Today’s success tip comes from Avril Henry.

In 2006, Avril won the prestigious Lifetime Achievement in Human Resources Award at the Australian HR Awards. She has been a finalist in the Best HR Director and Sydney Business Review Businesswoman of the Year awards, and nominated for Telstra Business Woman of the Year on four occasions. She now works in Sydney and owns AH Revelations. Avril continues to help and inspire 100’s of business owners every year.

You are now an expert in understanding and leading people from Generations X and Y. Can you share with us some of their characteristics?

First of all, one of the important differences between the older generations - Veterans and Baby Boomers - and the two younger generations - X and Y - is that X and Y do not define themselves by what they do for a job. They will change their careers and jobs multiple times, be self-employed, work overseas at least once and re-skill themselves on a regular basis.

This is quite different to the older generations who believed in the concept of a ‘job for life’ and long-term loyalty to one profession and one employer. This loyalty does not exist in the minds and hearts of Generations X and Y who saw their parents’ loyalty to the organisation repaid with redundancies and downsizing.

Generation X tends to be the more sceptical generation, whereas Y is highly optimistic - but both generations believe in managing their own careers. They are better educated and more multi-skilled than previous generations. They believe that education and having experience in different disciplines is a greater form of job security as it makes them more employable.

Both these generations believe in the concept of ‘working to live’, rather than ‘living to work’. They have observed the break down of marriages and relationships from their parents and are not willing to sacrifice relationships for work and career progression.

Generation X women are getting married and having children later, believing it is important to establish a career before having a family. They believe this gives them more financial security and greater bargaining power when they want to return to work, because they are in a more senior position when they go on maternity leave.

Unlike previous generations, they are not willing to do jobs they hate or work for bosses who they do not respect. They are risk takers and will leave a job or boss they don’t like without something else to go to, much to the dismay of their more conservative and security-conscious parents.

If you want more great tips like this one, check back again next week.

Until then,

Allan Poole