Gentelligence - by Megan Gerhardt & Josephine Nachemson-Ekwall & Brandon Fogel (Hardcover)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

"Vital for any organization with multigenerational staffs, and for marketers, public relations professionals, HRD managers, or executives." Library Journal, Starred Review - A transformational book about harnessing the untapped potential from the diversity of thought in a multigenerational workforce.

Review Quotes

A critical resource for any leader that is overseeing a transition from "old school" to whatever is next. As social media, tech, and big data have more and more of an impact on every decision that we make, how do we make sure valuable perspectives shaped by experience and in possession of the most institutional knowledge are not left in our wake? Every major league sports executive is confronting these issues and is sure to benefit from framing them through the lens that Dr. Gerhardt provides.

As a millennial who has led teams and consulted for senior leaders from each generation in the workforce, I found Gentelligence: The Revolutionary Approach to Leading an Intergenerational Workforce to be one of the most practical and thought-provoking books on leadership I have ever read. The intersection of stories, case studies, and research not only opened my eyes to how I perceive other generations, but it also gave me actionable steps to better understand, relate to, and inspire people from every generation to find meaning and purpose in their work.

Co-authors Gerhardt, Josephine Nachemson-Ekwall, and Brandon Fogel present strategies for managing a generationally diverse workforce. Their focus is on progressive, open approaches to balancing the different interests of different generations of workers. They replace an outdated us-vs.-them mentality by maximizing efforts to involve multiple generations throughout an organization. The authors explore the current state of generational conflict and tension, outline generational clichés and shared experiences, identify roadblocks to "Gentelligent" leadership, and explain how to champion diversity of thought to create stronger workplaces. The book details four key management practices: resist assumptions, adjust the lens, strengthen trust, and expand the metaphorical "pie." This book expands nicely on Jason Dorsey and Denise Villa's Zconomy. The extensive citations, supplemental reading sources, and bibliography firmly establish the credibility of this solid, impressive work. Vital for any organization with multigenerational staffs, and for marketers, public relations professionals, HRD managers, or executives. Highly recommended for all university libraries supporting business and psychology curricula.

Readers interested in business and personnel management, organizational development, human resources, and leadership will find this timely, relevant book good for both reading straight through and consulting as a reference for supporting intergenerational workforce cultures and needs.

The idea of "us versus them" has pervaded the workplace, argue management professor Gerhardt, leadership coach Nachemson-Ekwall, and Ernst & Young consultant Fogel in their outstanding debut on building intergenerational respect. The authors tout the benefits of "gentelligence," or seeing the potential of generational diversity in the workplace as an opportunity rather than a threat, and lay out the roadblocks businesses may face in "closing the generational divide" "generation shaming," for example, is when blame is put on an entire age group, and ageism can be directed at both older and younger people. To counter these, the authors explain four practices that lead to gentelligence: resisting assumptions by replacing stereotypes with personal connections, adjusting one's lens by asking questions, strengthening trust with a psychological safety zone, and "expanding the pie" by proactively searching for win-win opportunities. The guidance comes judgment-free, and the authors make a convincing case that a mixed-generation workforce can only benefit companies: "Every war has casualties. In the case of generational conflict, the loss is one of talent potential." Informative and instructive, the strategies here will be invaluable to business leaders.

With organizations everywhere promoting diversity and inclusion, Gentelligence is an essential but overlooked piece to the D&I puzzle. As managers and leaders, we stand to create far more effective working and personal relationships around us if we had a greater awareness and understanding of generational blind spots. This book is the "how to" manual on navigating an intergenerational workforce, complete with lessons to tap all it has to offer. It's hard to imagine winning the War for Talent without fostering an environment that celebrates generational diversity rather than stifling it. Gentelligence is indeed the future of work.

About the Author

Megan W. Gerhardt, PhD is a Professor of Management, Director of Leadership Development, and the Robert C. Johnson Co-Director of the Isaac and Oxley Center for Business Leadership at the Farmer School of Business at Miami University. She is also the creator of Gentelligence and the founder of The Gerhardt Group, LLC, a leadership consulting practice.
Megan has published widely on individual differences, motivation, leadership, and generational differences in the workplace and her work on Gentelligence has been featured on Forbes.com, NBCNews.com, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, Inc. Magazine, The San Francisco Chronicle, MarketWatch, Business Insider and The Houston Chronicle among others. In 2017, her TEDx talk "Why I Love Millennials...and You Should, Too" was released, kicking off the Gentelligence movement. As the creator of the Gentelligence movement, Megan's work (www.profgerhardt.com) focuses on leveraging individual differences to achieve leadership impact and extraordinary levels of performance."
Josephine Nachemson-Ekwall is an Associate Director of Financial Crime Prevention Policy and Procedures at UBS Financial Services, focusing on implementation and adherence to policies, local requirements, and global standards. Josephine's work in leadership development focuses on strengths-based development, individual coaching, and the importance of personal mission and values in driving one's life and career. She most recently gave a presentation at the Clifton Strengths Summit on "Why Strengths Work" and published an article on generational conflict and tension in December 2019.
Brandon Fogel is a Staff Consultant at Ernst & Young LLC in the People Advisory Services practice, which specializes in organizational change and people management. Brandon's work in leadership development focuses on strengths-based development, effective teaming strategies, and the value of goal setting.