Episode 157: Generational differences at work, how to meet in the middle

Are you ever shopping online and suddenly a discount that helps you save pops up? It makes your day, sometimes even your week. Want that feeling month after month? Well, new customers who save by switching their home and auto insurance to progressive save hundreds. Q your happy dance. Get your quote today at Progressive.com Progressive casualty insurance company affiliates another insurance not available in all states. A generational work gap, a thing, and I'm talking about getting the people that are closing in on the end of their career and those who are new to it. So the younger and the older to get together on the same page and get them to work and get along and embrace each other's ideas and experience. It's definitely a thing and I would bring up the last few years as a perfect example when so many things went virtual and the digital workplace or the digital work station became such a thing. I know that was really hard for a lot of the older generation because they didn't, it wasn't something that they had had to do or been forced to do. Because when that all happened, you know, in the spring of 2020 and a lot of people were sent home, I remember initially you and I were like, oh man, we're going to have to figure this out and we did and we continued to evolve with it. But we also know a lot of people that didn't embrace that and were just constantly looking forward to going back to the old way and that was never going to be the long-term solution. And even for companies who maybe worked from home for a little while and are back in the office, there's still a lot of that and a digitized work world that hasn't changed because there was things that were more convenient or more accessible or quicker to do digitally. Even if people are in the office. So I know that there is resistance from some of the older workforce, like let's just go back to normal. Yeah, I know. But I think this is normal now. There's not even a question. And also I think just ideas, right, this, I mean, pandemic and the new, the new working environment and remote work and all that stuff, all of that aside, the younger generation specifically, I think you're dealing with millennials on down and a lot of the boomers that are still in the workforce have a lot of very different ideas. And the problem with a lot of the boomers is they don't understand that the next generation is taking over and that's going to be your target demographic. Absolutely. And they don't, they don't understand that that's how that works because you and I have talked about this, but right prior to the pandemic, we had a couple of very good, bright young millennial girls in our office and it was Michaela and Kelsey. And we lost them both during the pandemic and they never came back. Right. They both moved away. Yeah, that was it. I mean, found different work, you know, thriving, but it was in the industry that we were in specifically the broadcast industry like young talent is hard to find very hard, not a lot of young people are pursuing that line of work in the broadcast sense. The reason for that being there are such limited jobs because of well, the software they have now. There's what they call voice tracking, which is recorded out of market stuff or multiple stations in the same market so they, they can do a lot with a lot less people. So there are far fewer jobs and it's super competitive. So it, it's a completely different world and it's just like the, you know, when I grew up radio was cool and so I listened to the radio and I was like, I want to do that. And I think that the younger generation is, you know, watching YouTube and listening to podcasts and they're like, I want to do that. And they're getting their music from Apple music in Spotify, yeah, they're consuming entertainment differently. So they're idea of getting in the entertainment industry is different. And their idea of radio is XM. And mine mine as well. I mean, that was a big part of it when I realized that I was listening to XM in the car. And when I was at home, I was listening to Apple music or podcast, if I wanted to hear a discussion and I thought, wow, yeah, you know, it's time. It's time to get on board. Right. Right. And that's what we did. So looking at the, do you ever feel bad because your generation just never gets brought up? Like it's boomers, it's millennials, it's Gen X Gen Z, but your generation is like, whatever they're fine. We're stuck in the middle. Yeah. We're literally stuck in the middle. And I think that Gen X honestly is the bridge between the two offer. They are. And a lot of them are in their forties into their early fifties now. And it's like they're that bridge for millennials and Gen Z to the boomers. Right. We're on that right. Yeah. As a millennial, I'm having trouble communicating with the boomer, a Gen X person can kind of speak both languages. It's, it's so hard and, you know, and I've brought this up because I recognized this with some of the older people that were closing in on retirement when we decided to leave. It's difficult for them because I think that they feel like they're not being, they're not being seen and heard anymore, right? And, and, you know, they go back 20 or 30 years and that they were in their prime and that they were, it was their ideas and stuff. And now when these younger people come in with great ideas and they do have a lot of them, specifically, you know, those closing in on retirement have a problem embracing that because it's not that they just don't understand it. Right. And it's unfamiliar. Yeah. And it's, it's new. And I get that. And I, I try and think of myself like I've been in full-time work for over 15 