As a former H.R. and Recruitment professional, I am still quite interested in the differences between each of the generations, what each values, and how they learn to co-exist in the workplace. Documenting, explaining and rationalizing these differences are definitely a hot topic these days (here, here, here, and here. One needn’t look any further than Jamie Notter, who has done a great job covering many of the differences and challenges that exist among and between the generations (Baby Boomers, Gen-X, and Millennials), in his e-book Generational Diversity.

If you are new to the topic or simply want a good overview of the generations and how to transcend some of the generational issues in your own association or organization I highly recommend Jamie’s book. Yet, as with any topic there are multiple perspectives to consider, especially with a topic as broad and complex as generational diversity.

This morning on my ride into work I heard an interview on the Marketplace Morning Report on NPR on the topic. Host Scott Jagow interviewed Cam Marston, author of “Motivating the ‘What’s In It for Me?’ Workforce“.

The key take away for me was the fact that there is a definitive gap between the way the generations view their work. Marston claims that the Millennial’s work to live, e.g. they define work as what takes place between the weekends and define who they are based on what they do in their free time, not what they do for a living. Conversely, the Baby Boom generation live to work and define themselves and derives their self-worth by what they do professionally. To that end, he advocates that the older generation manage the younger generation not through the number of hours they work or because they simply show up but rather by the quality of their work.

Another interesting point (and one that I completely agree with) is the fact that the Millenials are a generation that is used to flattery and praise for doing just the minimal things. It’s a reflection of parenting trends that we have experienced for the last 25 or 30 years. It’s problematic and a less then desirable attribute that will make them more challenging to manage.

Listen to the rest of the story here or listen via iTunes or get the feed.