Phlunte’ Riddle Illuminates “The Dynamics Between Baby Boomers and Millennials In The Workplace”

On May 17, 2013, Phlunte’ Riddle, the first African American woman to be promoted to lieutenant in the Pasadena Police Department, spoke at the University Club of Pasadena about her new career emphasis with Effective Consultants. Retiring after 28+ years of service, Phlunte’ Riddle has become a business consultant with a pioneering focus on changes in the dynamics of the new 21st century work environment. The key to such changes are the necessary shifts in the leadership approaches of Baby Boomers as they encounter the Millennials in the workplace. The question that Phlunte’ Riddle illuminated in her talk is “How are these two generations going to co-exist?” and what can they ultimately learn from one another.

As the head of the University Club membership committee, James Harwood of Total HR Management helps to bring engaging speakers to club luncheons. Phlunte’ Riddle is a perfect example of one such speaker. Based in her relationship with her own children, Phlunte’ Riddle has expanded her personal experience with the Millennials in the workplace. Optimistic, educated and open-minded, the members of the Millennial generation are hot commodities on account of their technical savvy and skills. As Phlunte’ Riddle explained, “They sleep with their cell phones by their side, love technology, and instantly respond to emails and text messages.”

Rather than being intimidated by such a tech-focused generation, the Baby Boomers should be aware of the Millennial generation’s “know thyself” emotional intelligence and apply it to the workplace. If these two disparate generations are going to the bridge the latest generation gap and work together productively, effective communication must be the number one priority. Taking it one step further, Phlunte’ Riddle outlined the leadership style preferences that Baby Boomer managers need to keep in mind when relating to Millennials in the workplace:

The Leadership Style Preferences Of Millennials In The Workplace:

1. Self-Awareness
2. Self-Management
3. Empathy
4. Relationship Management

Ultimately, questions of technology and aptitude are not as important as recognizing each other’s basic human qualities. People matter and business never can and never should be just about widgets and statistics. With high expectations of themselves and their employers, Millennials are goal-oriented with a sense of immediate responsibility and the same go-for-it ambitions of the Baby Boomers. If Baby Boomer managers tap into these positive qualities, Millennials will help transform the workplace for the better, improving the quality of what is produced through a combination of technical savvy and a positive forthrightness.

As a leader in human resources outsourcing and a professional employer organization (PEO), Total HR Management appreciates the workplace analysis provided by Phlunte’ Riddle in her talk at the University Club in Pasadena. Without question, the greatest human resource for any company are their employees. As a result, effective relationships between Millennials and their Baby Boomer managers are essential. After all, a happy employee means a productive employee who is working for the greater good of the company. By bridging the generation gap between Baby Boomers and Millennials, the positive qualities of both generations can be employed in tandem to optimize the workplace and help take a company to the next level of excellence.