years. And I've tried really hard to stay, not stay relevant, but stay on top of things. Right. But I also grew up in a different time, like I grew up with the internet in high school and social media started when I was in college. So then I look at the generation of boomers who didn't have any of that and now they're trying to incorporate it into their career later on and that has to be really hard. Absolutely. You know? Using the internet specifically social media and podcasting and all of this other stuff, trying to implement that and then look at an aging sales and management staff, it was hard to do. But not, and to their credit, there's a lot of them that do get it and embrace it. And those are the really good management circles, right? That's, they get it because you have to constantly evolve and move forward. I mean, to give you an example, one of the defining moments towards the end when you and I were like, it's time to get out was when we were in a meeting, we had Tuesday meetings, we talked about we call it the, I want to quit my job meeting because that's what it came down to where everybody got together. There was a suggestion because you and I were doing mornings on a country radio station and there was a suggestion when they were looking for promotional ideas. One of the older sales staff had the idea of us having a hold down. And literally that was the words they used. Let's have a hold down and I and they wrote it on a big board and put it up on the wall. And I was like, I looked around and I was like, nobody was wants to stand up and step on this idea right now and I was like, that was one of those defining moments for me when I was like, there are no hold downs anymore. That's not a thing, right? I mean, country music had evolved way beyond that and then started to embrace the pop culture. It was a completely different thing. And but it's, that's an example. That was one example that I felt, but I think a lot of young people getting to talk to them now and getting to know them because our younger listening audience with podcast has grown. I mean, it's unreal. I can't believe it. And I knew I kind of had an idea that would happen, but I did not know how much our under 35 audience would grow when we transferred to podcast. I've had the chance to meet some of our younger listeners out and about at community events. And it always blows me away. I'm like, to me, you're so young, but they like the discussion. like being brought into the discussion and being a part of it and kind of learning and understanding how navigate some of these things. And they've got, I'm telling you, they have some great ideas and they understand, but their frustration is a lot of the older management won't listen to them. Right? So it's, and before long, they're going to start taking the reins. Yeah. I mean, they are. It's just, that's where we're at. But I, I see this problem to me. It's like, and I know that every probably environment, office environment is dealing with this at some point, right? You get it everywhere. I think it's an interesting dynamic that when we were in radio, I was one of the youngest. Right. We had two millennials who were younger than me until the pandemic and then they're out. They both went different directions. So I was one of the youngest on the staff from, from when I started. And you were mid thirties. And by the time I was done, I was 37 and I was still one of the youngest. And now in my current role, I'm on the older end. I'm at the oldest by any stretch, but I'm definitely, we have a very young staff, which is great. Which is great. And it's exciting because they're coming in and they have these fresh ideas and they have these new perspectives. And they are listened to. And that really makes a growing company grow even better, right? I think. Yeah, it's, you have to look at it like this. We all know how fast a decade goes. If you're young, you may not understand that yet. But anybody even in their their thirties and certainly forties, now you realize how fast 10 years go. Just think about this. All of those young people that are in their early twenties that are getting out of school now and coming into the workforce are going to be in their mid thirties in 10 years. They're going to be the families. They're going to be driving the SUVs. They're going to be taking their kids to soccer practice and doing all of that consuming, right? And that's it's all based on consumption, buying product. So that's a very powerful demographic that is in the rear view mirror right now, but they're quickly catching up. Yeah. And they don't completely. And the older generation doesn't think like that. Well, it's it's hard because they look at them like their kids. Well, I know, but you know what I mean, though, but that's a that's a dangerous pattern. Yes. Here's the most dangerous thought pattern. You'll get in any office environment or any work environment period is this is the way we've all was done. Oh, yeah. That's like death. Death sentence for sure. Done. Well, why are you why are you doing it that way? Well, so we've always done. Oh my god. That just drove me nuts when I heard that. What's afraid? What's the saying? If you're not green and growing, you're brown and dying. It is. That's that's that's a phrase. And I don't I don't have anyone to attribute it to, but it works. And when they would ignore the obvious, you know, that there's I mean, because they didn't want to be wrong, right? Which being wrong is the work. I hate being wrong. But I mean, that's why if you get a group of people that you can actually share ideas and approach things with an open mind, you're you're younger demographic and you're older in a work environment like that. You can really