Generational Views on Leadership

The 2009 Executive Leadership Conference is currently taking place in Williamsburg, Va., and this year, it's focusing on a new era of innovation in government. Wired Workplace tuned in this morning to a Webinar from the event that focused on generational issues, social media and leadership in government.

One theme from the panel -- which consisted of current and former Generation X and Y federal employees -- stuck out: generational views of leadership. For example, Generation X and Y focus on bringing diverse skills and team members and working "with" one another, versus Baby Boomers, who focus more on working "for" someone.

Matt Collier of the Office of Personnel Management, who, at 26-years-old, is now leading an effort to analyze and improve the federal recruiting and hiring process for entry-level applicants, said he is leading a team that includes federal employees with more than 20 years of experience. The key, he said, is reverse mentoring, or learning from one another, and encouraging an environment of mutual respect.

Andrew Krzmarzick, director of community engagement for GovLoop, encouraged Baby Boomers to imagine where they would be in the year 2020. Many boomers will be in between work and leisure, he said, and will probably be living in a mobile environment with flexibility. Younger workers "want that already," he said. "We all want the same things, so create that culture now. Think about where you want to be in six to ten years and put yourself there, and we'll be happy with that culture."