The Age Advantage: Turning Generational Differences into Business Strengths

When I turned 18, we were swapping mix CDs, waiting painfully long for internet pages to load, and stepping into a workplace where loyalty to one employer was still a badge of honour.

Fast forward to 2025, and today’s 18-year-olds have never known a world without smartphones, streaming, or social media. They're stepping into a workplace where there are no jobs for life, the 9 to 5 working day is dead and your office can be anywhere with decent wi-fi.

The contrast is stark. So how do we bridge the generational gap, and are we doing enough to make it work in the workplace?

A recent post by Steve Peacocke got me thinking about ageism in tech (see his original post here). Ageism runs both ways: over-45s may struggle to find work, feeling their experience isn’t valued, while at the same time looking down on people in their 20s with claims that they “don’t know the meaning of hard work.”

In this article, I’ll reflect on these issues through the lens of my own generation and explore how we can better understand generational traits, and harness the value each group brings to the workplace.

Generational Lenses and Bias

I’ve heard peers of my generation express ageist views about new graduates. The usual complaints: they lack resilience and dedication, and have a poor work ethic. But every generation sees the others through a biased lens.

As a woman in tech in my 40s, I’m valuing more than ever the insights my career has given me.  Working with people spanning different generations has been enriching to me both personally and professionally.  

I think of my father still working full-time. With an impressive CV, he brought a wealth of experience to his current employer when he joined them 13 years ago.  I think of my 18-year-old niece, just stepping into adulthood as she heads to university. And then I reflect on my own place, as a Xennial working in tech leadership today.

The Xennial Experience

I became an adult in an analog-to-digital transition era, Gen Z are becoming adults in a fully digital-native, AI-driven world.

I asked ChatGPT to break down some traits of my generation and I loved the response:

Xennials (1977–1983) the "in-between" micro-generation:

• Formative influences: Childhood without internet or social media; young adulthood with the internet and smartphones.

• Traits: A mix of Gen X independence and skepticism with Millennial optimism and adaptability.

• Work style: Pragmatic but collaborative, often bridging older and younger generations at work.

• Tech experience: Played outside as kids, but entered the workforce with email, mobile phones, and the early internet.

I’m proud to be a Xennial, especially when I think about my work style. My career in tech delivery and business agility has spanned more than 20 years, and I’ve seen enormous changes in how we:

• interact with technology in daily life

• deliver products and services

• make business decisions

• build high-performing teams

• lead people

Being born between Gen X and Millennials has given me adaptability. I’m equally comfortable with legacy systems and emerging technologies, and I’m passionate about connecting people across generations, cultures, and ways of working.

Learning from Millennials and Gen Z

Biases can be hard to negate, but we all need to take a little time to see the benefits each generation brings to the table. Working with Millennials and watching my Gen Z niece grow into adulthood, I’m struck by their empathy, their focus on teamwork, and their openness to feedback and growth. This generation is far more aware of emotional intelligence, and those are traits we should admire and learn from.

Millennials (1981–1996) the "digital pioneers":

• Formative influences: Came of age during the rise of the internet, social media, and globalisation. Experienced the 2008 financial crisis during early career years.

• Traits: Tech-savvy, purpose-driven, value flexibility and experiences over possessions. Known for being adaptable, socially conscious, and collaborative.

• Work style: Prefer flat hierarchies, teamwork, and feedback. Embrace hybrid/remote work and side hustles. Driven by meaning and growth, not just salary.

• Tech experience: Grew up with the transition from dial-up internet to smartphones. Early adopters of Facebook, YouTube, and messaging apps. Comfortable moving between analog and digital worlds.

Gen Z (1997–2012) the "digital natives"

• Formative influences: First generation to grow up fully online with smartphones, social media, and on-demand everything. Shaped by climate change awareness, the pandemic, and global uncertainty.

• Traits: Entrepreneurial, pragmatic yet socially conscious. Value authenticity, diversity, and mental health. More cautious about money than Millennials, with strong side-hustle and gig economy focus.

• Work style: Independent but collaborative when aligned with shared purpose. Expect flexibility, inclusion, and digital-first environments. Question traditional career paths and authority.

• Tech experience: Never knew a world without Wi-Fi, streaming, or social media. Fluent in memes, TikTok, and instant connectivity. AI, automation, and digital tools are everyday normal.

If you manage people, or work in teams that span multiple generations, it’s worth pausing to consider their “superpowers.” Each generation brings distinct perspectives, skills, and insights. Take time to understand what has shaped them: their formative influences, their work style, and the global, technological, and economic factors that influence how they operate.

Generational Superpowers of Xennials

If you manage people, or work in teams that span multiple generations, it’s worth pausing to consider their “superpowers.” Each generation brings distinct perspectives, skills, and insights. Take time to understand what has shaped them: their formative influences, their work style, and the global, technological, and economic factors that influence how they operate.

For example, as a Xennial I’ve also come to see the unique advantages my own generation brings, what I see as our generational superpowers:

1. Being a Bridge

As part of the micro-generation between Gen X and Millennials, I connect traditional leadership approaches with modern, digital-first ways of working.

Business benefits: I can help executives connect meaningfully with younger, digital-native teams (Millennials/Gen Z).

2. Highly Adaptable

I grew up in the last analog era and built my career during the digital revolution. That dual perspective makes me naturally adaptable to transformation and skilled at guiding others through it.

Business benefits: Having lived through disruption (pre- and post-internet, global financial crisis), I can help organisations navigate change with both context and confidence.

3. Balance of Independence & Collaboration

Gen X strength → independence, resilience, skepticism of unnecessary bureaucracy.
Millennial overlap → openness to collaboration, inclusion, and purpose-driven work.

I bring both: the ability to deliver independently while thriving in collaborative, purpose-led environments.

Business benefits: This flexibility helps teams avoid extremes, neither siloed nor stuck in endless consensus, striking the balance needed for high performance.

4. Leadership Strength

I respect tradition but am not bound by it. I can mentor upward and downward, relating to the C-suite while engaging next-gen talent.

Business benefits: C-suites can leverage my “in-between” perspective to connect across generations, whether that’s understanding end-users or engaging employees. This also strengthens talent retention by making workplaces inclusive for both established professionals and digital natives.

Closing Reflection

Every generation thinks the one before is out of touch, and the one after has it easier. But disruption is the one constant:

• Gen X had globalisation and the dot-com bubble.

• Xennials rode the analog-to-digital wave.

• Millennials endured the 2008 financial crisis.

• Gen Z inherits AI, climate anxiety, and post-pandemic realities.

Ageism in any workplace, whether against the young or the experienced, blinds us to the unique value each generation brings. Instead of leaning into stereotypes, we should ask: 

How do we harness these generational superpowers together?

For me, being a Xennial has taught me that leadership is about being a bridge - adapting, translating, and creating the space where every generation can thrive.

That’s not just good culture. It’s smart business.

A Little Disclaimer:

My words are my own.  Whilst Chat GPT and other AI tools are amazing resources to check my grammar, suggest better formatting and provide catchy headlines when the brain fog sets it, it cannot provide verifiable data without substantiation. It cannot replace experience or the passions and inspirations which fuel our professional lives. Any data and trends I have included have been substantiated via the sources I provide.  The insights given in this article are based on my +20 years professional experience, my +7 years in senior leadership roles in The UAE and my own wide-ranging research.  If this article has resonated with you please feel free to comment and share, feedback is always welcome and appreciated.