The week of June 10, Farm Journal is celebrating the next generation of American agriculture. Our goal is to encourage you to plan for the future and cultivate multigenerational success through the transfer of skills and knowledge. Think tomorrow, act today to align your asset, resource and financial legacy.
Communication between one generation to another can seem like talking a different language.
“I suggest you approach looking at another generation with curiosity rather than judgment,” says Kim Lear of Inlay Insights.
In her work, Lear shares generational theory insights and highlights how these are trends, not traits, but can inform better teamwork.
Why It Matters Now
Taking a refreshed approach to understanding on-farm team members from other generations is top of mind as today there are four generations actively employed across our economy.
When bringing more than one generation into leadership roles on the farm, it’s helpful to understand how to communicate.
“Dates given for generations are just a starting point. Generational theory is taking formative events from our growing years and seeing how they shape the people who lived through it,” she explains
A typical generation spans 15 to 18 years, and while general trends can be highlighted, Lear also notes there are exceptions.
“There are individuals who sit between two generations, and those people can serve important roles communicating between the generations. They are generationally bilingual,” Lear says.
| 3 Steps for Generations To Work Together |
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“We are in a unique time where we have four generations in the workforce,” says Kim Lear. She suggests three steps to bring together a productive team. 1. Prioritize clarity over brevity in communication. 2. Instill respect as the foundation. 3. Deliver feedback in a way that motivates to improve rather than paralyze with fear. Give a clear path for the road to improvement with the tools to get where they |
We Are Getting Older
The scales are tilting toward an older society, and there are fewer members of the younger generations.
“The story of aging is changing in America,” she says. “We have cliff diving birth rates and low immigration. Also, we are an ageist society.”
Today 62 million adults ages 65 and older are living in the U.S., which is 18% of the population, according to the U.S. Census. In 30 years, 84 million adults ages 65 and older will make up an estimated 23% of the population.
With the recognition of how our population is structured, and how your on-farm team members reflect their generational trends, you can evaluate your communication.
Next Gen Insights
Lear shares trends about Generation X (birth years: 1965 to 1979), millennials (birth years: 1980 to 1994), and Generation Z (birth years: 1995 to 2012).
Members of Generation X can exhibit fierce independence. For example, they can have an aversion to traditional sales tactics.
“If a brand crosses them, they are hard to earn back as a customer,” she says. “It’s telling — the divorce rate doubled during the Gen X birth years.”
As another data point, 55% of startup founders are Gen X.
As for millennials, the rise of double income households really took off as millennials grew up.
“Millennials are collaborative, empowered, networked, risk averse and in search of meaning,” she says. “But America has more single parent households than anywhere else in the world. It’s one way to understand why work-life balance is at the forefront of recruitment and retention.”
For Generation Z, our present serves as the backdrop of their formative years. Already, Lear has seen how Gen X parents and Gen Z children have relationships rooted in friendship.
“They are highly influential over each other’s decision-making. For example, Gen Z will bring job offers to their parents to vet,” she says.
Lear continues with an example of how Generation Z makes decisions.
“They are showing how they can abandon any obsession of convenience with an obsession of optimization,” she says. “For example, a regular stationary bike is convenient versus a Peloton is synched with stats and analytics. It’s the expectation of personalization and customization.”
Lear gives an exercise to test your transgenerational communication.
“Look at processes, procedures and norms. What are you holding on that is a sacred cow? And then ask your team to think about where can we focus on that’s more useful and more productive for us?” Lear outlines. “You’ll identify priorities and open up how our team talks to one another.”
