BN 360, a program of the Buffalo Niagara Partnership, held its latest Skills for Success session in downtown Buffalo in March. BN 360 is a partnership of young working professionals in the Western New York region and the program is presented by Niagara University. The topic of the March session pertained to generational diversity and was delivered by NU adjunct professor William Kennelly, ’93, who also serves as an administrative vice president at M&T Bank, and Joseph Winter, assistant professor of accounting.
Over 100 people were in attendance to hear Kennelly and Winter discuss how four generations of workers – including traditionalists, baby boomers, Generation X and millennials – are being intricately linked in today’s workforce and why it is such an important topic.
- The session covered a wide range of matters, including:
- Generational conflict
- Generational makeup
- Generational compositions
- Economic implications
- Leadership styles
- Career development trends
The professors also identified the sticking points of generational interaction and cross-generation common attributes, and closed with instructions on how to bridge gaps to gain a sustainable competitive advantage.