In your life and career, you will come into contact with many individuals who may not view life in the same way you do. The chapter in Time To Get Real! titled “Crossing Age Groups and Cultures” addresses this reality. When you activate your life and career plan, it is important to recognize that you are a part of many different cultures. You have a family culture, business or organization culture, a state or national culture, or maybe even a sub-group culture, like a club you belong to or a subset of human beings.

In addition, you, as does everyone, belong to a specific age group that has distinct characteristics--many, but not all, of which you may embody yourself. It is helpful when deploying your life and career plan to understand the generational differences among groups of people, and also gain a better understanding of intercultural competence.

Age Groups

In the workforce in the United States today, as well as in other developed countries around the world, there are five specific age groups. These age groups are born roughly in the following time frames:

• Traditionalists – 1928-1945

• Baby Boomers – 1946-1964

• Generation X – 1965-1980

• Millennials – 1981-1998

• Generation Z – 1999 to present

There are significant differences in how these five age groups perceive themselves, and there are specific differences in how they would like to be treated in communication, supervision, and the working environment. This chapter in the book provides an overview of these differences. As you set your life and career plan in motion, the individuals who you talk to and those from whom you will seek help could be in any one of these age groups. Having some insight about them in a general sense could be helpful.

There are significant differences in how age groups perceive themselves, and there are specific differences in how they would like to be treated in communication, supervision, and the working environment.

For example, the Traditionalists (1928-1945) like communication that is one-on-one or written in a formal, logical manner. Baby Boomers (1946-1964) prefer communication delivered in person whenever possible and spoken in an open and direct style. Generation X (1965-1980) prefers that you get straight to the point, use facts, and value email as a preferred method of communication. Millennials (1981-1998) prefer to communicate in their networks and teams using multi-media while being entertained and excited. Finally, Gen Z (1999 to present) communicates best by smartphone with texts and social media. This review of the age groups in our workforce today is primarily meant to alert you that thinking about how you communicate to whom is an important part of sharing your life and career plan and can also be used in interviews for a new position.

Cultural Intelligence

In addition to different age groups, organizations will also contain one or more cultures. A larger company might have a culture for each division, as well as an overarching corporate culture. A small business has its own culture. And the geographic community in which you work has a national, state, and local culture. Understanding something about the cultures in which you work can help you to communicate your desires in a way that makes the message more acceptable. Or, if you don’t understand the culture around you, your message, delivered in the wrong way, could create a culture clash.

Important predictors of your success in today’s world include not only your IQ, emotional intelligence, resume, or expertise, but also your cultural intelligence (CQ). This powerful ability is something anyone can learn and is proven to enhance your effectiveness when working in culturally diverse situations. Research conducted in more than thirty countries has shown that people with high CQ are better able to adjust and adapt to the unpredictable, complex situations of life and work in today’s globalized world.

Recognizing the culture of the individual you are dealing with and the culture in which you are operating can present an advantage as you move toward accomplishing the goals you set for yourself in your life and career plan.

Some cultures respect individuals by working together over the long term. Other cultures get right down to business and don’t wait to make friends. Recognizing the culture of the individual you are dealing with and the culture in which you are operating can present an advantage as you move toward accomplishing the goals you set for yourself in your life and career plan.

When you become more cognizant of the types of differences discussed in the book Time To Get Real!, you can give some thought to these considerations before launching into the actions you create in your life and career plan. The key is to be in a position where you are putting your best foot forward by communicating and behaving in a way that is quite acceptable to the individuals with whom you will meet.

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