I can be counted among those people who believe that age/generation do influence, contribute and decidedly impact how a leader communicates. Obviously, a good leader will learn how to transcend those influences but they are still a part of who he is and how he relates/communicates with his team.
During a conversation with my uncle who has made his fortune in coaching and consulting with companies, he used the sender-receiver model discussed in the Module 6 reading (Lussier & Achua, 2010, par. 4) to illustrate how communication can be affected by gender and age and values. His example was that he’s an older male, recently retired, Vietnam Veteran communicating with a younger, female, business owner and feedback is necessary to ensure that what was said had the same intention/interpretation when received. (W. Rose, personal communication, April 12, 2011)
An experience during my time as a customer service manager provides another example of how age/generation can impact a leader. My department was high stress, 24/7 support and completely staffed with a younger generation. I recognized their energy, enthusiasm and desire for play when not on the phones providing troubleshooting for a merchant. Needless to say, our department was loud, filled with laughter and toys but also one of the most cohesive groups in the company. Most of the other department heads were of a much older generation and placed a high value on silence and solemnity. When our company moved to a bigger building, my department was given an area that was completely walled off from the other quieter departments and we continued to enjoy our youthful (but very productive) ways while the others were left undisturbed.
One of the most interesting articles relati...
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...rcome them and go on to develop a cohesive, productive team. Generational communications are just one challenge that leaders will encounter during their team building.
Works Cited
Duke University, (n.d.). Cross generational communication [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from
http://www.duke.edu/web/equity/div_genera~ppt%20III.ppt
Leibovich, M. (2008). McCain the analog candidate. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/03/weekinreview/03leibovich.html
Lussier, R., & Achua, C. (2010) Leadership: Theory, application & skill development (4th ed.) Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.
Phelps, D. & Yee, C., (April 1, 2011). U want a job? Communication skills of ‘generation text’ aren’t so gr8 [web blog]. Retrieved from http://blog.nwjobs.com/careercenter/u_want_a_job_communication_skills_of_generation _text_arent_so_gr8_.html
HR has abundant resources, however to bridge the generational gaps and provide employees with what they want seems to be a similar issue. In years past, HR only had to deal with Baby Boomer and Traditional values, which were similar in nature, however the new generations have different values and have different career paths than their elders. For example, “Why is it that Gen Y has not been more actively recruited? Why is it the Baby Boomers remain in the market place? Why would someone still want to work when their 70?” These are all questions an HR hiring manager has to decipher when determining candidates for a position. The task has become quite difficult due to the broad spectrum and variances of these generations.
Dan O'Hair, Mary Wiemann, Dorothy Imrich Mullen, Jason J. Taven. (2012). Dan O'Hair, Mary Wiemann, Dorothy Imrich Mullen, Jason J. Taven. In M. W. Dan O'Hair, Real Communication: An Introduction (pp. 35-64). Boston, New York: Bedford / St. Martin's.
There is a lot that I want to accomplish from my leadership practice, but initially I prefer to be very careful on implementing those. Each person has their own objectives to accomplish as a leader-scholar-practitioner. Similarly, I too have plans to implement. My plans that I want to accomplish as a leader-scholar-practitioner are as follows:
Other weaknesses of the Millennial generation include struggling to have respectful communication tendencies. This can lead to personal conflicts amongst coworkers and even supervisors. Millennials also have a slight problem working individually own their own, without any given structure or supervision, to complete a task or project. This is caused by their team-oriented organizational behavior, unique from the other generations. Again, both a strength and a weakness, Millennials ability to work well in a group setting can have a major affect on the work being completed by a
...ind this to be a typical male trait. Our surveys and research found however, that these types of traits are normally associated with men within the business world. Through our research, we found that in a male dominated society, adapt to the male styles of communication. As we have previously stated, the styles of communication between genders differ greatly. Men tend to use conversation to obtain data whereas women use conversation to create connections. Through our research, we also came up with some solutions for bridging the communication gaps between males and females. To reduce miscommunication, males and females must learn to interpret the messages being sent to them. They must learn to understand the speakers' motives and background. In effective communication, one must realize the experiences of the speaker and listener, and work to create a common understanding of the messages being created. Males should try to understand the female need for connection whereas females need to understand the male need for data. If the two cultures can learn to combine their styles by offering information while creating a connection, the male and female communication gap will be bridged.
