The Courage To Slow Down
Reflections from our October Roundtable:
“Building Generational Skills for Courageous Leadership”
by Mary Cooney, PhD | Generation IQ
When was the last time you had a slow conversation—one that wasn’t about solving something right away?
That was exactly the kind of space we created in our October Roundtable. People from across the world joined—HR leaders, educators, and community builders—representing five generations and countless perspectives on how we work, learn, and lead together in a changing world.
We began with Loronda Merriweather, a global HR leader, who set the tone beautifully. She joined us from the road (literally, on her phone!) and said, “We have five, maybe six generations in the workplace right now. I’m here to understand the unique needs, the communication challenges, and how we ensure knowledge transfer.”
That question carried us the rest of the hour.
🌱 Truths That Ground Us
Agnes Sansa, joining from Uganda, described what she sees every day as a lecturer of HR management at Makerere University: “Young people are very ambitious—but sometimes impatient.” She called for formal, intentional mentorship programs that build both skill and patience.
Barbara Jones from Wayne State University brought it home: “Our students are overwhelmed—five classes, two jobs, trying to make tuition. I have to stop, listen, and meet them where they are.”
Shawn Johnson, who facilitates leadership development in Texas, smiled as she observed a pattern: “The once-misunderstood are now managers.” What used to be said about Millennials is now being said about Gen Z—a gentle reminder that frustration often reflects expectations more than character.
Jay Nelson from The Legacies Project widened the lens, naming what younger people are carrying: school shootings, climate anxiety, institutional distrust. “It’s not that they don’t care,” he said. “They’ve just grown up rehearsing worst-case scenarios.”
And Jelani Bransford, an HR manager here in Michigan, offered a simple but powerful leadership practice: “No surprises.”
“Feedback should be frequent and transparent,” he said. “That’s what keeps trust alive.”
💬 My Own Aha
Just the day before, I’d led a generational inclusion training for the UAW. Most of the participants were Boomers and Gen Xers, and I realized how tricky it is to talk about younger workers when none of them are in the room. It’s so easy to slip into ‘these kids…’ thinking.
What struck me most was how fear can disguise itself as frustration. When older workers feel unheard or undervalued, it’s tempting to double down on “the way we’ve always done it.” But the world is changing—shift work, flexibility, even how people define loyalty.
As I listened to that group wrestle with these realities, I thought: maybe the most courageous leadership skill right now is the willingness to slow down long enough to see what’s true—for them and for ourselves.
🌾 Legacy-in-Action
By the end of the Roundtable, we began shaping a kind of collective wisdom—simple practices that help us show up differently across generations.
Tell the truth.
Acknowledge what’s hard, what’s changed, and where we need help.Model slow.
Bake bread. Plant seeds. Play chess. Teach patience by practicing it.Co-mentor with feedback.
Give timely encouragement and ask for guidance in return.Have the third conversation.
Move from my story and your story to our shared solution.Design for reality.
Blend the flexibility young workers crave with the reliability teams need.
🌿 A Gentle Invitation
This month, try one slow conversation with someone from another generation.
Ask:
“What feels unsteady for you right now—and what would help steady it?”
Then share your own story of learning something the hard way.
You might be surprised how much steadier you feel afterward.
Because every time we pause long enough to really listen, we turn experience into something living—a small act of Legacy-in-Action.
With calm and courage,
Mary