Cultivate Panel Address Managing Within a Multi-Generational Workforce

Cultivate’25 kicked off on Saturday, July 12, with a panel discussion on how to manage within a multi-generational workforce. The panel included representatives from four different generations within the horticulture industry. Keep reading for just a few insights from the panel.

• The panel agreed that one thing missing at many companies today is formal mentoring programs. In many cases, baby boomers have a “just get it done” mindset that they expect from their teams, which can be a challenge with working with millennials who expect some training or coaching. Without this mentoring, there may also be times when the institutional knowledge a baby boomer business owner may have does not passed on to others.
• Communication can also be a challenge, with some preferring phone calls or face-to-face visits and others more comfortable with emailing and texting. These preferences were not necessarily limited to one generation or another, however.
• Panel members also discussed the leadership styles they either respond to or shy away from. Trust was a common theme, as was criticism of company leaders who only provide feedback when things go wrong.
• What if you move up within a company and have to decide on process changes to make? As one panelist noted, the focus here should be on finding a balance between when it’s necessary to implement changes, and when tradition needs to prevail.
• Finally, the panelists were asked about advice they might give to the next generation. Two notable themes here: the importance of allowing a work-life balance, and being patient and knowing that talent will always make its way to the top.