Okay, Boomer. Millennials are entitled. Gen X is lazy. Today’s hottest conversational topic is about deciding which generation is, the worst. But is this banter actually doing anybody any good? Especially when it comes to building strong business relationships?
Cindy Kynard is a seasoned brand marketing strategy consultant and adjunct professor. Throughout her career, she has launched impressive go-to-market product campaigns and new businesses at many women-focused industry giants such as Tampax, Avon, and L’Oreal. As such, Cindy has created a strong reputation around bridging gaps between people in the business - from building bridges between marketers and audiences, to facilitate stronger working relationships between different groups in the office place.
Here, Cindy shares some of her key insights on how to navigate generational gaps (pro-tip: it’s not about age!) and how to build strong, performance-driven, business relationships.
Spinster: Tell us more about your work. What are the gaps you’re trying to bridge in the workplace?
Cindy Kynard: I’m working to bridge the gap between perceptions and the gap between employers and overlooked employable communities: communities of women, people of color, Gen Xers and Boomers who’ve been displaced by market and life shifts.
Too often I see a penalty being put on those who temporarily left the marketplace for life demands (health, burnout, family and marriage loss) and involuntary (downsized or forced early retirement) reasons, and can no longer excel or re-enter the job force with a livable wage. As people continue to live longer and require income and services to sustain themselves, this shrinking job access is a huge problem we need companies to mitigate.
What’s even more poignant for me now, is ensuring that the teams of people working on ideas, services and products reflect the audiences they serve. Diversity and inclusion is tantamount for performance strength and success. After decades leading teams to build brand voice, I’m more focused on building community voice, to best serve them as individuals, business owners and customers.
Spinster: Bridging generational gaps in business is a huge focus of your work. How do generational gaps define what people see about us and our identities?
Cindy Kynard: I’m a Gen X, but I don’t identify as the “slacker” most assume of us, but as a conscious Black woman who’s learned it’s best to ask for forgiveness than permission. Getting things done by any means necessary is more rewarding and rewarded today than trying to maintain a status quo.
Spinster: ‘Okay, Boomer’ is blowing up the internet. Millennials are perhaps the most openly hated generation. Is generational categorizing the right way to go in these conversations?
Cindy Kynard: Age is not the real difference - it’s the life stages experienced. For example, getting married and buying a home versus living alone or living with your parents are examples of the types of gaps we should examine. Age does not define these life stages, motivations and market circumstances do. And so we should not and cannot look at any generation, especially Millennials, as one monolith.
With the boom of digital technology to deliver new ways we communicate, access needs and entertain, we have more immediate means to know one another. A quick glance at a career or social profile with a video chat and we think we know enough to hire, date or relate with someone - but we don’t. Instead of real knowledge and relationships, we’ve built transactional connections that only encourage more misunderstanding, disengagement, and isolation.
Spinster: What are some tips you have for someone reading this article? How can they bridge generational gaps in business?
Cindy Kynard: Bridging generation gaps are a natural part of our personal lives. How often have you tried to help negotiate a communication gap between elders and peers in your own family? I just did it over Thanksgiving with my dad and my younger cousin and I’ve done it across many team projects where I have to “code switch” to build rapport and colleague understanding.
Common ground helps me gain trust, which helps me gain insight from colleagues on project pain points. Being relatable is key and age isn’t the most common bridge (or gap) - it’s lifestyle and life experience.
In order for us to best understand one another, we need to be open and inquisitive about who a person is, not what their generation or community represents. We need to invest the time to know and understand someone in their community and outside it, and to create more opportunities to exchange in person vs online.
Spinster: Can the approach of bridging different generations teach business leaders how to market with cultural competency?
Cindy Kynard: Yes, absolutely. Because you have to adopt a non-judgmental mindset of observation, listening and honest questioning, you get to know the person, not the generational assumption. An assumption which becomes a debunked stigma.
Please note: This interview has been lightly updated for context and clarity.