Many of the hippies, yippies, and yuppies known as Boomers or the Baby Boomer generation have retired. Some of the younger Boomers are still working, but the Gen X’ers are seemingly anxious to push grandpa out the door, so they can take over.
But, does that mean the role of Boomers in business is over, or is there still an important role for them to fulfill?
My answer is an emphatic, Yes! There is a very important role for Boomers to fulfill.
After my first retirement, I started teaching university business classes. At first, the students were largely millennials, but over the year’s millennials were replaced by Gen Z’s.
What I noticed among the Gen X’ers, Millennials, and Gen Z’s is they have a hunger to hear from the voice of experience. They want to learn what worked and what didn’t work from the horse’s mouth rather than from the dry pages of a textbook or a stale PowerPoint presentation.
Every semester the most common question I was asked by my students started out, “Can you give me an example of when x happened to you and what you did?”
Almost every student evaluation I received over my years of teaching included verbatims that said the most valuable part of the course was the personal stories I told relating real-world business experience. My stories brought to life what they were reading in their textbooks.
Young people, far from dismissing the older generation, seem especially eager to learn from us Boomers. Perhaps to not make the same mistakes we did, perhaps to reapply our success in their own careers. Either way, it’s clear, the younger generations want to learn and succeed in their own right.
And that, Boomers, is the role that remains for us to fulfill in business. We must step up and step out into the role of mentor to help the next generations of brilliant minds to discover and use their God-given talents.
Mentoring or disciplining the younger generations is not only a practical business strategy; it is also a Biblical mandate.
Biblical Mentors
There are several notable examples of mentors/mentees in the Bible. Among my favorites are Elijah and Elisha, Ruth and Naomi, Barnabas and Mark, and Paul and Timothy.
Elijah and Elisha
Elisha grew up learning from the great prophet, Elijah. They lived together, doing God’s work together for years. Even when it was clear that God would take Elijah to heaven, Elisha steadfastly refused to leave Elijah’s side.
Ruth and Naomi
Naomi’s husband and then her sons died in a foreign land. Naomi’s daughter-in-law, Ruth, refused to stay behind when Naomi decided to return to her home country. With no property and no money, Naomi carefully instructed Ruth in the ways of her culture. Ruth did everything she was instructed by Naomi. As a result, Ruth met and married Boaz. Ruth and Boaz had a child named Obed who was the grandfather of David, King of Israel.
Barnabas and Mark
Mark left Paul and Barnabas in the middle of a missionary journey. Paul was so upset he refused to take Mark along on a second trip. But Barnabas saw something special in young Mark. Barnabas left Paul and took Mark on a missionary trip to Cyprus. Over the years, Mark matured, learning from Barnabas. Paul and Mark’s relationship was restored, and Mark became a trusted disciple and helper to Paul.
Paul and Timothy
Paul and Timothy shared a zeal for spreading the Gospel. Paul was experienced while Timothy was young and inexperienced. Paul mentored Timothy over the years they were together, and even came to think of Timothy as his son.
Boomers as Mentors
Boomers, if you want your business to keep running you better be mentoring the next generation. If you want your 401K to continue to provide the returns that make it possible for you to stay retired, then you need to be mentoring the next generation.
This is how many Boomers have failed the next generation. We are not mentoring them effectively. Oh, sure we tell them to do this and do that as if we are imparting wisdom, but to the younger folks, it sounds like their parents are bossing them around.
What young people really want, what they hunger for in a mentor, is a relationship! Notice the common element in each of the Biblical examples above is a trusting relationship between the mentor and the mentee.
It’s really that simple; young people want relationships that will help them grow. They want to know you, trust you, and care about you. And they want you to know, trust, and care for them!
So, Boomers, let’s get busy and fulfill our responsibility to the next generations. If you are already a retired Boomer, get out there and find a young person who wants to learn from you. If you are a Boomer still working, look for a young protégé to develop.
And you Gen X, Millennial, and Gen Z’s, you have two jobs. Find yourself a mentor you can build a relationship with and pass it on by finding yourself a younger person you can be a mentor to.
Be a mentee. Be a mentor. Jesus mentored the disciples. It worked for Him. It will work for you!
Join the Conversation
As always, questions and comments are welcome. What experience do you have as either a mentee or a mentor? If so, has the relationship helped you grow?
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Category: Relationships | Healthy Alliances
