So, for the first time in America's modern history, we have five generations interacting at work.
这是美国现代史上第一次出现五代人在工作场合交汇。
The veterans, born between 1922 and 1943, are known as the Greatest Generation, the matures, the silents.
出生于1922年和1943年之间的一代人也被人称作最伟大的一代，他们成熟又沉默。
They're known for their self-sacrifice, respect for authority and work as its own reward.
他们的牺牲精神为人称道，他们尊重权威，把工作当作奖赏。
The boomers came shortly after, born between 1944 and 1960.
随后就是婴儿潮，指的是1944年到1960年间出生的人。
This is a generation characterized by hard work.
这代人的标志就是工作努力。
In fact, we can thank this generation for the term "workaholic."
实际上，我们可以把这人定义为工作狂。
They appreciate competition, they love effective communication.
他们支持竞争，热爱有效沟通。
And they're thinking towards retirement, if they haven't retired already.
还没退休的人都在思考退休。
Generation X is known as the lost generation the latchkey generation, born between 1961 and 1980.
X一代也被称为堕落的一代，或者钥匙一代，他们出生于1961到1980年。
This is the smallest generation, sandwiched between boomers and the big millennials.
这一代人数量最少，被夹在婴儿潮一代和千禧一代中间。
More parents were divorced in this generation than any generation prior.
这代人父母的离婚率比此前任何一代人的都要高。
They also were the first generation to tell us about work-life balance,
他们同时也是第一代讲究生活工作与平衡，
and the first to really ask for that in the workplace.
并在工作中寻求这一点的一代人。
And then millennials -- you know, the everybody-gets-a-ribbon generation -- born between 1981 and 2000.
然后是千禧一代--出生于1981年到2000年间的一代人。
Never knew a time where technology wasn't present in the home.
他们家里到处都是高科技产品
They're incredibly pragmatic, they're hopeful and they're determined.
他们崇尚实干，充满希望，心性坚定。
They think they're going to change the world, in fact, I believe they're going to do it.
他们觉得自己可以改变世界，实际上，我也相信他们可以做到。
They might be a little bit idealistic sometimes, but in just the last several years,
他们也许有时候有点过于理想主义，但就在最近几年，
we've seen millennials overtake Generation X to be the most represented generation in the workforce.
我们见证着千禧一代接过了X一代的班，成为工作中最具有代表性的群体。
In fact, more than one in three people in the United States labor force is a millennial.
美国劳动力中超过三分之一的人是千玺一代出生的。
And soon to join us there, Generation Z, born since 2000, our high school interns or soon to be high school graduates.
还有很快要加入我们的，2000年后出生的Z一代，现在还刚上高中或者马上高中毕业。
Now, if you open any internet browser, look at Amazon, search any of your favorite search engines,
现在，如果你打开电脑浏览器，看看亚马逊或是你喜欢的搜索引擎，
you might assume there's a literal war in the workplace, right?
你会发现一场战争正在上演。
We see blog topics like "Seventeen reasons why millennials are the worst generation."
你会看见这样的标题：“17个理由告诉你千禧一代是最差的一代人。”
And "Why baby boomers have ruined it for everybody." Or "Bridging the great generational divide."
还有“为什么婴儿潮时代的人毁掉了所有人。”或者“修复代际鸿沟。”
It's like turning into this "West Side Story," like, boomers come in one door, millennials come in another door,
他们把这变成了西区故事，婴儿潮时代的人从一个门进来，千禧一代从另一个门进来，
the lobby, they just fight with each other all day, complain, go home, do the same, come back to work, right?
他们在走廊上打一天的架，争吵着，再回家，重复以上动作，再去工作。
Well, so what if I told you these generations may not exist?
如果我告诉你们这些代际根本不存在呢？
I've been spending some time thinking about this and researching this,
我花了些时间思考还有研究这件事，
and fellow researchers and I aren't exactly sure that these generations are real.
我下属的研究人员还有我本人都无法肯定这些代际是真实存在的。
And in fact, if we can agree that these groups even exist, we certainly don't agree who belongs in them.
实际上，如果我们认为这些代际存在的话，我们在它们各自包含的群体上也无法达成一致。
And they span something like 20 years.
一代人的区间是20年。
So at whatever point in history, a one-year-old and a 20-year-old are said to share the same value system,
这样一来，无论是在历史的哪个节点上，人们认为1岁的孩子和20岁的青年有着同样的价值观，
to want the same things at work, to have the same stereotypes working for and against them.
对工作有同样的追求，支持他们和反对他们的人都是同一群人。
And in fact, different areas of the world define these generations differently.
而实际上世界上不同地区对代际的分类是不同的。
So we can't even compare generations across various areas of the world.
所以跨地域比较不同的代际也是不现实的。
And these stereotypes about each generation have, in a lot of ways, created this self-fulfilling prophecy,
在很大程度上，说某代人有某种共同的特点实际上是一种自我满足的预言，
that people begin to act as if they're part of that generation because we've said out loud that generation is real.
