🏁 Axios Finish Line: Boomers unplugged

Part 3: Three nights of generational wisdom | Wednesday, August 24, 2022

Open in app View in browser     Axios Finish Line By Mike Allen, Erica Pandey and Jim VandeHei ·Aug 24, 2022 Aug 24, 2022 Welcome back. It's Night 3 of our generational work-life wisdom week. Tonight we bring you nuggets of advice from the Silent Generation (born 1928-1945) and Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964). Smart Brevity™ count: 748 words ... 3 mins.     1 big thing: Age-old wisdom on navigating the working world Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios   Hundreds of Finish Line readers born in 1964 or earlier answered our call for advice on work and life. Why it matters: These readers have lived through multiple wars, recessions, boom times and presidents. And we can all learn from their decades of experience. 1. Follow your passion. "Try to find a job that satisfies you and your talents. You may have to have a couple of jobs that are just so-so or you don't like. But eventually find a job that is meaningful to you." —Casey B., Santa Ynez, Calif. (Silent Generation) "Look at career options that might be out of your comfort zone. I came from a family of teachers, so went into teaching without knowing much about other options. In hindsight, I wish I had spent more time researching other interesting careers that might have been a better fit." —Suzy W., Grand Rapids, Mich. (Boomer) "You will have bad days, bad weeks, even bad months. But if you have one crappy month after another, and it's shaping up to be a terrible year, it's probably time to reassess whether this is the work you should be doing. Or the place to be doing it." —Jim S., Omaha (Boomer) 2. Open your mind. "If I don't agree with your views, even on important topics, I'm not a hater. And neither do I consider you a hater. Having grace for people makes diversity work!" —Joy U., Denver (Boomer) "My fellow boomers who are annoyed or impatient with what they deem to be the ignorance of their younger colleagues would do well to consider that there is a good chance they are now mimicking the behaviors they once mocked." —Casey G., Studio City, Calif. (Boomer) "Think twice before sending that angry or snarky email or text. Life is not permanent; it's not perfect and it's not personal." —Mike G., Richmond, Va. (Silent Generation) "We can all learn from each other. Old doesn't equal dinosaur and youth doesn't equal ignorance." —Greg G., Estero, Fla. (Boomer) 3. Hard work still means something. "Although you are able to have a more casual relationship with work, please be 'all in' when you are there. Even if it is not the perfect, passion-inflaming job you aspire to. Jobs disappeared in our generation, and we had to compete hard to retain jobs to support families. We hope it does not happen to you." —Suzanne B., Houston (Silent Generation) "Know that career progression isn't linear — sometimes you have to go sideways for a while before you go up. Broadening your experience is hugely valuable. The more you learn, the more valuable you are to this company or the next." —Janet M., Orlando (Boomer) 4. Get off the damn phone! "There's much to be said for good manners and respect. For example, please get your head away from your phone. Maybe walk down the hall, smile and say hello, even if it's an old, gray-haired coot." —Barbara K., Falls Church, Va. (Silent Generation) "Don't lose your people skills — texts and social media only go so far. If millennials think they know how to adapt to change, think about the fact that many of us who are still working highly productively today were working before faxes, FedEx, cell phones and the internet. We used telegrams to confirm contract changes! We constantly adapted to be productive today — our people skills pulled us through." —Ann S., Asheville, N.C. (Silent Generation) The bottom line: Carol I., a Silent Gen-er from Lansing, Mich., put it best: "Don't pay much attention to generational categories. Just be yourself, enjoy colleagues and friends of varying ages. Keep on caring and being compassionate with others, including the whole earth. You give me hope." Share this story ... Catch up on the view from millennials and Gen X.     A message from Axios Axios Smart Brevity book     Axios' founders wrote a book to share their methods for punching through the noise to get people to pay attention to what matters most. Order the book and enter to participate in a Smart Brevity workshop with the authors. No purchase necessary. Preorder today at SmartBrevity.com.     💡 Brush up on the generations We've been writing a lot about generations this week. If you're confused about exactly where one ends and the next one begins, check out this cheat sheet: Silent Generation: Born 1928-1945; ages 77-94 as of 2022. Baby boomers: Born 1946-1964; ages 58-76. Generation X: Born 1965-1980; ages 42-57. Millennials: Born 1981-1996; ages 26-41. Generation Z: Born 1997-2012; ages 10-25. Generation Alpha: Born 2012 and on; ages 10 and younger.   Thanks for reading. Invite your friends to sign up. Are you a fan of this email format? It's called Smart Brevity®. Over 300 orgs use it — in a tool called Axios HQ — to drive productivity with clearer workplace communications.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. If you're interested in advertising, learn more here. 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