really get a lot done because I can think right now of advice that I got from guys that are older than me that I'm glad I took. Yeah. I really am because they they experienced it. And then also embracing some of the ideas with the young that the younger people were bringing in, you have to do all of that. Yeah. And there are there are and I'm it's probably, it maybe sounds like we were generalizing, but there are boomers who are embracing a hundred percent getting on board and mentoring. And that's such an important dynamic in relationship when someone with wisdom and experience is kind of taking these younger people in the workforce under their wing and acting as a mentor. And they can share ideas with one another. It doesn't happen all the time, but it's it's a great dynamic. What it does is what it is as I can tell you this, a lot of the some of the older generation can certainly help the younger generation when it comes to relationships, which is a big, big, big part of it. Is where the frustration comes in for the younger people is when they try to help the older people embrace technology. And the way things are being done now, I like with us with podcasting, you know, TikTok and Instagram Reels of all of this other stuff, right? And when they try to get the older generation to understand that this is a a main source of media for everybody that's, you know, under 40. Yeah. They have a hard time relaying that message and it's just they're not getting it. It's completely. They're just not getting it. And I'm like, Oh God, it's and I understand their frustration because you and I were both there. We understood where all of it was heading. And there was a lot of people around us that just didn't get it. And I was like, this is not this is not working. Right. I feel really fortunate that we recognized it and we acted. Right. Yeah. You know, you have to evolve. You have to evolve. You have to you have to constantly move. Never think that you've arrived, right? You always have to keep moving because if you do, especially in today's world, I mean, if you go back 20 years ago, a generation gap was a decade. Now it's two years. 16 minutes. Seriously. It's that's exactly where it's at. It's so fast. So you got to keep moving. But you know, I think the frustration again with older, the older generation in that corporate environment, they feel like they're being pushed out and people are listening to them and they don't matter anymore. Nobody listens to them. And it wasn't always that way. And they see these younger people coming in looking at them, giving them the side eye like, Oh, God. Yeah. And that would be a hard position. I can understand that. I think what one thing that both sides of this coin could do better is to get curious. Like the older generation and the workforce asking questions to the younger people. Like why, you know, why does your generation do things this way? Or how do I learn how to better utilize social media to get my message across whatever it is? But then the younger generation can do the same thing. Like, well, why is this important? Or how do I develop relationships? Or where can I get involved? Like it goes both ways. And I think just getting curious and and having conversations could help. Well, in an ideal world, that would, I don't know. Doesn't that sound like Pollyander? That's Utopia right there. That's where you, when you get really good management, they can stamp in and and get people working together. And facilitate those kinds of interaction. They've got to get people on the same page. And find out each and every one of you who find out what somebody does well and help them exploit that. That's the idea because there's things that everybody does well. And if you find that and then you get them all working together, things kind of click. Yes. They do. But when you get that lightning in a bottle, you're really seeing it now. And the reason I bring this up, we talked about the election earlier this week and things like that because these younger people, there are things that are important to them that were not as important to older generations. And it's just the whole thought pattern is different, right? And I think it's way different than even the difference I had with my father. Yeah. Right. And the older guys when I came in, it wasn't, there wasn't a stark of a contrast, right? So it's a, it's a thing. It's a real thing. And I think that that, a big part of that, a big part of the frustration, again, for some of those that are, you know, closing in or get their eyes on retirement, is when the great resignation happened and they saw all these middle and younger middle aged and younger people going, you know what? I'm not doing this anymore. I'm taking it in a different direction. They don't feel like that's an option for them. Right. And they feel kind of trapped and they feel like they're being pushed out. I just got to finish. Right. Just trying to get to the finish line. And that's kind of a dangerous thought pattern. And it's frustrating. It's sad. Yeah. It is. Not to try to depress anybody. Yeah. But again, I would say look to each other, the younger and yeah, and start asking questions and work together. You'd be surprised how far that would take you. Maybe like have compassion for each other. That goes along with you. Yeah. That's you have to because you don't know what people are going through. Right. You don't. That's just kind of, and I think a lot of people can probably relate to that and think of at least one individual at their workplace that kind of fits the mold on either end of that. Right. On that note, what do we get going on? Well, I could tell you this. The CBD centers launched a celtzer. Right. And we tried it last