因为大家说代际特征是存在的，人们就通过这样做来证明自己属于这一代人。
I'm not so sure that it is.
我对此不敢苟同。
And in fact, this idea of generations has become deeply embedded in United States culture.
事实上这种关于代际的想法在美国文化中根深蒂固。
When we talk generations, people know exactly what we're talking about.
当谈到某一代人时，大家很快就知道我们在说什么。
In fact, people have a lot of thoughts and feelings about each of these generations.
大家对每一代人都有很多的想法和看法。
And I'll tell you how I know this.
我告诉你们我是怎么知道的。
I did the thing that every red-blooded American and pre-tenure academic does when they have a question.
我做了就像每一个有血性的美国人和预备学者遇到问题时一样的事情。
I Googled some stuff. And this is what I learned.
我上谷歌进行了搜索。我看见了一些东西。
Google is based on algorithms, and they provide you with commonly searched terms, or suggested hits,
谷歌的答案来自于算法。它会提供一些人们经常搜索的词条或者建议项，
based on what other people are searching surrounding the same topic.
这些都来自于其他人围绕这个话题搜索过的关键词。
And it gave me a really good sense of what people think about each of these generations. Take a look.
我从中好好了解了一番人们对这几代人的看法。一起来看。
I learned that baby boomers are conservative, that Americans think they're stupid.
我了解到婴儿潮一代的人都很保守，美国人觉得他们很蠢。
The worst generation, they're angry, apparently they're racist and they're so important.
他们是最糟糕的一代，他们愤世嫉俗，他们有种族偏见，他们也至关重要。
Looking at Generation X, I learned Generation X is a cynical group,
在看X一代，我了解到X一代愤世嫉俗，
they're angry, they're known as the lost generation -- we know this; they're the smallest generation.
他们易怒，被称作垮掉的一代--这个大家都知道，他们是人数最少的一代。
Apparently, they're stupid too.
当然，他们也很蠢。
And mostly, they're frustrated with baby boomers.
他们最讨厌婴儿潮一代。
Alright, millennials, this is what I learned about us.
然后是千禧一代，看看都是怎么说我们的。
So, we're obsessed with food. We're also stupid, ah!
嗯，我们爱吃。我们也很蠢。哈！
We're lazy, we're sensitive, we're fired, we're also hated, and we think we're important.
我们懒惰、敏感、被炒鱿鱼、被讨厌，我们还觉得自己很重要。
And perhaps the most terrifying search result on the internet -- Generation Z is screwed.
也许最可怕的搜索结果是--Z一代烂透了。
OK, so, for five years, I've been talking to leaders and followers across a wide variety of organizations.
五年来，我一直跟不同组织的领导者们对话。
And this is what I've come to realize.
我发现了这一点。
Generations haven't become part of the conversation -- generations have become the conversation at work.
这几代的人没有参与对话成为对话的一部分--是这几代的人本身成为了工作场合聊天的一部分。
What I've learned is that we're working under the assumption that those Google results are true.
我发现我们的工作环境把谷歌给出的答案当真。
And so, what I think is that organizations are now desperate to figure out how to "manage" the multigenerational workplace.
我发现管理者们在想办法管理好他们这个多代人一起的工作场合。
"Manage" it. We manage all sorts of things. We're preparing for this wave of millennials to come to work.
我说的是管理。我们管理各种各样的东西。我们为千禧一代参加工作做准备。
So we prepare for hurricanes, right? We prepare to take the MCAT, we prepare for natural disasters.
我们还为飓风的到来做准备。我们为医学院入学考试做准备，我们为自然灾害做准备。
Why are we preparing for 23-year-olds to come to work?
为什么我们要为23岁的人走进职场做准备？

I've talked to these organizations,
我跟那些组织的人进行了交谈，
and I've heard amazing things that they're doing to create a workspace
我很惊讶地发现他们在努力创造一个工作环境，
for everybody to get along and to have autonomy and to feel like they're thriving.
好让所有人和平相处，让他们管理好自己，感觉自己每天在进步。
But I've also heard some really incredibly harebrained ideas about how to navigate the multigenerational workplace.
我还听到一些脑残的想法，说要怎样才能营造一个数代人共同的工作环境。
Are you ready? This is what I saw.
你们准备好了吗？这就是我所看见的。
I visited an organization, and they adopted this idea that if you can see it, you can be it.
我参观了一家企业，他们的企业文化是，凡心所向，无所不成。
A really important concept. But I think they blew it.
这是个很重要的概念。但我觉得他们毁掉了它。
The put pictures on the walls of the ideal multigenerational workplace, because if you can see it, you can be it.
他们把理想的多代人一起工作的图片贴在墙上，因为他们相信凡心所向，无所不成。
Or like this one. Like, I don't even want to work here.
