So who are we Baby Boomers anyway? Statistically speaking, chances are you are a Baby Boomer if you are reading this article and work. Why, you might ask? Because the majority of individuals in the workplace today are Baby Boomers- there are 77 million of us and we hold a majority of leadership positions in the United States along with a majority of all other positions as well!
We entered the workforce en masse; nearly 40% of us within a very short timeframe, which caused us to be very competitive- there were only so many jobs and many of us were competing for them at the same time. So what else influenced this generation?
Influences include: Suburbia, TV, Vietnam, Watergate, protests, human rights movement, drugs and rock ‘n roll, the pill and women entering and staying in the workplace. As we had families, cities were no longer capable of housing all of us so the suburbs were born; we spread out away from the core cities and created whole new communities. The pill was a major development allowing women for the first time in history to control their reproductive system. In fact, the pill was so popular when it became widely introduced around 1965 that we drastically reduced the number of offspring we procreated. This is the reason that, despite the fact there were 77 million of us, we only had about 45 million children, whom we now refer to as Generation X.
Some of our defining characteristics are: We are competitive, idealistic and we question authority. This last item is interesting. Although we still question authority, we often fail to realize that, in most cases we, the Baby Boomers, are the authority! Generally we are good team players; we had to be with so many of us kicking around. We are driven and we are willing to work long hours to get ahead. In our Generation Workshops, we often see this last item as being a divisive issue between Baby Boomers and Generations X and Y. The two later generations are seeking work/life balance; while to Baby Boomers, work is life. To X’ers and Y’ers, work is only a component of life and not the most important one by any means. As a Boomer, this is an important distinction to keep in mind when working with younger generations. Often we will hear from Baby Boomers that the younger generations are lazy and not as committed to the organization as Boomers. Generations X & Y are not lazy or less committed while they are at work, however; as I said before, work is only a component of their life and work/life balance is very important to them. Baby Boomers live to work, the younger generations work to live, a distinction that should not be lost the next time you have the urge to criticize an X’er or Y’er.
We Baby Boomers have a unique opportunity to leave a lasting positive legacy after we are long gone. We collectively have the fundamental attributes and characteristics to leave the world a better place than when we arrived. In fact, the word that best describes us is “hopeful”. This desire to make a positive contribution to society is a very common refrain we hear from Baby Boomers. It would be interesting to have insight into the world 75 years from now to see how it all turns out and what lasting impacts Baby Boomers have on the future.

Here at FutureDecisions we have offered coaching services since our inception, however; we have never emphasized it outside of the realm of our Reinvent Yourself career transition product. Well, that is changing as of now! After successfully completing an extensive year-long training program, Kevin has chosen to spend more time with this personally rewarding work. Kevin’s extensive executive experience in Fortune 100 companies coupled with his recently completed training serve him well in being a highly effective executive coach. While coaching can and often is a stand-alone pursuit, it can also be effectively utilized in support of Workforce/Succession Planning.
So what is coaching anyway?
Coaching is partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.
A coach provides an ongoing partnership designed to help their clients produce fulfilling results in their personal and professional lives. Coaches help individuals improve their performances and enhance the quality of their professional lives, personal lives, or both.
Coaches are trained to listen, to observe and to customize their approach to individual client needs. They seek to elicit solutions and strategies from the client; they believe the client is naturally creative and resourceful.
Individuals and organizations that engage in a professional coaching relationship will experience fresh perspectives on personal challenges and opportunities, enhanced decision-making skills, greater interpersonal effectiveness, and increased confidence in carrying out their chosen work and life roles. Consistent with a commitment to enhancing their personal effectiveness, they can also expect to see appreciable results in the areas of productivity, personal satisfaction with life and work, and the achievement of personally relevant goals. The coach’s job is to provide support to enhance the skills, resources, and creativity that the client already possesses.
Many people call themselves coaches but have had little or no training on how to be an effective coach. As previously stated, Kevin has completed an extensive training program that has served to expand and enhance his coaching skills. He is certified by the International Coaching Federation - a consortium of professional coaches and organizations that have joined together under its auspices to shape and govern the profession of coaching. Being an ICF certified coach indicates that the individual holding that certification adheres to skills sets, competencies, ethics and standards which are a collective agreement between coaches from all over the world who have made the commitment to maintain the very highest standards for the coaching profession.
Contact Kevin to see if coaching is right for you and to explore the possibilities of expanding your professional and personal horizons!
To kick-start this exciting new focus of our business, we are offering a 20% discount to anyone responding to this article when they contract for 5 or more hours of coaching services!