At VIM Executive Coaching, we have come close to hearing virtually every descriptor for older managers and management styles, from Boomers (as in OK, Boomer), to dinosaurs to “OPs” (Old People) to Old School, Old-style, Out-of-touch, Old Fashioned, Past-it’s, and the infamous, “Out-to-pasture.”
Not surprisingly, Gen-Z (those young whipper-snappers soon to enter the professional workforce) have an established lexicon of slang of their own, in part to separate themselves from Old-fogey Millennials.
We, as humans, like to separate ourselves by generation. Often, we do so, because the new, fresh and exciting is seen as an optimistic construct whereas anything more than a day-old (much like mayonnaise or whipped cream) is seen as “dangerous” or retreating into the past.
It is understandable
The doling out of labels is understandable, and mostly benign. It marks a generational passage of time. Indeed, a generational rite of passage.
For there is precious little that is new under the sun. Yesterday’s “Oh, you slay me,” is today’s, “That song you sang slayed me.” The aspirational group, the Bourgeoise, those Boomers struggling to be something they really weren’t, became the Gen-Z word “Boujie,” to also describe someone who believes in the price of everything and the value of nothing.
Those who sharply react to the “younger generations” might be best served by lightening up just a bit. We would worry if successive generations were carbon copies (for those who remember carbon paper!).
Nothing would have evolved in such a world. We at VIM Executive Coaching appreciate new ways of looking at things, new ways of embracing workplace culture, and clearly, creating more authentic and welcoming work environments.
If we must be honest, there were some serious problems in past work environments. Problems still exist. Then again, there have always been executives who were mindful enough to say, “No, this isn’t acceptable.” They are our champions!
The problem with a dismissal of the past is that the target is one that is constantly moving and changing. One day, not so many years from now, Millennials will be seen as stodgy and out-of-touch. They will look at one another, and ask, “I remember being 21. How did that passage of time stuff happen?”
Simply remember, “descriptors” and even benign name calling are in the natural progression of things but, it has little to do with how we look at life and respond, rather than react to those around us. No one can stop the passage of time, but our authenticity and outlook on life can always be open and fresh. This, of course, extends to executive leadership where mindfulness is an important and appreciated attribute.
What then, endures?
One of the cornerstones of the VIM Way of coaching is mindfulness and the cultivation of mindfulness through meditation and self-reflection.
“Mindfulness meditation” undoubtedly pre-dates the Middle Ages to ancient Japan and the Far East. Mindfulness is as relevant now as when people learned to appreciate stillness and to observe, to feel, to measure and most importantly, to evaluate what was going on around them.
The Past may be a moveable target and we embrace that, but not everything in the past is unusable, just as not everything in the present is necessarily beneficial or contributory to advancing the work place environment.
When the ancients discovered the value of mindfulness and being fully present in the moment, they revealed a powerful tool and an important way of being. In our daily lives, especially in an executive leadership sense, the mindful will always transcend those stuck in the past, even if that past was “yesterday.”