Only Wet Babies Like Change
Jan 06
A few weeks ago, I came across this e-book called ‘Only wet babies like change; Workplace Wisdom for Baby Boomers’ by Mary-Frances Winters. The title caught my eye and made me laugh. Was this the bible I had been looking for?
Working in the public sector in Australia often means in HR that you are working with a group of people who have long tenure, and at this point in time we have a large proportion of baby boomers (those born between 1946 to 1965 or aged 45-64 in 2010).
According to ABS Data in 2006, the first of Australia’s baby boomers turned 60 years old- this is around 218,000 people. The remaining boomers will turn 60 in the next twenty years with the largest of the group (born in 1963) turning 60 in 2023.
In terms of the public sector by the early 1990s, there were over 60,000 people born between 1945 and 1960 in the Australian Public Service, nearly half the total (ABC online).
With the GFC, many would argue that the mass evacuation of baby boomers has been delayed. However the irrefutable fact is that they are here. So what does that mean for HR?
Given the pace of change in the world of business, the demand on employees now is that they be ready, willing and able to adapt and be flexible to these changes. Stereotypically speaking, older employees such as boomers are said to be less likely to be able to adapt to change or be in the group of people who resist change.
So what does ‘Only wet babies like change’ add to the mix?
Well I like the way it presents boomers with reality of how things have been, what the present situation is and then challenges their thinking.
For instance:
Today, your ideas measure your value. In interviews with executives, they readily agree that they can train people to perform the tasks related to a job—what they need are people who are creative, willing to experiment, “think outside the box,” take risks and, in essence, be pioneers. The “just let me do my job” mindset is dead and can be deadly to your career.
Baby boomers must own up to the reality that being the best engineer or the smartest laboratory technician is not enough anymore. You also have to be a great facilitator, communicator, “networker” and relationship builder, just to name a few of the knowledge-era skills that add value to a company’s bottom line.
The New Economy requires a whole new mindset for everyone, especially us baby boomers. The dependence on an employer for our sense of security and well being is a well-entrenched expectation. We must totally shift our assumptions and turn the responsibility from an external to an internal locus of control. Your destiny is controlled by you, not others.
She talks about readjusting attitudes towards employment, money and then encourages boomers to take a journey of self-reflection and introspection (including how they deal with change). She talks about unleashing talents and knowing your preferences using Myer-Briggs. There’s even a whole chapter titles ‘know your natural response to change’ because she says that ‘understanding your natural way of handling change is the first step in taking responsibility for managing change’.
It is a well grounded book written by a baby boomer for a baby boomer, so I think this might be a better approach than say me standing out in front of a group of them telling them what they are like and how they should cope. Although it’s from an American perspective, I think its one I may pass on to my clients (or a few chapters at least).
You can purchase a copy of the e-book online. Let me know what you think, or if you’d like to know more.
