Have the members of Generation X sold out? Have they gone mainstream? Are they still trying to change the world (without telling anyone)?

Kiki L’Italien tagged me in Maddie Grant’s Gen-Xer meme, Have We Sold Out? However, I’m at the bottom of the generational ladder. I’m a Gen-Yer (feel free to guess my age, but suffice it to say I’m the baby of the office!) and I work with a lot of Gen-Xers here at MemberClicks.

I do find the research about generations pretty fascinating. We’ve all heard that Xers were slackers who try to change the system and Yers/Milliennials want more balance between their work and personal lives, etc, etc… Blah blah blah generalization generalization generalization…

Maddie’s original post was inspired by Jeff Hurt and a book by Xer Jeff Gordinier. I did a little research and according to an article in Time Magazine, Gordinier graduated college during a recession in 1988, just one year after the stock market crashed.

Ummmm wait a minute …. The exact same thing is happening right now.

Many of my close friends were hardcore journalism majors in college and some of them have “sold out” for public relations or a job outside the media industry. From my own (unscientific) observations, many members of different generations have experienced the same frustration over “selling out” that some Xers might feel now.

The Boomers were supposedly the flower children and hippies who become CEOs and now refuse to turn those corporate jobs over the Millennials. But very few people from that generation actually agreed with the “hippie” message.

Our interests evolve over time. GenXers have mortgages and kids now, and raging against the machine probably won’t pay the bills (unless you’re really amazingly lucky!). Us Millennials have learned from the mistakes of Boomers and Xers and don’t want work to become our lives. I know some people who feel they have sold out, but many of my friends are participating in Teach for America, a teachers corp that sends newly graduated individuals to teach in low-income areas around the country. According to some research and reports, my generation is the most service-oriented ever.

And from whom did we learn about community service? Honestly, I don’t think it was the Boomers. I’d be willing to bet it was those subversive Xers.

I’m sure in 10 or 15 years, though, the number of Milliennials in the Peace Corps will have greatly diminished.

This is not a “life stage” thing. We all have to pay the bills. Whatever.  This is a MENTAL thing, Maddie said.

I get that. But from what I’ve seen, GenXers have done some amazing things. They’re the ones who helped create and foster the technologically insane world we live in today.

If you, GenX Reader, feel like you have sold out, try to get some of that fire back while still paying the mortgage and buying groceries. But let me be one of the many to thank you for making it (mostly) OK for me to have a tattoo (it’s small and on my ankle and almost always hidden, but you get the point). Thanks for Google and YouTube and Starbucks and Nirvana.

Every generation has become more altruistic, more entrepreneurial and more individualistic. Where would us Millennials be without GenX? Probably stuck in cubicles and working for the man like our Boomer parents. Sigh.

A colleague of mine pointed out the GenXers are so entrepreneurial because they had to be — they’re the ones who will get passed over in favor of youth and enthusiasm when the Boomers retire and die. And “when you do it yourself, there’s no one to sell out to.”

And I’ve seen tons of great posts around the blogosphere, but I still want to hear from Deirdre Reid and Jeff Hurt!

There’s a ton of research out there about generations and the differences between them. We’re living in an interesting time because it’s the first time in history that there are four different generations in the workforce: Traditionals (born 1925-1942), Boomers (1943-1960), Xers (1961-1981) and Gen-Y (1982-2001). The years are a bit fluid, but these are common definitions.

The Baby Boomers boast 76 million people, as well as being the largest group in the workforce. Xers are sort of that in-between generation — it’s the smallest in size and its members really value a balance between their work and personal lives. And those pesky Gen-Yers are the “entitled” bunch, and are the second largest, just behind the Boomers (which makes sense because we’re the children of Boomers).

Yup — I’m a Gen-Yer. And I find the research about the differences between generations pretty fascinating. Associations can use the information from all the research to their advantages — different generations have different strengths, and each one can be put to use in a different way to benefit the association.

We’ve all heard the generalizations — Gen-Yers feel entitled, Gen-Xers are lazy and Boomers don’t think their younger colleagues have truly paid their dues.

But we’re all individuals. Generalizations don’t make sense. It’s true that different generations communicate differently — a 24-year-old might be more apt to text message than a 56-year-old. But while it’s true that the Boomers used typewriters and record players, it’s also true that they’ve used CD players and smartphones. We all tend to forget that the older generations have used the same new technologies as the younger ones.

There are five strategies to more effectively handle the differences between generations:

1. Positive Vision: Leaders should create a vision that others want to achieve

2. Positive Essentials: It’s important to understand the differences between the generations. But you have to know how to use them to your advantage within your organization. Talk to people and get to know your members, coworkers and volunteers. Know what people think about things in your association.

3. Positive Responsibility: Stop the buck. Stop the blame and accept responsibility for what is yours. Don’t necessarily cast off blame onto the younger members.

4. Positive Communication: Consider how you’re communicating with different generations. The way you relate to an Xer is probably not the way to relate to a Yer. Of course, everyone is different, so it may take a little while to arrive at the appropriate method. It could be texting, e-mailing, calling, Facebook, Twitter … everyone has their own preferred channel from which to receive information.

5. Positive Sustainability: You need all four previous tools to create sustainable relationships within your association. In addition to behavioral changes, create a mental shift. Maybe you have to put Boomers, Xers and Yers in a room together and practice. Have everyone say one complaint about another generation, and then ask them to turn their complaint into a request. Both behavioral and mental changes are the key to creating positive change in your organization.

Consider starting a “reverse mentoring” program. A Yer and a Boomer could pair up and the Yer could help the Boomer understand his or her perspective a bit more. It will likely turn into a more collaborative relationship, and everyone will reap the rewards.

Everyone has “generation capital” — something to be shared with others and something of value. People from different generations bring different viewpoints to the table. You may find that your association can do more with less people, if they’re all of different generations. Value one another, and remember that “generation” does not equal “age” — people change as they get older, no matter which generation they belong to. Take advantage of the “generation capital” within your association. You might be surprised at just how much everyone has to offer.