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A ccording to the United States Census Bureau, by 2030, all baby boomers will be 65 years of age or older. With an estimated 73 million, this generation has been dubbed the “gray tsunami,” and most should be retiring over the next five to 10 years. As a proud boomer, I hope to eventually join my peers in retirement. Baby boomers and millennials may use different leadership styles and cope differently in business and in life, but the interaction of both can deliver some key benefits. Generational leadership transition
Stephen Lucy
At the same time, more than one-in-three American labor force participants (35 percent) are millennials, making them the largest generation in the U.S. labor force according to a Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. They are a much maligned group, yet we cannot ignore the tidal wave that they represent in the work force. As leadership teams transition and as my retirement looms over the horizon, I often reflect on the finish line and what that will look like for me. Lately, too, I have been checking off ambitious and adventuresome “must do’s” on my bucket list which begs the question: Am I watching my youth slip away into old age or am I ready for a big change in the current course I am on? How about you?
Most of my peers have been work-centric, often deferring important and meaningful personal events and activities to continue climbing that seemingly endless ladder of success. It seems that, as leaders, we are always “on,” sending and replying to work issues no matter what time of day or night. While we boomers might have bulldozed our way to the top, millennials choose how they want to carve out their path, and it is often based on achieving workplace balance. Millennials try to establish personal and professional lives concurrently. They bring fresh energy to the workplace that includes a greater range of technology know-how, a focus on achieving career balance, and greater inclusivity
See STEPHEN LUCY, page 10
THE ZWEIG LETTER JUNE 15, 2020, ISSUE 1349
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