Instead, over the past few years, in various workshops, I’ve repeatedly heard that a better corporate culture is something to hope for once the baby boomers have left the workforce. All in the spirit of: “Once the old guard is finally gone, a lot of things around here will get better.” The accusations that come with this are wide-ranging: baby boomers supposedly know little about digitalization, think hierarchically, lead through command and control, and have no understanding of remote work.

Yes, there’s some truth to these accusations, and I know how hard it can be to develop under a leader like that. But aren’t we making things too easy for ourselves here? Instead of constantly complaining about the older generation, it would be better to understand where this behavior comes from and in what environment this generation was conditioned. Everything has its time – back in the 80s and 90s, our world was still stable and predictable. In an environment like that, experiential knowledge is more valuable than it is in a volatile one. Back then, people were grateful when they could benefit from the knowledge of the most senior person in the room. That led to companies being steered through hierarchies, fixed responsibilities, and predefined processes. There was little empowerment, but in return the system had stability, predictability, and optimization.

In that sense, this leadership style is also a product of the environment in which these people worked at the time. And shouldn’t we also acknowledge that this generation actually achieved a great deal? In Germany, they led the automotive, mechanical engineering, and chemical industries to the top of the world, and in Switzerland, they built the financial and pharmaceutical industries into what they are today.

Yes, we need to think about the future – the transformation of our companies and our society is urgently needed, and for that we need an agile, activating, and positive leadership culture. But we won’t manage this monumental task by waiting for the baby boomers to retire while writing them off as “old school” in the meantime. What’s needed instead is solidarity across all generations. And that can only happen through mutual outreach, genuine understanding of other generations, and a respectful dialogue with one another. So it’s not enough to constantly talk only about the needs of Gen Y and Gen Z while forgetting the values and formative experiences of the baby boomers and Gen X. The future needs its origins. Only those who know where we come from and understand who we are can successfully lead change and, in the end, leave behind a legacy.

This post was published by Wolfgang Jenewein on LinkedIn on 05/08/2023. View the original post