weekend. I'm telling you again, their THC shelters that they have are great. But I always like to dilute them with tonic water. So you get a lot of bang for your buck. I think they're like six dollars each. But if you can get three or four drinks out of that, think about that. Right. Think about that. So we did it with just tonic water imported in a glass as kind of like a, right. Cocktail, mocktail, color what you want, color what you want. But it's, it's good. It's fruity. It's sweet. It's pretty color. The cans are fun. Yeah. I've got to get Matt back in to talk about some of the new product because they are evolving very fast and they've got all kinds of new stuff. And again, it's not just about the THC products which blew up when it became legal July 1st. But obviously they have all kinds of other things. It's all hemp. based remember that it's grown processed packaged and sold right here in southern Minnesota you won't get a cleaner product and we have a link on our website for the CBD centers which is here in Mancato and they have multiple other locations now by the way as well so you can click the link right there and I'm going I did talk to John from JB fitness he was not getting my messages because I had an ancient phone number from him from I don't even know when I got it be years on my phone years ago I mean it wasn't but it was literally I mean I can't remember but he does have a new number now so I will get John back and we'll talk about what's happening and incentives they have and he's going to bring Ali with who's one of them yeah who's one of the trainers up there and she also coaches healthy eating nutrition coaching so it's like she'll when I say it's a one-stop shop because you can't have one without the other I'm not kidding yeah this is an yesterday's episode we talked we did yeah we talked about it a lot and I have an update with my personal trainer Chris what's that next week is my fourth week yeah my fifth week but the first week was really kind of orientation sure next week is my fourth official week on my weightlifting program and he told me on Wednesday morning he was like next week is hell week and I was like what why is that what does that mean Chris and he was like we're cranking up the weights no I was like okay look out I wore a weightlifting belt the other morning where did you get that was it one of ours yeah oh I put it on because we were talking about like bracing your core yeah I was like oh it's like I don't know it's because I have two kids but my course not really doing that so it keeps your posture and so I we put the weight lifting belt on and I felt so legit I was like looking around see who's looking one if you see this but I'm lifting really heavy weights one of the things that I've learned to not get away from because I started most of my training for the first few months in the functional training room yeah which was a lot of bands later weight dumbbells things like that and I do enjoy getting back in there because you know I weightlifting is is fantastic and it will really I mean really accelerate weight loss and you get stronger and you just feel better but you know but the great thing about JP again is there's the functional training room they have yoga classes Pilates they have the they got the the classes in the morning that are very popular very popular see so many people coming and what's what do they call them they're like 30 or 45-minute what do they call those classes I don't know I mean you totally put me on the spot I can't think I can't think of the I don't I prefer the one-on-one style and everybody that has messaged and talked to us has that has went and engaged that has agreed it is really something when you can legitimately have one-on-one training with somebody it is a game changer because eventually they'll get you to a spot where you won't have to be accountable to anybody and you'll just make a part of your life and that's the only way you can embrace weight loss and make it stick are you looking at all yes I'm looking it up because as soon as you asked it I was like well there's a they offer classes that are group classes motivated it's just they're just group group training yeah I know but but John has a fancy name for a few of them because they're different well there's the hit class and there's push class and pull class and they they all but I thought he had scheduled for different he's he's gonna be he'll I'm gonna have them in here next week I can't wait but why not well I don't do any of it I've never done the classes I only I do the individual training I don't and I know that there is a there's a bunch of dedicated people that love that atmosphere because it really gets them pumped up and it gets them going and it gets their day go yeah it's loud music it's all heart heart rate based yeah so you wear heart rate monitor and they use different colored zones of your heart rate and those people that come out of there at when they finish so yeah they're they've been worked out yeah they're so and I've taken the class a lot of times and it is a hell of a workout yeah they they do have fun so again again a link for that on our website georgianjess.com I'm gonna have John and Ali and next week we're gonna talk about because I know that a lot of people again thinking about weight loss we talked about it earlier this week and these guys will help you get a legit plan I'll guide you through every step a legit plan put together will you get we get the weight off and you keep it off and then you start to just look and feel better right tell you we know the people we know nothing but we know a lot of people that know a lot does that make sense it should weirdly we'll be back with you again tomorrow morning