How do you lead a team that spans five generations?

For the first time, five generations overlap in the workforce, and this mix is only getting bigger and more complex. The older workforce has nearly quadrupled since the mid-80s and, with the retirement age consistently going up in most countries, people are staying employed for much longer. At the same time, Gen Z has already been entering the job market and will account for 30% of the workforce by 2030.

Congratulations! You now lead the widest age spread in modern history. 👍

What are the actual challenges of leading across different age groups?

• Communication friction. Some want sync calls and some prefer structured documentation.

• Tool fluency myths. Young does not always mean tech capable and older does not always mean tech resistant.

• Different #career clocks. Earlier career talent focused on learning while later career talent often cares for impact, stability and autonomy.

• Knowledge transfer risk. Expertise is distributed on the few instead of being shared with the many.

Having said that, based on research from HBR, the differences are not as big as the bias.

When researchers compare generations on values, motivation, communication style, loyalty, or ambition, the differences exist but they are surprisingly small.

What creates the real tension inside teams is not these small differences but the stories leaders tell themselves about them. If you expect younger employees to be restless, you read every question as a sign they want to leave. If you expect older employees to resist change, you interpret every hesitation as proof. The moment you manage through these assumptions, you create the very behavior you fear.

🛠️A quick "how to" guide to multi-generational leadership

1. Create a "how we work" manual with a shared agreement across your team. It should include response times, meetings versus written updates, decision rules and documentation.

   
   

2. Use #diversity as your asset and benefit from what each team member has to offer. For example, structure a two-way mentoring process where you pair experience with velocity, strategic thinking with efficiency and so on.

   
   

3. Tailor your leadership approach on the individual, not the age group. Different people have different needs, ambition and expectations. Keep your personal bias out of the equation by taking the time to have those conversations with your #team.

💡The upside of getting this right

World Economic Forum research highlights multigenerational teams as critical to the future of #work. When you manage them well, you get stronger decisions, faster adoption of new tools, better judgment, and resilience that single age teams rarely match.

⁉️ Question for you: What have you learned from leading a multi-generational team?

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🌟Sparking Leadership # 28: a weekly series on human-centered, sustainable #leadership. Follow for real talk and practical tools. In the meantime, lead with spark!