Welcome to the R&R Blog!
What does R&R stand for? Roots & Rounds, of course. In this space, however, it may also stand for Research & Reflections, Respect & Renewal, Reality & Reimagining, and much, much more. We look forward to sharing our learning journey with you as we discover how to best bridge the wisdom and energy of all age groups through improved awareness of the unique and shared experiences of each generation, emotional intelligence, communication skills, leadership traits, employee and volunteer engagement, team building and community building.
New Concerning Engagement Data Released Today
To kick off this new feature of our website and service to individuals, organizations, and communities, we share some interesting data released today from Gallup®. Check out their State of the Global Workplace 2025 Report: Understanding Employees, Informing Leaders. According to this source, workplace engagement has fallen for the second time in the last five years, a trend that ends up costing the global economy hundreds of billions of dollars in lost productivity, not to mention a dip in the overall well-being of people . . . our friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, and even ourselves. The report specifically calls out the challenges managers face as they try to balance the expectations of executives and employees' current day-to-day life realities. With only 44% of managers reporting they have been provided an sort of management training, it is no wonder that workforce engagement is declining. Individuals in management roles need more tools to be effective.
The Age of Acceleration
Within Roots & Rounds, we've learned that having five generations now active in the workforce can create tension and negative stress. Why? People with very different perspectives based on where they are from on history's timeline and where they are in their lifetime need to share in working towards a common goal in workplaces. That can be challenging when navigating a pace of change faster than ever experienced by the human race. Thanks to constant technological advances, changes in the world's natural environment, and changing geopolitics, life is moving faster and faster. Pulitzer-Prize winning author and columnist Thomas Friedman's book Thank You For Being Late: An Optimist’s Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations explains all three of these converging realities.
Hope for Improvement with Training and Team Mindsets
We have also learned that having seven generations alive, six volunteering in our communities, and five in our workplaces is a great source of wealth, wisdom, and opportunity for those willing to learn how to relate to and communicate with each other regardless of age. The wide range of perspectives adds to the ability to see situations through many eyes and minds. Having older and younger voices working together ensures that teams consider the big picture and leverage each other's strengths!
In our Roots & Rounds programs, workshops, and retreats for leaders, managers, and teams, we utilize Gallup CliftonStrengths as one of many tools. This article outlining ideas for bridging generational gaps is one of the reasons why we adopted a strengths-based approach back in 2018-2019 when we did some initial research to launch our nonprofit training organization. The research has added value to what our founding board members believed as common sense. When leaders and managers can match the things that need to be done with the skills, talents, and passions of each team member doing the work, everyone is more engaged and collectively benefits from the outcomes.
