By Danielle DeLonge
Jan. 5, 2012
In the past, I’ve written a lot about the younger generation of workers. Today, I want to talk about what younger generations can learn from those who’ve “Been there, done that,” and how to promote their insights within your organization.
A lot has changed since the last time I shared my thoughts on this subject: I have a new, challenging job in a different market, I’ve moved from an employee to a manager in my current organization, and for various reasons, have moved twice in the past seven months. Suffice it to say, the only thing that’s stayed the same in my life as of late is that things have been changing!
Yet in spite of our culture’s yearning for new and different, and my personal experience with what can be learned by moving forward, I’m quickly coming to understand that some things remain the same no matter the industry or size of the organization. Coming in to lead a team that is comprised of both well-seasoned and newly minted employees has taught me that there is tremendous value in leveraging the knowledge and experience of both.
At the campus I now manage, we have a relatively new individual who is part of our Facilities team. In his 35-year career, he’s worked at seven different organizations in a facilities management position. Every day, by 7:30am, he’s out either sweeping the walkways in front of our school or salting the sidewalk with ice, as has been the case recently. In fact, the time we had a campus cleanup day, we discovered he does such a great job keeping up the outside of our facility that he hardly left us any work to do!
Considering his experience and willingness to pitch in, I was shocked at what he once told me about other places he’s worked: “You know, I’ve never really truly felt a part of any organization. People just didn’t really talk to me.” Yet I’ve found him to be incredibly positive, thoughtful and knowledgeable—and, most of all, I’m glad to have him on my team. And I’m shocked that no one ever took the time to tap in to his wisdom.