Local leaders aim to bridge generation gap
Discussion focuses on benefits of different perspectives in workplace
ALBANY, N.Y. >> Local business and nonprofit leaders took part in a panel discussion Thursday about embracing different generations in the workplace.
Bridging the Generation Gap: Creating a Timeless Workplace was presented by the Rensselaer County Regional Chamber of Commerce at the Renaissance Albany Hotel. The breakfast featured an discussion focusing on how to leverage the assets of different generations in the workplace to strengthen relationships and improve productivity.
Panelists were Girls Inc. of the Greater Capital Region Executive Director Ashley Jeffrey Bouck, Unity House CEO Christopher Burke, CAP COM Federal Credit Union President and CEO Paula Stopera and Saratoga Eagle Sales and Service President Jeff Vukelic. The discussion was moderated by Kate Ollier, president of the Rensselaer County chamber.
Ollier kicked off the discussion by asking speakers what it’s like leading organizations with employees in many different age groups. Some of the panelists were familiar with working amongst five different generations: Traditionalists, Boomers, Gen X, Millenials and Gen 2020 or iGen.
“It’s really something that we’ve never seen before,” Ollier said.
Vukelic said he is in a unique position as the fourth generation to lead the family-owned beverage distributor. With close family bonds, “We’re able to communicate with each other,” the Gen X-er said, but when managing younger generations, including his own children, he finds it helpful to always explain why he’s asking them to do what they’re doing.
With more than 400 employees, Unity House has all five generations in one setting, too. Burke said this diversity brings different perspectives that are valued at the human service agency because its consumers are also quite diverse.
Though he’s a baby-boomer now at the top of the executive chain, Burke remembers learning early in his professional life it’s OK to question authority.
“When I got into the workforce, I never accepted the status quo,” he said, and authority figures saw this as a good leadership quality that Burke believes helped him in his career.
Likewise, Stopera encourages her younger team members to speak up without hesitation.
“Be a game-changer; don’t be a robot,” she said, something especially welcomed when employees not only present a problem, but also a solution.
As a millennial leading a sizeable nonprofit, the 35-year-old Jeffrey Bouck said she’s had to work extra hard in her position, which involves managing people much older than her. Both Jeffrey Bouck and fellow millennial Ollier spoke of how the label “millennial” can often have negative connotations, but as young female leaders in the Capital Region, that’s something they’re hoping to change.
Despite tensions that can arise, executives like Stopera appreciate having a variety of ages working within their organizations.
“I find it an honor and delight to work with all generations,” she said.
The goal of Thursday’s conversation was to share ways to leverage the strengths of those different generations in a collaborative work environment, bridging the generation gap. Panelists agreed that being inclusive and creating dialogue among all generations can help an organization, and ultimately the area’s economy, to thrive.