Workforce statistics tell us that 40% of the senior leaders and managers in our organizations are members of the boomer cohort, those born between 1947 and 1966. But we also know the first baby boomer turned 65 in January 2012. Over the next five to seven years, Boomers will begin to exit the workforce in significant numbers but, today, they still form the majority, thereby; still making the hiring, development and promotion decisions.

Generation Y is the next largest cohort, approximately 92% of the size of the Boomer cohort. So it is expected the working style and communication preferences of this cohort will set the tone for the work environment beyond 2020. In the meantime, it is imperative that members of this cohort get the professional and personal development required to become managers and leaders in the next decade.

But how do we align the interests of the Boomer cohort with those of Generation Y to ensure our organizations continue to grow and develop and maintain their profitability? What steps can Generation Y take to build a connection with their Boomer manager?

The key rests with the desire of the cohorts to build relationships with one another. To build these relationships, they need to get to know one another, to develop an appreciation for the skills, knowledge and expertise of the other cohort.

Develop an appreciation for their working styles and preferences.

Boomers have significant work history based on driving and achieving results. They define themselves by the position they hold in the workplace and the work product they produce. They are competitive but also comfortable in team environments. They are loyal to the organization and seek job security. As a result, they are willing to put in the long hours if it means they will gain improved status.

The physical workplace has changed during the Boomers's tenure from one of management offices and cubicles to one of open concept floor plans where even senior managers can be found sitting at desks on the open floor. Although recent business literature suggests Generation Y favours completely open floor plans without offices or cubicles, to facilitate fluid team interaction, many Boomers are already comfortable in these types of workplace environments. Since the seminal work on team performance, The Wisdom of Teams, by Katzenbach and Smith in 1993, Boomers have developed teamwork skills, become more open to working in, and leading, teams and are quite capable of building high performance teams - no matter the physical environment.

What should Generation Y do? Just because Generation Y have large social networks that they interact with continuously does not mean they have innate team skills. And desiring an open floor plan workplace environment won't either. These skills have to be learned by actively participating in team projects. Generation Y needs to get themselves assigned to project teams.

Look around your organization for those opportunities to volunteer for a team project. If that is not possible, then join a volunteer organization and volunteer for one of their projects as many skills learned from volunteer activity are transferrable to the workplace. Step up to your Boomer manager and ask them to recommend steps you can take, or projects you can join, to build your team skills. Even if nothing is available, your manager will now be aware of your interest in developing your team skills. Keep your manager informed of team projects you are working as a volunteer as this will reinforce with your manager that you are serious about your development.

Find out how they like to communicate and how they prefer to learn.

Boomers are the ultimate networkers, building formal connections face-to-face. Sometimes they have difficulty understanding Generation Y's 'obsession' with building virtual networks of 'friends', people they have never met. To Boomers, relationships are all about face-to-face interactions. But they are also one of the fastest growing groups on social media sites.

We can not expect in today's fast-paced, technology-driven workplace that Generation Y will want to learn through the formal channels and vehicles used by boomers over the past couple of decades. But that doesn't mean that these channels or vehicles are anachronisms - rather the reverse.

What can Generation Y do? Tried and true knowledge transfer methods such as mentoring, buddy systems, workshops and storytelling are still excellent ways to share expertise, train leadership and management skills, and develop new knowledge in a formal setting. Talk to your Boomer manager about how they like to learn. Take an interest in their learning and development style then suggest how best to transfer their knowledge, over time, to you.

Offer to share social media and internet expertise with the Boomer manager. Boomers may not use social media in the workplace as extensively as Generation Y but they are most likely interested in learning about the sites and how to set them up and use them effectively. Boomers will certainly use these skills when communicating with their children and grandchildren.

Learn from them.

Boomers have been in the workplace for twenty-five to thirty years so they do have experience. With experience comes expertise which means they hold relevant skills and knowledge. They are the managers and the leaders and they have a legacy that should be appreciated by younger generations.

What can Generation Y do? Generation Y can get access to that expertise by demonstrating real interest in the working lives of their Boomer managers. Think about sitting down with your manager and interviewing them about their role, their expectations, their goals and their desires for the future.
Consider asking them -
•What were the barriers they had to overcome and the challenges they faced while working their way up through the organization? Interview them about their past and acquire some historical knowledge.
•What worked for them, what didn't work. Learn from their mistakes and successes.
•What are their future plans? Not all Boomers will go quietly into retirement. Many Boomers will access their latent entrepreneurial desires and start their own small business. Get advice from them on what they are doing to ready themselves for their future.
•What is the most important advice they can give you to help you develop your expertise?

This type of interview will help Generation Y build a mentoring relationship with Boomer managers and may even accelerate their personal and professional development.

Boomers may dominate the management and leadership ranks today but by 2020 they will be the least dominant cohort and Generation Y will take their place. To ensure you have the expertise to be a manager and leader in the new decade, recognize the value of the Boomer legacy and reach out to them for their advice on how best to improve your knowledge and skills so you will be ready to take on this next challenge.