Creativia Turns 6!
Yes, I’m marking my sixth anniversary as a Generational Inclusion Consultant & Catalyst through Creativia! So I thought I’d take a beat to reflect on what has happened since 2016.
What has Happened?
This video gives you my backstory: Mary Meets Millennials
In my quest to grasp the seismic change underway in my college classroom, I found data about a generation called "Millennials." It matched what I was experiencing in real life. Building awareness helped close the gap between my students and me. So, I wanted to learn more about generations as a social identity.
Pretty soon, I began helping people understand the generational part of their identity, first by debunking the stereotypes and lies we tell ourselves and each other about generational differences. I realized we must emphasize that every generation has strengths and much we can teach and learn from each other.
The early years of my consulting focused on building awareness and acceptance of Generational Diversity as one that belonged on the DEI continuum.
COVID-19 threw a wrench into the works because I prided myself on facilitating in-person intergenerational conversations. How could anything meaningful happen via Zoom? It took practice, but I soon learned that we could reach more people efficiently, and further, from home than I could from campus in the early years. (When asked a month ago to train onsite, I wasn’t sure I knew how anymore!)
Once I crafted a strategy for introducing the concepts and importance Generational Diversity, it was time to turn ideas into action. This is where my 3-year collaboration with Megan Gerhardt, Ph.D. come in. Megan is a professor of Business Leadership at Miami University of Ohio, the founder of the #Gentelligence movement and author of Gentelligence: The Revolutionary Approach to Leading an Intergenerational Workforce. I’ve had practice researching, and I know when something withstands the test of time, is driven by rigor, a critical mind, and it feels right. It became my go-to toolkit for building Gentelligence.
Megan has authorized me to teach these four practices: 1) Challenge Assumptions 2) Adjust the Lens 3) Strengthen Trust 4) Expand the Pie. Outcomes: Intergenerational teams.
A Gen Z summer workshop participant wrote: “Mary is presenting her study of generational nuances not as judgmental or critical, but in a reflective and informative manner. Understanding the differences in one another with a lens of empathy rather than imposing an opinion on if their listed behaviors are right or wrong, I think will really help us be less divisive generationally."
How can I stop now?
I feel like I am the luckiest 67-year-old ever. My younger self never imagined I would have a third career that feels like what I’ve been working toward all my life. My purpose through Creativa is to harness the powers of an intergenerational workforce. I feel like an alchemist, helping people make connections with each other, discover strengths in their differences, and find solutions to problems neither party could imagine on their own.
This work makes me happy, and it makes the entrepreneurial challenges worth it.
According to demographic futurist Bradley Schurman, we are on the cusp of the Super Age. Within two years there will be more people over 65-years-old than under 18 in the USA. Unprepared, we face economic stagnation. We can plan now to harness the benefits of the benefits of the Super Age: extended and healthier lives, more generational cooperation at work and at home, and new markets and products to explore.
It’s gonna be a busy year – let’s go!