Today we covered how generational differences often stem from experiences, technology and news events that occur during our formative years of adolescence and late teens. Those differences result in traits that impact communication styles, how people operate within a team, and expectations for corporate culture and structured career paths. Generational perspectives sometimes relate to overall trends, such as the level of interest to work in the office versus work remotely, and other times relate to details, such as the way we write messages with/without emojis or our use of punctuation. Open communication is critical to success: when every generation feels respected and understood, that is when we can achieve the best outcomes and leverage the strengths of generational diversity.
EVOLVE Keynote Speaker Recap and Panel Discussion:
Today’s presentation by Scott Zimmer of Bridgeworks, a sociologist focused on breaking down barriers to facilitate communication and retain and engage talent from all generations. Scott discussed some of the diverse upbringings of Baby Boomers, Gen X’s and Millennials, and the resulting key traits that make them uniquely valuable to an organization. Scott also discussed the impact each generation has had on the workplace and how they are each adjusting to the new normal of work-from-home. With critical insights into how to engage and communicate across diverse age groups, Scott’s presentation is not to be missed.
Scott’s presentation was followed by an age- (and gender-) diverse panel of energy investors and operators that discussed their generational perspectives on the energy industry and how their unique, personal experiences culminated in their current roles. We learned about the value of harnessing new technology, while paying homage to “first principles” and building upon first-hand experience and balancing the innovative potential of younger generation disruptors with the preservation of knowledge and learnings from the past. Overall, the importance of generational diversity, in operating groups, management teams and boards of directors resonated throughout the panelist comments.
Want to catch up on what you missed?
Please keep warm and safe, and know our hearts go out to everyone that is struggling right now with extreme cold, broken pipes, and lack of water in Texas. Don’t worry about what you missed, you’ll have access to all the content on demand. Send us a note if you’d like to schedule a replay or speak to one of our representatives.
Check out the day one recap here, and be sure to check back tomorrow for our recap of day three.
