Sticking Points: How to Get 4 Generations Working Together in the 12 Places They Come Apart

This is the first time in American history that we have had four different generations working side-by-side in the workplace: the Traditionalists (born before 1945), the Baby Boomers (born 1945-1964), Gen X (born 1965-1980), and the Millennials (born 1981-2001).

Haydn Shaw, popular business speaker and generational expert, has identified 12 places where the 4 generations typically come apart in the workplace (and in life as well). These sticking points revolve around differing attitudes toward managing one’s own time, texting, social media, organizational structure, and of course, clothing preferences. If we don’t learn to work together and stick together around these 12 sticking points, then we’ll be wasting a lot of time fighting each other instead of enjoying a friendly and productive team. Sticking Points is a must-read book that will help you understand the generational differences you encounter while teaching how we can learn to speak one another’s language and get better results together.

“Why can’t they stop texting and make eye contact?”
“What’s wrong with leaving work early and finishing up at home?”

For the first time ever there are four generations working side by side in America’s workplaces:

• Traditionalists (born before 1945)
• Baby Boomers (born 1946–1964)
• Gen Xers (born 1965–1980)
• Millennials (born 1981–2001)

Having four generations in the workplace is revealing surprising generational differences, which popular business speaker and generational expert Haydn Shaw calls “sticking points.” These sticking points lead to misunderstanding, irritation, and stereotyping that hurts results and gets teams stuck.

There’s no need to remain stuck.
In Sticking Points, Haydn Shaw, using humor and pointed examples, shows you how to apply a five-step process to the twelve sticking points where the four generations tend to come apart. These sticking points revolve around differing attitudes toward work hours, texting, social media, respect, and dress code, among others. Sticking Points is a must-read book that will help you understand the generational differences you encounter while teaching all of us how we can learn to speak one another’s language and get better results together.

When I’m speaking and consulting on generations, people frequently ask me to recommend a book to help them handle generational differences in their workplaces―a single resource that covers all four generations and is up-to-date, readable, and practical. When I told them I didn’t know of any one book like that, they told me I’d better start writing.

In this book, I wanted to provide a practical resource for those people who approach me―a guide to all four generations, following a methodology that has helped thousands of people deal with the twelve issues most likely to pull teams apart. When we understand why another generation thinks the way they do, we are much more likely to appreciate their differences and speak their language. We are much more likely to stick together.

To make it practical, I’ve included . . .

• comparisons of how generations think.
• a five-step plan for leading rather than managing generational differences.
• ways to apply this five-step plan to each of the twelve generational sticking points.
• answers to the most common questions I get asked about generational differences.

Generational tensions are inevitable, but they don’t have to leave you stuck. This book will help you to get the four generations working together in the twelve places they tend to come apart.

Haydn Shaw has researched the generations and helped clients regarding generational differences for over twenty years. He is the author of FranklinCovey’s bestselling workshops Leading Across Generations and Working Across Generations. Haydn has worked with more than 1,500 businesses (from Fortune 500 companies to start-ups), not-for-profit organizations, and governmental agencies, speaking and consulting on leadership, management, change, and generations. Haydn lives in a Chicago suburb in a multigenerational household.