Building an Effective Intergenerational ENGO Workplace
4-Part Series
September 24, October 1, 8, & 15, 1:00-2:30 PM ET on Zoom Meeting (camera and audio enabled)
Cost: $75 for the series
*All registrants will be provided with a link to the recording and presentation slides following each session. The recording will be available for 60 days.
This workshop hones in on the impact of generational gaps within leadership, emphasizing the need to bridge these divides. By enhancing conflict resolution skills and fostering a deeper understanding of intergenerational dynamics, participants will gain valuable tools for maintaining a cohesive and effective workplace environment.
Part I: Bringing Your Generation to Work
September 24, 1:00-2:30 PM ET
In the kickoff session, participants will focus inward to identify their own strengths and weaknesses as part of a multigenerational team. They will learn about the dangers inherent in workplace ageism (i.e., intergenerational tension) and review trends in each generation’s communication style, preferences, and – perhaps most importantly – perceptions of others’ style and preferences. They will begin building an awareness of their own prejudices, preferences, and habits in communicating with different generations. Attendees will continue their self-awareness journey with a diagnostic exercise aimed at uncovering their own generational biases and identifying opportunities for positive change. Finally, participants will begin the process of identifying potential or actual intergenerational roadblocks to mission fulfillment within their organization and the behaviors involved in those roadblocks.
Part II: Assembling & Working on Successful Intergenerational Teams
October 1, 1:00-2:30 PM ET
In the second session, attendees will focus outward to evaluate their team’s or department’s strengths and weaknesses. They will take a deep dive into each generation’s common influences and the historical components that shaped their approach to workplace communication. They will also examine the professional strengths and opportunities commonly attributed to each generation and learn how to identify them (or their absence) among existing team members. They will be introduced to common sources of friction among different generations and learn strategies to avoid, minimize, or eliminate those sources while reaching a mutually inclusive conclusion. Finally, participants will begin the process of tying organizational goals and mission activity to individual staff talent and taking steps to ensure the best possible team is assembled.
Part III: Mastering Intergenerational Leadership
October 8, 1:00-2:30 PM ET
In Part III, participants (regardless of position/title) will take a bird’s-eye view of their organization or department to begin identifying and understanding the origins of multigenerational communications- related pitfalls. They will be introduced to the process of codifying a departmental or organizational communications policy based on consensus, mission centrism, and mutual respect, and observe how generational differences come into play in even the simplest daily interaction. Attendees will engage in multiple activities to learn how to tailor their leadership style not only to different generations, but also to individuals and to scenarios common in the nonprofit world. Finally, participants will learn what a leader’s role is in ensuring positive intergenerational relations, including how to prepare for and tackle pain points specific to nonprofits, and strategies for staying on track.
Part IV: Building & Sustaining a Healthy Multi-Generational Culture
October 15, 1:00-2:30 PM ET
In this fourth and final session, attendees will learn about common signs – even among high performers – of intergenerational tension and how they most commonly show up in nonprofit culture. They will examine different communication channels and styles and learn how they can create a culture of fear, distrust, or hostility. Participants will learn how to trace poor or nonexistent intergenerational communication back to cultural shortcomings and the most effective way(s) to address those issues at the root. Attendees will “diagnose” the culture within their own department, team, or organization, and work in groups to identify ways in which leadership behavior is influencing the perpetuation of both good and bad habits.
Each 90-minute training session will be fully interactive, with multiple opportunities for open discussion, as well as a minimum of two breakout (small group) sessions, a minimum of one solo activity, a minimum of two polls, and follow-up materials (quizzes and/or feedback forms) to solidify learning and open doors for continued discussion. Participants will have the opportunity to anonymously pose questions following the training.