2025 is now well underway! I hope those of you in the Southern Hemisphere had a fabulous summer and those of you in the Northern Hemisphere are taking advantage of the early nights and warm fires.
I'm a big believer in writing down your goals in order to achieve them. I also choose a word of the year. My word of the year for 2025 is GROWTH. If you’re not familiar with the concept of a word of the year it is a word that inspires, encourages and maybe kicks your butt a little as you move through the year. Giving you a reminder of what you wanted to achieve when you were fresh into the new year. In addition to that I have set a 12-month challenge to learn one new thing every month. As we age it’s important to keep trying new things – some will stick, some won’t. January was macrame and this month is axe throwing (!!). Head over to @thenextchapternz on Instagram to see the updates on progress.
Over the break I was reflecting on the year and in particular a moment that happened in December when we walked the Kepler Track in the South Island of New Zealand. The scenery was magnificent, the weather was perfect, and the walking had just the right amount of challenge to it. While at one of the huts I was sitting next to a couple of guys chatting - one about 25 - we’ll call him Jack and the other 75 ish - we’ll call him Eric. Eric was marvelling at the fabrics of today’s walking products and Jack was talking through how they were made and the benefits of wicking and quick dry and so on while Eric complained about his old heavy cotton walking shorts which stayed wet. The conversation then moved on to
river crossings. Eric having been a mountain walker for many years took Jack through the various techniques of when and how to cross a river.
Reflecting on this recently I thought it was a perfect example of how the different generations can connect and share knowledge. We need more of this appreciation of the wisdom of all generations especially in our workplaces! So how do we go about doing this? It starts with you. Considering your language and leading by example in how you model effective intergenerational communication - demonstrating respect, empathy, and inclusivity in your interactions. Ultimately, we are all looking to be respected and listened to. While this can sometimes be frustrating in a work context focusing on what people can add to the conversation is vital.
If you or your organisation is interested in being part of a survey on intergenerational communication in the workplace please let me know elizabeth@thenextchapter.nz.
If there is someone that you know thinking about not retiring, retiring, ageing, transitioning out of their fulltime role please forward this on to them and don’t forget to head over to Instagram @thenextchapternz to keep up to date on my 12 month challenge.
