5 Tips For Millenials Working With Baby Boomers

[Hidden Blog note: As a Gen Xer, I can add some unbiased comments along the way.]

“Boomers are so bitter,” said one millennial whom I interviewed for my book about inter-generational workplaces.

As a Boomer, I bit my tongue, and did my best to listen loudly to what she described as the dynamic in her workplace. And then in my next interview I heard the same thing, and in the next one, and the next one. In the end it became clear that as many questions Boomers have about how to work with Millennials,
Millennials have about working with Boomers.

Millennials, you have a lot to offer, but you aren't always helping yourselves to get heard, here are 5 tips to breaking through to your seemingly “bitter” boomer colleagues: 

2. Do it Their Way Before you fix it. You, no doubt, have many ideas about how to improve the work and/or the work process, and your ideas CAN make a big positive difference for everyone on your team. However, your Boomer colleagues may have done these things the same way for years without looking for how new techniques or technology could improve their processes. Instead of jumping in before you've even started, do the work their way BEFORE you change anything. Once you've got their way down, ask if you could suggest a different way to get to the same result and offer to go step by step with them to make sure you’re not missing anything. By asking to go step-by-step you are showing that you respect their process and want to make sure you’re not compromising the work (there may be a reason that steps 4-12 exist that you might not know).

[Here's another reason they may object: When they were younger, they may have tried the same things that you are. "There's nothing new under the sun" is a phrase that can be false, but I have wasted time trying out "new" ideas before finding out that someone else had already discovered its pitfalls. When an idea forms in your mind, you might ask your Boomer co-worker if something like this had ever been tried before and what happened. Although it may have failed before, the idea still might be viable, but by learning what went wrong the last time from the Boomer, you are effectively partnering up on the improvement adventure to tinker toward a better solution. I think that a lot of bitterness in this area isn't so much from lack of an open mind, and it's also not specific to Boomers but to anyone with more experience. There's a natural skepticism about work ethic toward someone who fails to thoroughly research the risks/obstacles (such as by asking those who've lived it) before they launch something. Especially since many new ideas are meant to save time, which is an outstanding business result but also possibly a symptom of a lazy person; that's why your approach to the idea with your co-workers is so vital toward establishing the difference. There's also a skepticism toward the ego of someone who tries to come up with an idea on their own instead of teaming up with co-workers. Both of these nits can easily be solved by just including the Boomer (or any co-worker) in the development conversation. It's okay to disagree with them, and yes there can definitely be a laziness on the other side of the coin too, if the Boomer won't take the time to learn any new technology involved... but tackle problems humbly, and as a group, whenever possible. This implicitly acknowledges that you don't have all the answers - which is obviously true anyway - and gains respect with those who have more experience. In the long run, it's this type of influence that leverages career success!] 

2. Ask for the unsaid specifics. Boomers don’t always tell you everything you need to know. We grew up in our careers with a lot of the same concepts simply understood, and never spoken. So you might be told “I need this tomorrow,” but then when you deliver it the next day, be told you were late. So when someone says “tomorrow” or “later” or “by the end of the week,” it’s on you to ask “what time tomorrow?” “by when?” or “when are you leaving on Friday so I can get it to you before then.” 

[Guilty again. A boss of mine asked me if I could finish it by tomorrow; I got close to finished and planned to wrap it up the following morning; he needed it by 8am! So yeah, ask for specifics.]

3. “Draft” doesn't actually mean “Draft.” To a Boomer, “draft” means ready for distribution in case they can’t look at it. And that means, detailed and well written, correct format (don’t know? Ask) and no typos. Trust me.

[I didn't know that draft meant it could be distributed, I thought it meant "do not distribute, it hasn't been approved yet." Glad that didn't bite me. Although I'd say that "draft" still means perfect grammar, detail, all the things it says here... if you're a professional you're not going to show a lazy unpolished side are you?]  

4. A little old style respect goes a long way. Boomers and Xers are used to a hierarchy that’s foreign to most of their younger colleagues. We weren’t friends with our friends’ parents. We may have called our first bosses Mr. Smith or Ms. Brown, not by their first names. So just blurting out your thoughts about the office or the industry to your boss’s boss’s boss may just result in a deer-in-the-headlights response that doesn't yield the result you intend. So figure out how to be heard in your organization before you ask for time with the CEO. What are the ways or protocol your office has to communicate and provide input? Paying attention to this will make your ideas heard much more loudly and with more respect and impact than sticking out like a sore thumb by acting out of character for your office.

[Don't lump me in with the "clinging to hierarchy" crowd! I find that I'm more comfortable being called "Joe" than my students sometimes, who'd rather call me "Mr. McDonald." But the advice here is good not just in the office but anywhere: understand the culture you're in so that you can follow the rules.]   

5. Find a Boomer mentor who can help you translate. If your company has a mentorship program, get in it once you have the lay of the land, so you have someone in the company who can help translate and advocate for you. Read more here about setting up a productive mentorship. If you don’t have someone in the company you can ask, find someone you trust outside of the company (not at a competitor or media company for conflict reasons).

[Yes, yes, a thousand times, yes! Mentors are fountains of valuable, time-saving information and wisdom. Find one, or a bunch, and use them.]

This may seem like these are extra steps, sometimes though it’s up to you to figure out how best to contribute so you can be heard by your older colleagues. Follow these tips and I think you’ll find yourself less frustrated and making a bigger impact in the workplace.