The Nintendo Generation?

 

Not too long ago, I was at a dinner where I found myself in a conversation with a senior association leader.  He chaired the board of a model non-profit and had been around the block more than a few times in the business world.  So, needless to say, I was all ears when he decided to share with me his theory on young professionals.  He said:

“I like to think of young people today as the ‘Nintendo Generation.’”

I’ll admit that initially, my ears perked up. I don’t like to brag, but in my youth, I was something of a Super Mario savant.  Maybe not to the extent of Fred Savage’s little brother in The Wizard, but I did master Super Mario I, II and yes, III.

Then he explained what he meant:  Apparently, the ‘Nintendo Generation’ are those of us now in our twenties and early thirties who grew up playing video games and when we didn’t like what was happening on the screen, we’d simply reach forward and reset it.

...So, apparently, I’ve grown up learning that if the going gets tough, it’s OK to quit and start all over again?

Really? 

Now, I’m well aware that there is a whole other side to this spectrum and a whole host of stereotypes younger people attribute to older ones.  Certainly, I think there are young professionals out there trying to clamber their ways upward who feel the older people who currently lead their organizations are barring them from moving into leadership positions.

For the most part, the boomers are still at the helm and while they may be getting older, a lot of them don’t have plans to leave anytime soon.  Eventually, however, these younger professionals are going to be taking the wheel...so I have to agree with other bloggers like Rosetta Thurman and Beau Ballinger when they suggest that perhaps all of us should be spending less time pegging stereotypes on one another and more time learning from each other in order to become better leaders. 

The multigenerational workplace is a reality and, while older and younger people may see the world through different-coloured glasses, I think that particularly in the non-profit world, most are working with the same end-goals in mind.  Don't you?

What are you doing to bring together the best these generations have to offer in your non-profit?

(Photo courtesey of www.typetees.com)