"The Big Chill deals with members of my generation who have discovered that not everything they wanted is possible, that not every ideal they believed in has stayed in the forefront of their intentions.”
Becoming New Again
It was interesting to catch a part of an old movie, The Big Chill (1983) on TV last week. I saw it this time as being about generations. The actors played characters who were in their 30’s (as current Gen Xer’s) and spent a good deal of the movie relating to the time they had been together in their college years (as current Millennials) during the 60’s. Some of the ensemble cast of actors in this film were Kevin Kline, Glenn Close, Tom Berenger, William Hurt – and almost Kevin Costner (who was the dead friend who brought the group of old friends all together because of his suicide). We all know this group of actors to be very representative of current Baby Boomers. So I think immediately of the fact that there are so many similarities in generations – way more than differences. We remain the same people throughout our lives, and often seem to want to call on another generation for doing just what we did, or will do. How many times do you hear yourself say something that is exactly what your father said...eighteen years ago? Or do you look at your grandmother and think that in her photos as a twenty-something, she was hot and gorgeous? Wouldn’t it be great to look like her when you’re 75? Clearly we all work in this sector because of different influences. And each generation has different influences. Each generation is subject to a “different world” as we grow up. That means each will come to success differently. Malcom Gladwell’s most recent work is entitled Outliers: The Story of Success. As one reviewer states, “Malcolm Gladwell takes us on an intellectual journey through the world of "outliers"--the best and the brightest, the most famous and the most successful. He asks the question: what makes high-achievers different? His answer is that we pay too much attention to what successful people are like, and too little attention to where they are from: that is, their culture, their family, their generation, and the idiosyncratic experiences of their upbringing.” As we examine the four generations currently in the workplace we are very conscious of how we all work and think differently because of the “different worlds” we have experienced while growing up. At Volunteer Vancouver we are launching the Next Leaders Network to purposefully examine how one generation can move into the role of a previous generation in order to begin to make different decisions and deliver missions of not-for-profit organizations in new ways. Will they be doing this as the same people they have been all their lives? Will they be doing this because of the ways their parents, grandparents, and teachers - models from different generations - have influenced them? So will there be a different way of working in Not-for-Profits? Of course. And do those of us currently making decisions in this area have some influence over the generations to come? You bet! Whether it’s because the individuals come in as outliers (those extremely far away from the statistical norm) or whether they have the extreme activist position of the 60’s baby boomers, we know there will be a different way of doing things. And isn’t that a good thing?! Certainly the sector doesn’t have a huge number of outcomes to show we have been outrageously successful in delivering our missions to this date. It truly is time for new experience to take us breathtakingly forward.
About Volunteer VancouverThe mission of Volunteer Vancouver is to inspire & build leadership in the voluntary sector. This publication is intended to be a medium of communication and information for the many organizations active in the volunteer and not-for-profit sector. The opinions expressed herein are solely those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect official policy of the Board of Directors of Volunteer Vancouver. Volunteer Vancouver |
