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<v Speaker 1>Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of

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<v Speaker 1>performance through strong human relations, team building, and golachieving. This

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<v Speaker 1>is the seven Minute Leadership Podcast with your host Paul Fellovledo.

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<v Speaker 2>Hello everyone, and welcome to the seven Minute Leadership Podcast.

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<v Speaker 2>It's episode six sixty six. Today, I want to talk

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<v Speaker 2>about something that's sitting right in front of us in

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<v Speaker 2>every organization, every shift, every office, every team meeting, and

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<v Speaker 2>most leaders are missing it completely. We hear a lot

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<v Speaker 2>about DEI diversity, equity, and inclusion in those conversations matter,

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<v Speaker 2>they absolutely do, But there is a form of diversity

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<v Speaker 2>that is quietly causing more friction, more confusion, more miscommunication,

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<v Speaker 2>and more leadership failure than anything else. Right now, it's

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<v Speaker 2>generational diversity. Right now, for the first time in history,

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<v Speaker 2>we have five generations working side by side, Baby Boomers,

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<v Speaker 2>Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z, and now Generation Alpha starting

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<v Speaker 2>to enter the early workforce. That means five completely different

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<v Speaker 2>views of work, five different expectations, five different definitions of respect,

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<v Speaker 2>five different communication styles in five different ways people receive feedback,

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<v Speaker 2>and leaders are walking into this every single day acting

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<v Speaker 2>like everyone should respond the same way. And that's where

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<v Speaker 2>things start. To break. Let me paint the picture for you.

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<v Speaker 2>You have a baby boomer who believes work is about loyalty,

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<v Speaker 2>long hours, and earning your place over time. You have

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<v Speaker 2>Gen X, who values independence, efficiency and getting the job

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<v Speaker 2>done without being micromanaged. You have Millennials who want purpose,

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<v Speaker 2>development and to feel like their work actually means something.

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<v Speaker 2>You have Gen Z who expects speed, flexibility, real time communication,

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<v Speaker 2>and transparency. And then you have Generation Alpha coming in

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<v Speaker 2>behind them, raised on technology, instant access and a completely

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<v Speaker 2>different relationship with information. Now Here is the leadership problem.

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<v Speaker 2>We're trying to lead all of them the same way,

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<v Speaker 2>and that doesn't work. If you talk to a baby

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<v Speaker 2>boomer the same way you talk to a Gen Z employee,

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<v Speaker 2>one of them is going to walk away confused, frustrated,

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<v Speaker 2>or checked out. If you give feedback the same way

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<v Speaker 2>across all five generations, you're going to lose people. Not

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<v Speaker 2>because they're weak, not because they don't care, because you're

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<v Speaker 2>not speaking their language. And leadership is communication. Let me

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<v Speaker 2>say that again. Leadership is communication. If your message is

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<v Speaker 2>not landing, it's not their fault, it's yours. This is

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<v Speaker 2>where real leadership shows up. You have to understand how

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<v Speaker 2>each generation sees work. You have to adjust how you communicate.

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<v Speaker 2>You have to be intentional about how you give feedback,

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<v Speaker 2>because feedback that motivates one generation can shut down another.

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<v Speaker 2>For example, a direct, no nonsense correction might be respected

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<v Speaker 2>by one group, another group might take that same approach

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<v Speaker 2>as disrespect or dismissal. One group wants face to face communication,

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<v Speaker 2>another prefers quick digital communication. One group values stability, and

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<v Speaker 2>other values opportunity and movement. If you ignore that, you

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<v Speaker 2>create friction. If you understand it, you create alignment. And

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<v Speaker 2>alignment is where performance lives. Here's the mistake leaders make.

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<v Speaker 2>They say, well, this is how I lead, and that's

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<v Speaker 2>not leadership. That is convenience. Real leadership is adapting without

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<v Speaker 2>losing your standards. You do not lower expectations. You adjust delivery.

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<v Speaker 2>You don't change the mission, you change how you connect

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<v Speaker 2>people to it. This is where your seven minutes of

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<v Speaker 2>leadership comes in. Spend seven intentional minutes thinking about your team.

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<v Speaker 2>Who are you talking to today, how do they process information,

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<v Speaker 2>how do they prefer feedback? What motivates them? Because if

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<v Speaker 2>you're not thinking about that, you're leading blind and blind

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<v Speaker 2>leadership creates avoidable problems Here's another layer to this. Generational

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<v Speaker 2>diversity is not a problem to fix, it is an

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<v Speaker 2>advantage to use. Think about what you actually have. You

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<v Speaker 2>have decade of experience sitting next to fresh perspective. You

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<v Speaker 2>have proven methods sitting next to new ideas. You have

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<v Speaker 2>stability sitting next to innovation. That is not weakness. That

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<v Speaker 2>is a leadership gold mine if you know how to

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<v Speaker 2>manage it. The best leaders do not try to make

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<v Speaker 2>everyone the same. They build systems where different generations learn

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<v Speaker 2>from each other. They create environments where experiences respected and

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<v Speaker 2>new ideas are welcomed. They bridge the gap instead of

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<v Speaker 2>ignoring it. And that takes effort, because left alone, generations

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<v Speaker 2>will drift apart. They will form silos, they will misunderstand

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<v Speaker 2>each other. They will label each other lazy, old school, entitled, outdated.

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<v Speaker 2>And once those labels start, your culture starts to crack.

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<v Speaker 2>You've seen it, you've felt it, and maybe, if we're

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<v Speaker 2>being honest, you've contributed to it. That is where accountability

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<v Speaker 2>comes in. You are the leader. You set the tone.

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<v Speaker 2>You decide if your team becomes divided or aligned. You

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<v Speaker 2>decide if those five generations work together or work against

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<v Speaker 2>each other. So here is your move. Start paying attention,

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<v Speaker 2>listen differently, and just how you communicate, ask better questions,

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<v Speaker 2>and stop assuming that everyone sees work the same way

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<v Speaker 2>that you do, because they don't and they never will.

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<v Speaker 2>And that's not a flaw, that's reality. The leaders who

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<v Speaker 2>figure this out are going to build stronger teams, retain

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<v Speaker 2>better people, and create cultures that actually work. The leaders

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<v Speaker 2>who ignore it are going to keep wondering why things

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<v Speaker 2>feel harder than they should. This is one of those moments.

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<v Speaker 2>This is a red key moment because how you handle

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<v Speaker 2>this will define your leadership, not in theory, but in

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<v Speaker 2>real time on real teams with real consequences. So the

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<v Speaker 2>question is simple, are you leading one workforce or are

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<v Speaker 2>you leading five different ones like they are one? Because

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<v Speaker 2>those are two very different things and only one of

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<v Speaker 2>them works. So if you take nothing else from today,

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<v Speaker 2>please take this. Your team is not difficult. Your approach

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<v Speaker 2>might be. Adjust how you communicate, understand who is in

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<v Speaker 2>front of you, and lead with intention. This is how

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<v Speaker 2>you turn generational differences into a competitive advantage instead of

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<v Speaker 2>a daily frustration. This has been the seven Minute Leadership Podcast,

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<v Speaker 2>and I thank you for listening.

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<v Speaker 1>For more. Paul Fellovolito Podcast. Is It? Paul Fellowalito dot

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<v Speaker 1>Com