A Brief History of Why We Name Generations:
Let’s start off with a social reality concerning the idea of “generations.” Generations, and generational names, are a social construct without any hardlines, and we truly cannot define groups of individuals via a birthdate. The idea of creating generations based on the year they were born started in the 20th century. The concept of naming generations is largely a Western notion, and generational names are often influenced by local or regional events. Most Historians credit Gertrude Stein [2/3/1874 – 7/27/1946] as the first person to name a generation. In 1926 Ernest Hemingway [7/21/1899 – 7/2/1961] published his “The Sun Also Rises.” In the epigram to his publications she wrote, “You are the lost generation.”
Generally speaking generations are defined as groups of people born around the same time, typically within a 15/20-year interval, e.g. Boomers are between 1946-1964 and GenX is between 1965-1980. Social Scientists soon determined generational distinctions do not follow distinct starting and ending points, so they created “Micro-Generation.” These are individuals born between the boundaries of two generations, often exhibiting traits and values from both sides, leading to unique identities and experiences, e.g. Generation Jones a micro-generation between Boomers and GenX 1954-1965, Xennials a micro-generation between GenX and Millennials 1977-1983, and Zalphas the micro-generation between GenZ and Gen Alpha 2000 – 2010.
Why does all that matter? We need to stop putting people into a false social construct of age and see them as more than the age boxes we created. Mentorship in the 21st century is evolving to meet the demands of the modern workplaces culture. We need to face the reality, mentorship is not a ridged, top down approach where the “old teach the young;” it is flexible, interactive, supportive, and open approach to work and life, and should flow between the mentor and mentee.
For Mentorship to Work in the 21st Century it Must be:
A Shared Learning Experience for Both Sides: Mentorship must allow mentor and mentee to take on different roles at different times. This will foster a shared learning and teaching environment. Mentorship should be viewed as more than the sharing of knowledge between the mentor and the mentored; it needs to be seen as a shared growth experience.
A Tailor Communication Styles: Set clear expectations around frequency, format, and boundaries of communication from the outset prevents frustration and fosters trust. Now, that does not mean communication is forbidden outside the set communications. I prefer texted messaging, and pop-in visits, while one mentee I had preferred emails and phone calls. She would call, or email, to see if I was open to meet. I would either call or email her back. But she always knew, if something came up, she was always welcome to text or “pop-in” [if I was in my office] if she needed.
An Unstructured Experience: Most of us have faced a structured mentorship programs that formalize knowledge-sharing and create accountability for professional growth by assigning a mentor to a mentee; it does not work today. Mentees today are not looking to be assigned a mentor. A while back, I created a list of senior staff in an organization, along with what their expertise was, and gave the list to all new and existing junior staff. Mentors soon found they were mentoring several junior staff, and junior staff were being mentored by several mentors. It was crazy at first but soon balanced out and the benefits were amazing.
A Catalyst: Webster has two definitions for a Catalyst, and I like to combine them both when dealing with mentorship; “a person who enables and encourages a reaction helping to develop a usually faster rate of growth in situations where otherwise may seem impossible.” Mentorship needs to be a catalyst for developing essential skills, e.g. emotional intelligence, communication skills, problem-solving, personal growth, and other crucial skills to help navigate the modern workforce, and life.
Open to New Ideas: One of the well-known adages of Confucius that I strive to live by is, “If you are the smartest person in the room, you are in the wrong room.” If you see yourself as the most intelligent in any group, it shows complacency and a lack of growth on yourpart; it will kill the mentor/mentee relationship. Fostering a mindset and hunger for continuous learning and development shows you are open to other voices. Mentorship should be a two-way street, encouraging growth and development to both parties.
Open to Understanding: The first mentor I was assigned told me, “I am not here to be your friend, I am here to tell you what you need to do,” needless to say, not a productive mentorship. As a mentor you need to be authentic, accessible, adaptable, and yes, caring. You need to offer personalized and timely feedback. You need to challenge, expose new opportunities, and connect your mentee to other relevant people and resources. By understand their needs they understand you care, and truly want the best for them.
A Model and Inspire: You need to model and inspire the behaviors and attitudes you want your mentees to adopt and emulate. When your mentee sees you are truly credible, competent, companionate, and confident, a person who is focused on integrity, ethics, and values, a person willing to share your stories, your insights, your successes and failures, they connect and trust you.
Mentorship is not easy, and will take time [sometimes a great deal of time], but the rewards for both mentor and mentee are amazing.
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