What do you need to know about working with a multigenerational workforce?

You can work with and manage people from all generations effectively and with less struggle than you might think, but you have to be willing to look past the stereotypes. Here are ten truths, provided by the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL), about working with or managing a multigenerational workforce.

1. All generations have similar values. Many people talk about enormous differences in values between older and younger workers as if these differences were an established fact. The generations, however, are quite similar in their values priorities. Family, for example, is the value chosen most frequently by people of all generations in research conducted by CCL. Other values named to the top ten by all generations include integrity, achievement, love, competence, happiness, self-respect, wisdom, balance and responsibility. So, why do people at work think the values of different generations are so different? Because even though the values are the same, the behaviors that go along with those values may be very different.

2. Everyone wants respect. You may hear that younger people are disrespectful of older employees and people in authority. Similarly, you may hear complaints that older people show no respect for younger talent and ideas. The reality is that everyone wants respect-they just don't define it the same way. Older workers want their opinions to be given the weight they deserve while younger workers just want the opportunity to be heard.

3. Trust matters. The different generations have similar levels of trust in their organization and in upper management-they don't trust them much. People of all generations and at all levels trust the people they work with directly more than they trust their organizations.

4. People want leaders who are credible and trustworthy. Age does not appear to matter much when it comes to what different generations expect from their leaders. People of all generations want their leaders to be credible, to be trusted, to listen well, to be farsighted and to be encouraging.

5. Organizational politics is a problem-no matter how old or young. Everyone who isn't winning at the political game dislikes it. People from all generations are concerned about the effects of organizational politics on their careers, on being recognized for the work they are doing and for getting access to the resources they need to do their job. Even if they don't like it, all employees know that political skills are a critical component in being able to move up and be effective at higher levels of management.

6. No one really likes change. The stereotype is that older people dislike anything about their workplace being changed and that younger people love change. These assumptions are not true, however. In general, people from all generations are uncomfortable with change. Resistance to change has nothing to do with age and everything to do with how much one stands to gain or lose from that change.

7. Loyalty depends on the context, not on the generation. People of all generations don't necessarily think that being loyal in the old sense is good for their careers. The perception that older people are more loyal is, in fact, associated with context, not age. For example, people who are closer to retirement are more likely to want to stay with the same organization for the rest of their working life and people higher in an organization work more hours than do people lower in the organization.

8. It's as easy to retain a young person as it is to retain an older one-if you do the right things. Just about everyone feels overworked and underpaid. People of all generations have the same ideas about what their organization can do to retain them. They want:

• Opportunities to advance within their organization;

• Learning and development;

• Respect and recognition;

• Better quality of life; and

• Better compensation.

9. Everyone wants to learn-more than just about anything else. Everyone wants to learn-people of all generations want to make sure they have the training necessary to do their current job well. They are also interested in what they need to be learning to get to the next level in their organization. The developmental areas that every generation wants to focus on include: leadership; skills training in their field of expertise; problem solving and decision making; team building; and communication skills.

10. Almost everyone wants a coach. You may have heard that younger people are constantly asking for feedback and can't get enough of it. You may have also heard that older people don't want any feedback at all. In reality, everyone wants to know how he or she is doing and wants to learn how to do better.