Gen Xers and Baby boomers Have weakesses Too

By: Dr. Nels Lindberg Production Animal Consultation

“Today, most feedyard owners, managers, and crew leaders are Gen Xers and boomers. As part of these generations, we must recognize our weaknesses and focus on what we can do to reduce conflict and improve our interactions with millennials.”

In today’s world and especially in agriculture, there is routine talk about the millennial generation for several reasons. First, it is easy for us Gen Xers and baby boomers to point out the negative aspects and insufficiencies of the millennial generation. Stereotypically, they are lazy, they don’t know how to work, and they want it all now. Second, many employers have challenges with the millennial generation, many of which are amplified by the weaknesses of Gen Xers and baby boomers. Millennials currently account for more than 50% of our workforce, and by 2025 that share will be more than 75%. We must learn how to find and hire the rockstar millennials, retain them, and capitalize on them in our operations.

The great news about millennials is the rockstars are better than us in many ways. Since birds of a feather flock together, if you have rockstar millennials on your team, they will attract other rockstar millennials. Unfortunately, the opposite is also true – if you have dud millennials on your team, you will attract other dud millennials. Often, the rockstars hate being labeled a millennial and do not want to be associated with the duds. Someone once told me “hate” is a strong word, and it is, but I have seen the reaction of the rockstar millennials I work with when I bring up the word millennial and it is clear they despise the word and the association!

Today, most feedyard owners, managers, and crew leaders are Gen Xers and boomers. As part of these generations, we must recognize our weaknesses and focus on what we can do to reduce conflict and improve our interactions with millennials. This will help us enjoy greater success in our feedyards and ranches, agriculture as a whole, entrepreneurial endeavors, and volunteer organizations.

Gen Xer and Baby Boomer Weaknesses

Communication – This is our downfall, and we have to get better. Millennials want to talk; just accept that.

Building Trust – We often break trust in little ways, and millennials trust very little to begin with.

Building Culture and Purposeful Leadership – Millennials want to be a part of something bigger; they are looking for a greater purpose than just making money.

Change and Killing Sacred Cows – We must be willing to challenge how we have done things in the past and to look for opportunities to do things better, more efficiently, or more cost effectively.

Gen Xer and Baby Boomer Must-Dos

We must always explain “why”. If we can’t explain why we do something when asked, then we should look at new solutions or opportunities.

Give routine feedback, both positive and negative. Don’t wait; do it now.

Do not waste millennials’ time. They are very protective of their time and move on quickly if they show any sign of boredom.

We must teach, show, and help millennials experience failure. Let them skin their knees, but be there to pick them up. The “everyone gets a trophy” mentality has created a fear of failure in millennials.

Be crystal clear with every single expectation, job description, and contract. Provide clarity on duties and expectations, otherwise you will not be happy with millennials’ output. Often millennials only do what we say, so outline every single duty very clearly. As Gen Xers and boomers, we were just told to work and that is what we did. But that isn’t a successful strategy with millennials.

Foster respect, not animosity, between all generations.

These points can be a mountainous challenge for us to understand, wrestle with, and execute. I have been “climbing that mountain” and tormenting my brain for years. But, if you focus on these opportunities, you will enjoy greater success with the millennials in your operation. We must accept that all generations have strengths and weaknesses. And we must all look in the mirror, recognize the challenges, and work at moving forward with solutions rather than focusing on the differences between generations. I love the rockstar millennials, and I have worked to be surrounded by them!

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FROM ZOETIS

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION: DRAXXIN has a pre-slaughter withdrawal time of 18 days in cattle. Do not use in female dairy cattle 20 months of age or older. Do not use in animals known to be hypersensitive to the product. See Brief Summary of Prescribing Information on adjacent page and full Prescribing Information at draxxin.com/pi.