What an interesting time to be in the workplace, where four generations gather together to move your organization forward, and we often talk about “Generational Differences” or “Managing Different Generations” as a training topic. Focusing on the difference is a cleverly disguised way to separate us from our colleagues, our fellow humans, by some decided-upon moment of birth.

Our comfort in creating a “them” is concerning, especially as we wrestle with engagement and retention in a hybrid world. Consider that when you create a “them,” you give yourself permission to assign any number of undesirable characteristics to a population that you’ve decided isn’t like you. Zoom out – how many of “them’s” are there in your life?

If you have identified a couple (and I hope you have), now you have a playground to evolve your mindset about others. Humans are unique; each of us has characteristics that define us, and might subject us to being named an “other”. This begins in our mindset. A fixed mindset about how others are different fosters thinking about the difference. A growth mindset about how others are aligned with you fosters more alignment.

Hmmm. Wonder who you might bring into your alignment today.