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I was born in '59 but I'm a Gen X by the definition of what Gen Xers do. My mom made more as a stenographer than my dad did defending our country.. I cleaned house,&fixed dinner as I grew up. Now that I'm not responsible for anyone else, I try very hard to enjoy my life and still make it to work on time.

kathleen  | Thursday, February 14, 2008 |  10:58 AM

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A nice little article that triggered two absolutely first rate comments. I relate to the old man but understand the younger's desire to get on with it.
I'm a boomer - born in '53. I too learned some history from an elder Grandad - he was born 1870. He was a 'tweener' too, between Civil War and Spanish-American War. As a 10 year old I asked him about pollution and what was the worst he had seen in his life? He said he was at McKinley's inaugaration in DC. There were horse droppings, castoff chewing tobacco and cigars butts everywhere, so that he was forced to walk in a slurry. Our problems a hundred plus years later are different and coming at us very fast.

John Bishop  | Monday, November 05, 2007 |  08:32 AM

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I was born in 1963 and clearly feel like I'm in a generational sandwich.

The earliest significant political event I remember would be the first landing on the moon. Next was Nixon's resignation...which as a geeky kid I listened to on my AM radio riding in the car to vacation. I often mistake the 70's for the 60's. So the line between "cultural generations" can be very fuzzy.

Were the 60's "real" to me? I don't know. Was I shaped by them? You bet!

I've got an affinity for history though and had long talks with my grandfather (born 1896) about the Depression. What I know and my political and even management concerns are based as much on what I read about as it is what I lived through.

In my opinion, what matters about people moving into senior leadership positions is that they are capable of seeing beyond their personal circumstances and culture. They may be shaped by what they experience, but they ought to seek to understand that theirs is not the only way to view the world.

Dave B  | Thursday, November 01, 2007 |  04:49 PM

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It's funny how being part of a birthrate surge "Baby Boom" implies a shared consciousness. I, being born in 1954, remember the Kennedy and Martin Luther King assassinations, the entire quest for the moon (I was a nerd even then), Viet Nam, Woodstock, Beaver Cleaver, three (and only three) television channels, slide rules, dial telephones, long-distance operators, the draft, and so many other things that define who I am now. As you said, you are unlikely to remember many of those things, yet you are labeled as part of the same “generation.”

These social labels only have meaning if you and I would make similar assumptions when confronted with the same social issue. As this “Baby Boomer” sees it, the labels are meaningless from a “shared consciousness” standpoint. For example, when people compare Iraq to Viet Nam, do you and I remember and feel the same things? A more important example to new government leaders: has the status of--and opportunities for--women changed within your memory? I believe these things DO change how someone thinks (memories), but not necessarily how someone acts (learned).

From this “older” man’s perspective, I agree that you are now seasoned enough to move into a “Senior Leader” position. But this boomer is not quite ready to get out of your way. I guess we are all between where we came from and where we want to be.

Rick Lancaster  | Wednesday, October 31, 2007 |  11:04 AM

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