Episode 107: How to Effectively Lead Boomers, Gen X, Millennials & Gen Z
The Private School Leader Podcast
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Show Notes
“Our research shows that, fundamentally, people want the same things, no matter what generation they represent. So the so-called generation gap in the workplace is, in large part, the result of miscommunication and misunderstanding, fueled by common insecurities and the desire for clout. Successfully leading across generations is actually pretty straightforward.”
Jennifer Deal, former Senior Research Scientist, Center for Creative Leadership
Fundamentally, people want the same things.
Our private schools often have a wonderful mix of Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X and Boomers. While they may have their differences, they all want to feel psychologically safe, engaged, valued, respected and heard.
On today’s episode of The Private School Leader Podcast, we are going to move past lazy stereotypes and learn How to Effectively Lead Boomers, Gen X, Millennials & Gen Z.
Thank you for taking me along with you when you are walking the dog, driving to school or running errands. I appreciate you and what you are doing for the lucky kids and teachers at your school.
Thanks so much for listening and thanks for making a difference!
Mark Minkus
Being a private school leader is a VERY difficult job. You have to make hundreds of decisions every day, and you have to keep everyone safe, increase enrollment, keep the parents happy, keep the board happy, motivate the teachers, deal with student discipline, beat last year’s test scores and come in under budget.
That can lead to you feeling tired, discouraged and stressed out. I’ve been there. That’s why I created THRIVE Academy just for you. THRIVE Academy is a digital course that will help you get out of survival mode and get back to feeling energized at school. To learn more, go to www.theprivateschoolleader.com/thrive
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I help my clients overcome imposter syndrome, set boundaries between work and home and how to actually get important things done instead of having your day ruled by the tyranny of the urgent. Sounds impossible right? It’s not. I can teach you how to make it possible.
I would love to be your coach and I have a few spots open. Go to www.theprivateschoolleader.com/coaching to learn more about working with me 1-on-1.
I am excited to share with you a new resource and I want to give this to you as a FREE GIFT to say “thank you” for listening to the podcast. It is called The 7 Secrets To Improving Teacher Morale. As private school leaders, we are always looking for ways to improve teacher morale at our schools, but it is hard to know where to start. Well, now you have a step by step plan and you can grab it at theprivateschoolleader.com/morale
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I want to say thank you for listening to the podcast by giving you a FREE GIFT. It is called The 7 Steps To Having A Successful Meeting With An Upset Parent. This guide is an 11 page pdf that gives you a step by step plan to have better meetings with the parents at your school. Every good coach has a game plan. Every good teacher has a lesson plan. Too many private school leaders don’t have a plan when they sit down to meet with an upset parent. Well, now you have a PLAN! You can grab this FREE GUIDE at www.theprivateschoolleader.com/meeting
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I want to give you a gift to say “thank you” for listening to the podcast. I have created a FREE guide for you called “5 Strategies To Help You Work With Difficult Parents”. We know that working with parents is part of the job and most of our parents are great, but some of them can be very demanding and emotional and difficult. This guide will give you the tools that you need to build better relationships and have better meetings with the difficult parents at your school. Go to www.theprivateschoolleader.com/parents to grab the guide. Thank you again for listening every week!
I am excited to share a brand new resource with you. It is a 9 page pdf called: “How To Use Verbal Judo To Have Better Conversations With The Parents At Your School” What is “Verbal Judo”? "Verbal Judo" is a communication strategy that focuses on using words effectively to de-escalate conflict, resolve disputes, and achieve positive outcomes in various interpersonal interactions, particularly in high-pressure situations.
George Thompson and Jerry Jenkins wrote a book called Verbal Judo: The Gentle Art Of Persuasion. So, I have taken several important strategies from the book and applied them to your life as a private school leader. Grab your free copy of “How To Use Verbal Judo To Have Better Conversations With The Parents At Your School” at www.theprivateschoolleader.com/judo
Please check out all of the free resources on my website that can help you serve and lead your school community. There are "Plug & Play PD's" (45 minute webinars with guided notes) as well as Top 10 Lists of Leadership Books, Productivity Books and TED Talks over at www.theprivateschoolleader.com/resources. You can grab the show notes for today's episode at www.theprivateschoolleader.com/episode107
Please write a review of this podcast and help the algorithm push this content out to more leaders. I would love to get your feedback about the podcast, ideas for future episodes and hear about how you are implementing these strategies in your life and at your school. You can email me at [email protected] Thanks!!
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TRANSCRIPT:
Welcome to the private school Leader podcast, where private school leaders learn how to thrive and not just survive as they serve and lead their schools. I strongly believe that it is possible • to have a long and happy and fulfilling career as a private school leader. And my passion is to help you figure out exactly how to do just that right here on the private school leader podcast. And I'm your host, Mark Minkus. • • • So, I usually start an episode by telling you what we are going to talk about. • • But on today's episode, I'm actually going to start by telling you what we're not going to talk about. • • So, you may have noticed that the • • title for this episode is how to effectively lead boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z. • • • Well, what we are not going to talk about • • is how each group • • is, you know, like, kind of the negative stereotypes and perpetuate the stereotypes of each group about, oh, well, you know, boomers, they, this, that, and the other thing. Or millennials, they're this way and this way and this way. • • • We are not going to • • • perpetuate the negative stereotypes about any of these groups. And I'm going to explain why. • • So I'm going to prove it to you here in a moment, • • • and I want you to just think about two different people. • • Both of these people are teachers at your school, and I'm going to describe them for you. Okay, • so, Bridget is 44 years old. She's a black woman, mom of three, married for 19 years. • She's a big extrovert. Bridget, um, • • does not own a television. She works out every day. Um, she loves to go out dancing with her husband and with friends. • • And she's actually pretty obsessed with playing golf whenever she gets the chance. And Bridget teaches kindergarten at your school. • And so at 44 years old, Bridget is part of Gen X. • • • • • And I want to tell you about Andrew. So, Andrew's 45 years old. He's a white male. He's never been married, no kids, • • and he's a big introvert. Andrew is obsessed with reality tv, whether it's the bachelor or survivor or love is blind. He's a big homebody. Um, he's pretty obsessed. Obsessed with the civil war. And Andrew loves doing, uh, civil war reenactments. And he teaches high school history at your school. And at 45 years old, Andrew is also Gen Xendez. So Bridget and Andrew, they don't have very much in common. • • I talked to you about introvert, extrovert, married, not married. Their interests, homebody versus going out dancing. You know, like, they're pretty different. • • And I would venture to say that they have less in common • • • with each other • • and perhaps more in common • • with some millennials at your school. Pam probably has more in common with some millennial teachers at your school, and Andrew may have a lot more in common with several Gen Z teachers. • • • And so the point that I'm trying to make is • • that I think that the negative stereotypes about the different generations • • • have caused us to maybe accept that, well, it just is what it is, and this is hard, and there's no way to make it better. They're just different. • • Well, we're not going to accept that. And what we're going to do on today's episode is focus on how to effectively lead boomers, Gen X, millennials, and Gen Z. Today's episode is all about generational, • • • uh, leaders leading across generations. And • • we're going