Fax vs TikTok - Generational clichés are best laughed at together.

From the veterans who master processes in their sleep to the digital natives who can fix the Wi-Fi faster than you can say "checkst du": When the tried and tested meets the new, experience meets fresh perspectives, composure meets creative drive, ... the result is often precisely the field of tension that drives companies forward. The generation mix sounds like a dream combination. And it is - as long as you don't make the mistake of mistaking clichés for employee instruction manuals.

Because where different lifestyles, values and working styles come together, friction arises. Not because it's "young versus old", but because people tick differently.

Clichés are amusing, but useless

Differences can be wonderfully exaggerated: Some seek "purpose" and flexibility, others work unwaveringly until they retire. Some want feedback every minute, others are convinced: "Not being scolded is praise enough."

This may sound pointed, but it hardly helps in practice. Because reality does not fit into age categories. There are 60-year-olds who go viral on TikTok and 20-year-olds who swear by their pocket diaries. Young people who love routine and older people who celebrate every change. Those who only look at the year of birth overlook what really counts.

What really drives people

If we leave the pigeonholes aside, it becomes clear that employees are not guided by stereotypes, but by what gives them strength in their day-to-day work .

Some need emotional resonance above all: belonging, recognition, meaning. Others are calculative: they pay attention to reliability, clear structures and fair give and take. Still others are growth-oriented: they want to shape things, learn, take responsibility and create something new.

These patterns are not tied to age. They permeate every workforce and change with life phases, career stages and personal experiences.

Listening instead of attributing

The real art lies in not prematurely assigning labels, but in understanding them: Who needs security, who needs freedom, who needs resonance? Who thrives in a team, who needs creative space? Who wants stability, who wants adventure?

Leadership that asks these questions seriously creates spaces in which people can develop - regardless of whether they are 23 or 63. This creates loyalty, motivation and, ultimately, performance.

People instead of patterns

Laughing at clichés brings people together: They provide wonderful material for small talk and cabaret. But they are unsuitable for leadership. After all, what counts in the end is not whether someone is young or old, but whether the conditions are right for him or her to work with joy, energy and impact.

And that can be found out: Soundly, systematically and without any clichés.