Blog

I’ve been off the blog post trail for a while. I’ve been spending a lot of time writing a book, which, beyond me, took longer than expected. I’m putting the final touches on it, but I realized that I need to get back to writing the blog. 

Moving forward, I plan to write a blog post every two weeks. Keeping up with weekly social media takes up a lot of time. To make sure I keep current with content, every two weeks for a blog seems perfect, and people are inundated with so much out there right now.

I had the opportunity last week to deliver a generational keynote in Altoona, PA. The group was the Southern Alleghenies EMS Council, and it was their six-county Leadership Conference. They serve EMS first responders with leadership training, equipment vendors, and networking. These folks put it out there every day, serving their communities.

Many times, they see people at their worst. It’s also an industry where they see a lot of burnout, low pay, and grueling work. With that said, their purpose is to help people in their time of need. Their purpose drives them to continue serving their communities. Without them, numerous bad things would happen to good people.

I was speaking with one member, and he told me that insurance pays them by the ride. Meaning that they go out on a call, they get paid a flat rate. Whether the ride is 2 miles or 60 miles, it’s a flat rate. Whether the call is 10 minutes or an hour and a half, they get paid a flat rate. That doesn’t seem fair or right. Regardless, they keep moving forward.

It’s conferences like these where they can come together, discuss issues, and plan a path forward to make things better for everyone. Having the opportunity to discuss generational divides with this group helps them be aware when they see it. Perception is everything, as a Baby Boomer will see the situation differently than a Gen Z. Awareness is the first step.

Communication is the second. Once you are aware, knowing how to communicate between generations is a skill to be honed. We don’t realize that we may be talking to someone with different values from ours. Once you realize that, you can better communicate with others.

Now that you are aware and can communicate, you are on your road to collaboration. Because without the first two, you can’t get to the third. Collaboration is the place where you can make meaningful progress. You can tackle issues and problems facing the organization. That’s because your focus is back on your purpose.

I was honored to share with a group of first responders how to deal with generational divides. The person sitting next to them in that EMS ambulance shouldn’t be a generational adversary; they should be your partner.