Episode 99 | Generations at Work: Leveraging Strengths to Bridge the Gap

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About Giselle Kovary, M.A.:

As Head of Learning & Development at Optimus SBR, Giselle is dedicated to building strategies and programs that help clients target, motivate and engage employees in order to increase performance and productivity. She is a sought-after resource to industry leaders, having worked with 26 of the top Fortune 500 companies. Over 65,000 people globally have attended her workshops or presentations. 

Giselle has 25 years of experience in learning & development and has devoted the past 20 years to researching the impact that generational differences have on organizational performance. She has co-authored two books and completed Canada’s first national Gen Z research study.

Giselle completed her Master of Arts Degree in Communications Studies at the University of Windsor, is Chair of the Board at The Institute for Performance and Learning (I4PL), co-chair of the Cross Academy Association, and Advisory Council member at the Ted Rogers School of Management at Toronto Metropolitan University.

Episode Notes:

Dr. Laura welcomes Giselle Kovary, a generational expert and Head of Learning and Development at Optimus SBR, to talk about the different generations in today’s workplaces. Giselle has 25 years of experience in learning and development, has worked with over 26 Fortune 500 companies, and is the co-author of two books: Loyalty Unplugged and Upgrade Now. Dr. Laura and Giselle explore the differences in the five generations at work and how to harness their unique strengths and skills into a cohesive workplace. 

Giselle defines the five generations by age group as Traditionalists, from 79 to 100; Baby Boomers, from 60 to 78; Gen X, from 44 to 59; Millennials, from 29 to 43; and Gen Z, from 12 to 28. She also stresses, however, that age alone does not define a generation; how a person identifies plays a key part as well. For example, a Millennial may identify as Traditionalist in mindset and this needs to be accounted for when assessing generational differences. Giselle and Dr. Laura discuss how generational identities assist understanding at a macro level but that within organizations it’s vital to understand employees at a micro level, as individuals, as well. Giselle offers insights into where different generational identities collaborate well and where clashes often occur, based on her studies and experience. These insights serve to highlight where organizations must strengthen communication and understanding in order to best utilize the strengths each generation brings to work.

“Not everyone in a generation is going to align with this. But after over 20 years, I have literally thousands of anecdotes of when people will come up and say, oh my goodness, you just described me, or you described my children, you described my partner. And it’s because there is enough of a baseline to say this is what this generation believes and thinks, and we want to look at it from that perspective. The other piece… is it’s less important the year you’re born and more about your generational identity. How do you identify?” Giselle Kovary

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