In my work as a Project Manger for cfd Investments, Inc. and also with InterGenLink, I get to work with some of the neatest people in the world! CFD has entrusted me to supervise our Interns this Summer as they have for some time. I enjoy this part of my job a lot. We are currently working on a effort that is right up my ally: connecting the generations. We were inspired at a workshop we attended with the presentation because it was an interactive game. (No powerpoints read to us!) It was a fantastic experience that I highly recommend to any organization.

The workshop was provided by Shafer Leadership Academy in connect with IndianaINTERN.net  guided by Mitch Isaacs.  I believe that overcoming generational differences in the workplace is the key for a company or organization to succeed. You can bring Shafer to your establishment with confidence.

Shafer’s activity lasted 5 hours for us. Sound like a long time? Nope! It went by too fast. I and my team learned a great deal. We developed our own much lighter version of a similar game to help our staff consider why generations have a different view of the workplace, and to work on ways to bridge the differences to create value for our company.

The old saying that the things that bind us together are stronger than the things that separate us is so true. If we can peel back the layers of 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, politicized news coverage and 24 hours a day of social media and marketing, we can discover the things that bind us together – and they are many. It can change the way you see the world.

Kiersten Huey, Nolan Stout and Bailey Owens (2019 Interns) Cassy Malson (Compliance Analyst)

Our team of Interns along with one of our Compliance Analysts and our HR Director worked tirelessly on this project. It was really neat seeing it come together… and it was a bit different than the normal financial services business landscape!

We have been spending an hour with each department in our company playing the game which incites discussion and provides some background to why people may think they way they do. While this transcends the workplace, it is very impactful there. The more we play the game, the more we realize that a little understanding really helps see the best in the people we work with. Skill levels are different. Technology is way different. Goals and

focus vary. Being human… doesn’t. Does this fix every problem… nope! But it does help lay the groundwork for people from different generations to reach across to someone of another generation to solve very real present day problems.

In my mind, organizations that find a way to make this possible are the ones that will succeed in the rapidly changing environment we find ourselves in. As for those who don’t, a very unsure path lies ahead.

If you are a CEO or Manager, consider giving Mitch Isaacs a call! It’s very worthwhile.