They also find explanations for the way people communicate looking within the change. Studying communication over the lifespan brings up many questions, including “are friendships negotiated differently at different times across the life span because the very nature of friendships has changed with time?” and “How do younger individuals manage interpersonal conflict and how older individuals manage their interpersonal conflicts?” There has been no research conducted to specifically target change across time. In order for research to be conducted over communication throughout the lifespan, new sets of skills that are not yet aware to the communication community would have to be used (Life Span Communication and Quality of
I think leadership would not differ based on people’s age because a good leader will provide motivation and direction for all age groups. The leader will make sure that the group will set goals toward a common cause for the patient. Furthermore, a good leader will help to bring the best of the interdisciplinary group, not by trying to control others or being authoritarian, but rather directing the group to the right direction. In addition, no matter how old the person is in a work environment they need changes to happen for the best outcomes of the patients and the health care providers. There can be small variations on how to lead to people that are older and want a different style, but a good leader will try to include good strategies for
I work at Geneva Ace Hardware. My most important job, among my many duties, is to help customers. Usually everything goes ok, but there are always a few customers that can be hard to deal with. I’ve had to deal with Mexicans who can barely speak English. I’ve had to deal with Mexicans who use their 5 year old children/grandchildren as translators. I once had to deal with a Canadian couple whose accent was so rich; I would have about a 30 second delayed response to try to convert their English into my English. Then there are the people who just won’t accept my help because I’m only a kid. None of these people compare to the dude that was deaf.
...The importance of the generational mix within an organisation is that it brings about inclusivity and helps generate new innovative ideas that could bring the organisation to its sustained competitive advantage. With each age group with its expectations by interacting with one another, there is knowledge and experience exchange.
Effective business communication is central to the success of an individual’s career and consequently to that of the overall business entity. It would be imaginable therefore that there is some form of correlation between effective communication skills and such success. To put this into context, University of Kent (2011) has placed Verbal Communication at the top of the ten skills that employers most commonly look for. On the same note, anything that hinders effective communication is bound to have a negative effect not only on the specific message delivery, but also on the overall success of a career. In this paper, some of the barriers to effective business communication are discussed, with a few examples of how they affect the process.
...fluence whether the message sent and the message received are one in the same. These screens are composed of the personal factors each person brings to the conversation, such as gender, culture, and age differences as discussed previously. The extent to which these screens are open or closed significantly influences both the sent and received messages. By keeping the previous mentioned points in mind when communicating with co-workers in different age groups when communicating; speaking and listening; internal conflict can be reduced greatly.
Communication and leadership go hand in hand. We all communicate daily and communication is a major part of our day. Sargent (2016) discussed how the leadership style of his supervisor relates to her communication style, which has affected his department in a negative way causing lowered productivity. Communication from a supervisor is so important to the success of a team.
Communication is one of the most important factors in our lives. It dictates the relationships formed with the individuals in personal and professional lives. Effective communication provides a foundation for trust and respect to grow. It also helps better understand a person and the context of the conversation. Individuals often believe that their communication skills are much better than what they actually are. Communication appears effortless; however, much of what two people discuss gets misunderstood, thus leading to conflicts and distress. To communicate effectively, one must understand the emotion behind the information being said. Knowing how to communicate effectively can improve relationships one has at home, work and in social affairs. Understanding communication skills such as; listening, non-verbal communication and managing stress can help better the relationships one has with others.
In conclusion, besides the shortcomings associated with young leadership, people are gradually changing their attitude towards the young. First is because of the factors mentioned above about advantages of young leadership in public offices. Secondly, the dynamics of leadership have changed and more people are advocating for inclusion of all categories of people in leadership. This formula provides a training platform for both old and young to learn from each other. When the young people work with the old, the old are able to nurture the young and leadership as an institution will remain forever.
One basic context of communication is interpersonal communication. Interpersonal communication can be defined as “the ongoing, ever- ch...