Let's face it. Under pressure, people have been known to say regrettable things about other generations. Things like:

Why do they have to print every email on paper? (about Baby Boomers)
Why are they always online? (about Generation Y)
Why do they have no time to chat? (about Gen X)

And leaders have also been known to say regrettable things about managing generational differences, such as:

We need to:
...conquer the generational differences. (Anne says: I didn't know this was a war.)
...convert generational differences into growth and profit. (Anne says: I didn't realize this was an issue of forced conversion.)
...overcome generational differences. (Anne says: This isn't an insurmountable hurdle.)

There seems to be a pervasive negativity in all these choices, an idea that  generational differences have to be converted, conquered, overcome, and/or capitalized on.  Where’s the sense of joy and possibility that occurs when people work together to create high-performing teams?  Where’s the sense that bridging generation gaps might be fun, exciting, uplifting, groundbreaking, innovative and energizing? This idea got lost in the shuffle, which is a shame.

After my workshops, I've heard people say, 'Now I understand why Jolie does X. She's not trying to be difficult; she just sees the world a little differently than I do." I've also heard, "No wonder Matt acts like that; if I grew up in his decade, I'd act the same way." These insights are priceless to an organization. It's no longer 'us vs. them'; it's 'we'. And 'we' can positively impact the bottom-line much better than 'us vs. then'.

After the ah-ha insight comes the 'now what?' moments. Now that we understand each other, how do we work together to create the team we want to be? There are many ways to do this, none of which include converting others, conquering others or overcoming huge hurdles. Instead it involves using a common language, simple tools and evaluating the process on a regular basis. This takes time, probably more time than a leader wants. Yet it's vitally important. Because when you do, you go from converting to bridging...a much more powerful way to work with the different generations.

Monica O'Brien recently wrote "According to research from Hill & Knowlton, consumers care most about companies that demonstrate honesty and optimism. Obama leveraged this emotional need to win the election, and other smart companies are also using this insight to their advantage. To Gen Y this comes down to being transparent and authentic."

So what does this mean if you're leading a multi-generational team?

• Treat all your employees with respect and honesty. No matter the age, everyone wants to be treated fairly. This means truly listening to an employee, being transparent with the decision-making process, and asking for input and ideas.

• For Gen Y, transparency and understanding the "big picture" are vital to their sense of belonging. They may not agree with your every decision, yet if they understand the big picture, what the decision is, and what the process was, they'll remain loyal to you. This may irritate Boomer bosses, who are used to making a decision with the senior team, and then distributing pieces of the decision to the employees. Boomers may feel that explaining all the details takes too long or that the junior employees don't need to know the details. Yet, nothing could be further from the truth. So take some time with your Gen Y employees and be transparent with the information. They'll not only thank you for it; they'll also likely help improve the process for the future!

"What's the best way to work with each generation?" is a common question that I get asked. My answer is, "It depends."

In general, most people are managed by the academic technique: read, write or lecture. In 1983, Dr. Gardner from Harvard said that the academic technique doesn't reach everyone. So he developed the Multiple Intelligences model, listing 7 different ways of learning and "smarts": word smart, picture smart, number reasoning smart, body smart, music smart, self smart, and people smart.

The key to effective management is remembering that everyone has a different learning style, so you need to adapt your teaching and management style to their learning style. For example, Shayna may not respond to a typical discussion meeting. However, if you add some pictures, graphs and body language to the discussion, she may respond much better.

So which generation responds best to each learning style? There is no hard data. However, it's clear that in general, Gen Y responds well to the fully experiential style, since they are used to multi-media technology. So in a 45-minute presentation, they will respond best when there is some lecture, some video, some music and some pictures. Don't know how to create that? No worries...just do some reverse mentoring and ask a Gen Y employee to help you. That's a win-win!

A Gen Y colleague recently asked me about my career path. She breathed a sigh of relief when she learned that my career path was windy and circuitous. She plans to have 4-5 careers in her lifetime and was worried that she would be labeled as a 'failure' if she did so.

While Gen Y's desire for a varied career comes as no surprise to me, it often surprises Baby Boomer leaders, who often had a straight, 60 hour work-week, career path. They focused, climbed the corporate ladder and achieved their goals. Gen Y however, favor life-balance and continuous education. In fact, 70% of Gen Y expect to get a 2nd educational degree. Not want or desire another degree....expect another degree.

So how does the corporate world successfully work with Gen Y's expectations? By adapting expectations. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

1. Gen Y views work-life as a continuum. They'll work, go to the gym, work, grab a bite and work some more. So whenever possible, give them flexibility with their work schedule. They'll be more loyal and productive.

2. Gen Y values experiences and education. So if you want to reward a Gen Y employee, yet can't afford to give a bonus or salary adjustment, allow them to volunteer, take seminars or mentor others in the company. They'll feel valued and understood by your generosity.

3. If possible, create an educational plan where they can earn their 2^nd degree while working with you. Perhaps it's partial payment for their education, flex-time to take classes, or even one day/week to study. You'll increase your retention rate and they'll feel motivated to stay with you!

I was recently talking with a senior HR manager at a major corporation about a hiring experience. "I finally found the perfect candidate. He had everything I was looking for. But when I offered him the opportunity to work with us, he asked, "What's in it for me?". I couldn't believe it. What's with these younger employees? I was so disgusted with his attitude that I decided not to hire him."

That is a common and unfortunate situation in today's multi-generational workplace. If the manager had realized that he was talking to someone from Generation X, he would have been prepared for that kind of question. Yet, because he wasn't aware that each generation has different values, attitudes

and behaviors, he lost a potentially excellent candidate.

So what can a hiring manager do to attract and hire the right person for the job?

1. Be aware that there are four different generations in today's workplace.

2. Understand the key differences in each generation's values, language and personality.

3. Meet the candidate and determine which generational values they hold.

4. Speak the candidate's language and meet them where they are.

Candidates may not hold the same values as you do, and that's OK. Growth occurs when we understand differences, not when we ignore them. Diverse perspectives give us a fuller picture of the issue at  hand—whether that issue is turning out a timely report or creating new industrial policy—but only when we’re willing to see, hear and learn. Leaders of all industries aimed for success must leverage diversity in all its forms. That’s why it’s time for *all of us* to span the generational gaps.