Maria Gamb

Sometimes staying the course and holding steady are great. But at some point, everyone must upgrade their systems, thinking, and ways of being to continue to be viable.There’s a concept in nature called bifurcation. Bifurcation is a process that nature takes to renew itself. Usually it involves a disruption or inflammation that precipitates a split, a morphing into two.

Having insight into your audience’s wants and desires will help you comprehend the factors that lead to their perceptions of authority, leadership, values, virtues, and work ethics. These are mobilizing factors. Here, you gain that insight by breaking down the workforce into the beautiful Quad — the four generations currently operating in the workforce today.

Values-based leadership (VBL) continues the evolution of how we choose to engage in business. It’s the next step in the integration of one of the initial Conscious Capitalism principles: Business is good, noble, and heroic because it provides ethical opportunities for everyone.VBL expands on Conscious Capitalism using a specific, yet customizable, set of values as the platform for norms of doing business with others and internally.

The parents of the Baby Boomers (born 1943–1960) were traditionalists. The Boomers grew up in a postwar era of growth fueled by patriotism. They watched their parents work hard and the American dream unfold. The United States entered a period of great prosperity while Boomers were in their formative years. As they became young adults, human rights movements dominated the headlines, and the sexual revolution unfolded.

Generation X (born 1961–1981) is the first generation to experience working mothers as routine, not the exception. Latchkey kids had both parents still at work when they got home from school, and they had to amuse themselves until their parents returned home. They were self-reliant and self-directed, doing homework and chores without after-school supervision Monday through Friday.

Growing up during the era of mass school shootings and terrorist attacks, Millennials (born 1982–2004) learned that they should enjoy today because who knows what will happen? Early Millennials left adolescence and college before the Great Recession hit, but the later part of the generation found their college tuitions and family finances compromised.

The bumper generations are those that are either on the cusp of leaving the workplace or preparing to enter the workforce. Both are worth taking a look at because they add something to the mix. Recognizing the Silent generation Although some in the Silent generation (born 1925–1942) may still be working, the percentage is very small.

Human and civil rights are part of the fabric of American society, touching all in the Quad, the four generational groups in today's workforce, in one way or another. Boomers grew up when segregation was still practiced in various parts of the country. They watched Martin Luther King Jr. peacefully demonstrate and then they added women’s rights to their activism.

Boomers like taking risks; they’re driven and want to make a difference. Their work ethic is almost that of a workaholic, and many are obsessed with success. GenXers prefer efficiencies and results. They’re entrepreneurial by nature and self-directed, preferring to focus on tasks and results. Structure and direction are welcome, but standard 9–5 working conditions aren’t.