{"id":100586,"date":"2022-08-07t12:00:15","date_gmt":"2022-08-07t16:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/www.g005e.com\/?p=100586"},"modified":"2022-12-22t00:39:40","modified_gmt":"2022-12-22t05:39:40","slug":"each-generation-must-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.g005e.com\/2022\/08\/07\/each-generation-must-change\/","title":{"rendered":"each generation must change"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/a>how can you be part of the solution?<\/strong><\/p>\n by jennifer wilson much like siblings, multiple generations working at the same firm often bring entrenched points of view and strong biases that have at least some basis in truth. dropping these notions may be uncomfortable and require a conscious effort, but will benefit the firm as well as individual relationships within it.<\/p>\n exclusively for pro members. <\/span><\/strong>log in here<\/a> or 2022世界杯足球排名 today<\/a>.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n with three distinct generations in the workplace today, the impacts of generational differences are phenomenal. firm leaders are challenged to balance and blend each generation\u2019s unique historical context, motivators and somewhat differing values systems to create a unified team and a sustainable firm. this post is intended to be an open letter to members each of the three generations at work, honoring the differing perspectives and (strongly) suggesting changes each generation should make to create a higher functioning, more inspiring and productive workplace.<\/p>\n if you feel yourself resisting these suggestions, remember the wise words of engineer and consultant w. edwards deming: \u201cit is not necessary to change. survival is not mandatory.\u201d<\/p>\n to the baby boomers (born from 1946-1964)<\/strong><\/p>\n as a baby boomer, you are likely to hold a partner or manager title and be in a position of authority in your firm. entrepreneurial and hard-working by nature, you and your peers gave birth to many of the firms that exist today and drove the automation of the profession\u2019s business processes and communications with the advent of the pc. thought of as disruptive and lazy by your superior for wanting to use a spreadsheet instead of a 10-key or pencil, you were a change agent in your time.<\/p>\n unfortunately, you have settled into middle age or retirement age and have started to act like the \u201cold guys\u201d you used to ridicule for not using email or printing it to review. you complain about your young staffers being too attached to their mobile devices, \u201cwasting time\u201d on social media (which is as revolutionary a communication tool as email was for you), wanting to \u201ctake shortcuts\u201d and more. it\u2019s a pity that you don\u2019t see that the millennial professional (born after 1981) is your echo \u2013 a direct reflection of your younger self \u2013 so that you might encourage the disruptive innovation and wonderfully entrepreneurial ideas these young people have.<\/p>\n further, if you\u2019re an older baby boomer, you may be distracted with ideas of retirement, winding down or pursuing outside interests like grandchildren and travel \u201cbefore it\u2019s too late.\u201d or you may be complacent with your station having finally arrived, paid off your predecessors and settled into your leadership and the \u201cbig dog\u201d role. many baby boomers i meet want to rest for a while at the summit. but alas, the market is changing \u2013 and changing fast \u2013 and rest is not an option.<\/p>\n as a leader in your firm, you must give up your comfortable, safe rut and drive some very challenging changes in your practice. these challenges include:<\/p>\n and more. if you don\u2019t drive these changes, your firm will become less attractive and will experience more turnover, find it more difficult to find new people and will not produce the successors needed to secure the firm\u2019s buy-sell and long-term sustainability.<\/p>\n please shake off your complacency, baby boomers, and find your mojo again! look to the horizon and define a unified vision that includes innovation and change. begin facilitating your team\u2019s move to the new future. if you\u2019re not engaged in and attracted to the firm\u2019s future, how can you expect anyone else to be?<\/p>\n to the generation x-ers (born from 1965-1981)<\/strong><\/p>\n sandwiched between the baby boomers and millennials, you have the most significant challenges to face and changes to make.<\/p>\n first, you feel like your deal has changed. originally hired to be the \u201cdo-er,\u201d implementer and back room support to the baby boomer, you reluctantly find yourself thrust into your firm\u2019s leadership, management and business development functions without a lot of mentoring or preparedness.<\/p>\n in addition, you may feel tremendous pressure to be as fast and as entrepreneurial as your millennial counterparts. threatened by the potential, savvy and confidence of your younger team members, you may try to subordinate or discourage your millennials by \u201cputting them in their place\u201d and convincing them they have to \u201cwait their turn.\u201d the trouble with this is severalfold:<\/p>\n please stop repelling and start attracting others! quit looking at the millennials like they are your irritating younger brother or sister. get over the unfairness of the market and power shift \u2013 it is what it is. being bitter will only drive away the talented resources you need to leverage yourself and achieve your own growth and earnings goals. accept the millennials as your peers when they ascend faster than you did. embrace the young upstarts and dig into your changing role in leadership.<\/p>\n to the millennials (born in or after 1982)<\/strong><\/p>\n it\u2019s a great time to be a young cpa or technologist! the world is your oyster. but having market power won\u2019t let you off the hook for gaining the expertise and experience needed to solve complex problems and deliver lasting solutions. your challenge is to first acknowledge that you don\u2019t know what you don\u2019t know. the next step is to invest \u2013 in yourself and in learning \u2013 so you can deliver the disruptive innovation and new and wonderful ideas both firms and clients will need to sustain their success in this new age and new market.<\/p>\n resist the urge to fly at the surface and rely too much on your search engine and fast thinking for answers. dig in and develop a specialty. learn everything about it you can. buckle down and study for, and then pass, the cpa exam and any other certification you need for your specialty.<\/p>\n learn about your firm\u2019s current business model and processes and why your elders think they are the best option. avoid snarky or righteous thoughts (and comments and social media posts) as you learn. avoid peers who encourage them, as they are part of the problem, not the solution. you see things that need to change or don\u2019t make sense clearly. give your superiors the benefit of the doubt and share your ideas for change constructively, from a position of study and facts. be a solutions developer, not just a problem-pointer-outer.<\/p>\n you are our nation\u2019s heirs apparent. you are our great hope. develop the skill and knowledge to deliver on that promise. we\u2019re counting on you!<\/p>\n discussion questions<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nbridging the gap<\/a>
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\nto ensure that the generations co-exist and collaborate, it is helpful to understand the differing perspectives and to encourage each workplace generation to have empathy for the others. in addition, firm leaders should encourage all team members of every age to give up their resentments and old stories about the other generations and focus on teamwork.<\/p>\n\n
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