Gentelligence: The Revolutionary Approach to Leading an Intergenerational Workforce

"Vital for any organization with multigenerational staffs, and for marketers, public relations professionals, HRD managers, or executives." Library Journal, Starred Review Gentelligence: The Revolutionary Approach to Leading an Intergenerational Workforce presents a transformative way to end the generational wars once and for all. This book first introduces Gentelligence as a powerful business strategy and shows why it is critical for the future of work. It then presents a practical guide and a call to action for leaders of all ages to unlock the potential strengths of each generation. Readers will learn how an intergenerational workforce can be reframed as a profound business opportunity and discover how Gentelligence can help them win the talent war, create strong, diverse teams, and build adaptable cultures that will flourish in an era of rapid change. Gentelligence shares groundbreaking evidence that will have readers thinking about their generationally diverse workforce in an entirely different way. Readers will discover: Where generational conflict originates, and how it results in both dangerous ageism and reverse ageism in today’s workplaces.Why the generation gap stems from a misunderstanding of shared core values across all generations. How to find essential common ground with colleagues, both older and younger, and recognize the unique needs that come with different generational identities. How generational shaming leads us to view those from other generations as competitors rather than collaborators, further damaging employee engagement, team dynamics, innovation, and organizational culture. How leveraging the unique strengths of each generation at work can lead to a win-win outcome for all. How traditional views on leadership have been turned upside down as a result of new generational dynamics, with many employees currently being led by managers that are younger than themselves, and older leaders struggling to make sense of changing norms around authority and power. Gentelligence reveals the opportunities within an intergenerational workforce and provides actionable tools to help leaders build Gentelligent organizations. Unlike other books on generational leadership, this book rejects common stereotypes assigned to different generations, replacing them with a deep understanding of why those who grew up in different times may behave in unique and valuable, ways. We challenge leaders to go beyond simply accepting generational differences to leverage them proactively to increase engagement, innovation, and organizational success.

Megan W. Gerhardt, PhD is a Professor of Management, Director of Leadership Development, and the Robert C. Johnson Co-Director of the Isaac and Oxley Center for Business Leadership at the Farmer School of Business at Miami University. She is also the creator of Gentelligence and the founder of The Gerhardt Group, LLC, a leadership consulting practice.

Megan has published widely on individual differences, motivation, leadership, and generational differences in the workplace and her work on Gentelligence has been featured on Forbes.com, NBCNews.com, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, Inc. Magazine, The San Francisco Chronicle, MarketWatch, Business Insider and The Houston Chronicle among others. In 2017, her TEDx talk “Why I Love Millennials...and You Should, Too” was released, kicking off the Gentelligence movement. As the creator of the Gentelligence movement, Megan’s work (www.profgerhardt.com) focuses on leveraging individual differences to achieve leadership impact and extraordinary levels of performance."

Josephine Nachemson-Ekwall is an Associate Director of Financial Crime Prevention Policy and Procedures at UBS Financial Services, focusing on implementation and adherence to policies, local requirements, and global standards. Josephine’s work in leadership development focuses on strengths-based development, individual coaching, and the importance of personal mission and values in driving one’s life and career. She most recently gave a presentation at the Clifton Strengths Summit on “Why Strengths Work” and published an article on generational conflict and tension in December 2019.

Brandon Fogel is a Staff Consultant at Ernst & Young LLC in the People Advisory Services practice, which specializes in organizational change and people management. Brandon’s work in leadership development focuses on strengths-based development, effective teaming strategies, and the value of goal setting.