How do you inspire today's young people? It's a question I hear often in my workshops. Managers complain about new workers entering the workforce lacking overall professionalism, written communication skills, analytical skills, or business knowledge. Did you ever imagine that your role as manager would involve telling recent college graduates that clothes worn for clubbing are not appropriate at work? But the real challenge for leaders is not just managing their youngest workers, but unifying a multigenerational workforce.

According to a survey just released by Randstad USA, an increasing number of Americans are working past traditional retirement age. That's not surprising, considering that 91 percent of employed participants reported not having enough savings for a comfortable retirement. And the survey highlights serious compatibility issues between older employees and their younger coworkers.

Three-quarters of experienced workers age fifty-five or older said they get along fine with younger co-workers. But just over half of all participants said they relate well to older workers. That inability to connect to the most experienced workers restricts the transfer of knowledge: according to 77 percent of survey respondents, younger employees do not solicit advice or guidance from their coworkers who are over age fifty. Why? Only 20 percent of workers believe their older counterparts have new ideas to bring to the table.

The American workforce consists of employees from four generations: the silent or war generation, baby boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y. Each generation has common life experiences that influence their behavior. Employers must rethink how they lead workers to accommodate generational differences, use everyone's best talents, and inspire workers from every demographic group.

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