. This means opportunities for flextime, part-time work and telecommuting are very appealing to them. These are generational traits that older leaders would do well to understand and incorporate into planning for their organizations' future.

Page:

Join the CIO Australia group on LinkedIn. The group is open to CIOs, IT Directors, COOs, CTOs and senior IT managers.

More about: Generation X, Leader, Leader Computers
References show all

Comments

Post new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
Users posting comments agree to the CIO comments policy.
Login or register to link comments to your user profile, or you may also post a comment without being logged in.
Related Whitepapers
Latest Stories
Community Comments
Latest Blog Posts
Whitepapers
  • Case Study: HJ Heinz
    Heinz has trusted Sophos to protect its desktop users and email systems from malware and spam for many years. As part of its multi-tier approach to IT security, the company needed more robust protection against web-based threats and the use of unauthorised applications.
    Learn more »
  • Keeping up With Ever-Expanding Enterprise Data - 2010 IOUG Database Growth Survey
    A majority of respondents report having performance and budget issues due to exponential data growth. Those companies with the highest rates of data growth, in fact, are eight times more likely than slow-growth sites to be seeing significant increases in their storage budgets. New processes and tools are needed to help organizations take control of the massive volumes of information now moving through their systems. The IOUG survey looked at approaches being taken by organizations to manage their growing data stores, and what still needs to be done.
    Learn more »
  • Optimizing Storage and Protecting Data with Oracle Database 11g
    This paper focuses on key Oracle Database 11g capabilities that help IT departments better optimise their storage infrastructure, enabling administrators to deliver a cost-effective, scalable data management platform that is easy to manage, reduces costs, and protects data while continuing to deliver the performance and availability that today’s businesses require.
    Learn more »
All whitepapers
rhs_login_lockGet exclusive access to Invitation only events CIO, reports & analysis.
Recent comments