还有这样的。我一点儿都不想在这样的地方上班。
You don't get to wear color here, apparently,
很显然你不能穿颜色鲜艳的衣服，
and HR seriously has problems with people jumping in heels, I promise you that, OK?
人事也不乐意见到员工穿着高跟鞋跳起来，我保证。
I talked to an organization who recently decided against putting a ball pit in the break room
我最近跟一个公司的人聊过，他们拒绝在休息室里设置海洋球，
because that's how you retain millennials. We're 30, not three.
因为他们觉得这样可以留住千禧一代的员工。我们是30岁，不是3岁。
And in fact, I know a young, at the time, millennial, who was told that if she wanted people to take her seriously,
我还认识一个年轻人，她也是千禧一代，人们很严肃的告诉她穿衣服要加垫肩，
just because she was a millennial, she would have to do this -- wear shoulder pads. Yes.
就因为她是千禧一代，她不得不这么做--加垫肩。是的。
People younger than her and older than her wouldn't take her seriously unless she wore shoulder pads.
因为如果不加，比她小的和比她年纪大的人都会看轻她。
Straight-out-of-the-80s, can't-even-buy-them-anywhere shoulder pads.
说的就是那种80年代才有的现在根本买不到的那种垫肩。
This young woman had two graduate degrees. This young woman was me.
这位年轻的女士有两个学位。这个人就是我。
And this is the best we came up with? How to navigate the multigenerational workplace ... is shoulder pads?
我们只能做到这样而已吗？要让数代人在公司好好相处...靠垫肩？
So, this is also what I've learned talking to organizations that employ a wide range of people of various ages.
这也是我跟很多雇用了不同年龄层的公司讨论过后了解到的。
We are so much more similar than we are different. And we're hearing this consistently.
我们的相同点多于不同点。这个我们经常听到。
People want work that matters, they want flexibility, they want support, they want appreciation, they want better coffee.
人们想要的是有意义的工作，他们需要自由度，需要支持，需要赞赏，想要更好的咖啡。
But none of these things are tied to a generation.
但这些东西不是固定的某代人的希望。
Now, sure, we see small differences in what people want.
我们当然有看到人与人之间细微的差别。
We know 20-year-olds and 60-year-olds go home and do different things.
我们都知道20岁和60岁的人回家做不同的事情。
They have different values. At least when it comes to things happening outside of work.
他们的价值观有所不同，至少在看待工作以外的事物上有所不同。
But I think what's happened is that this focus on generational cohorts, these groups of people,
但我认为现在的情况是，我们关注的是一代人的群体，这些人，
has created a space where we just forgot that people are people.
导致我们忘记了他们也是人。
And to know who they really are, who we really work with,
要了解他们是怎样的人，我们在跟谁一起工作，
we have to figure out how to better navigate this multigenerational workplace than ball pits.
就要更多的关注怎样维持好这个多代人一起的工作氛围，而不是去关注那个海洋球。
Call me one of those idealist millennials, but I think we can get there.
随便你们教我理想化的千禧一代好了，反正我觉得这是可以做到的。
And I don't think the idea is too terribly difficult.
我也并不觉得这是十分艰难的事。
What if we radically, simply, not easily, meet people where they are?
如果我们用一种激进的、冷漠的态度对待别人，会怎么样？
Individualize our approach. I've never met a generation.
想象我们每个人的处世方法。我见到的不是某一代人。
I've had a lot of conversations with people who happened to identify with a specific generational cohort.
我跟很多人有过交流，他们也属于某个特定的群体。
I know that 80-year-olds text message and 23-year-olds crochet blankets.
我认识有的80岁的人会打字，23岁的人喜欢织毯子。
None of these things are stereotypical of that generation, right?
这些都不是某代人共有的特征吧？
Nilofer Merchant -- she's a thought leader in innovation -- she tells us we have to meet people in their onlyness,
尼罗弗·麦钱特--她在创新领域很有见地--她说我们应该去认识一个人的特点，
that is, that spot in the world where only we stand,
那就是，这个世界上只有我们站的立场，
as a function of our unique history, our experiences and our hopes.
根据我们独特的过去，经历和欲望。
But this requires flexibility and curiosity.
但这需要很高的灵活性和强烈的好奇心。
And what happens when we meet people in their onlyness, only the spot in the world that they stand,
如果我们去认识一个人的特性，去站在他的立场思考会怎么样，
we learn that that boomer who is just acting "angry" at work all the time is scared.
我们会发现婴儿潮一代的那个工作时总是表现的很暴躁的人，只是很害怕。
Because he's worked every day since he was 16 years old,
因为他从16岁开始就每天都在工作，
and on a Monday, sooner than he can imagine, he'll never go to work again. He's got plans.
但退休的那一天来的比想象中早，在某一个周一，他突然就不用工作了。他也有做计划。
It's going to take like a week and a half to do all the things on that retirement list.
花一周半的时间把退休清单上要做的事都做完。
But then what? What if we give a little bit of grace to the person that might be a little scared?
但之后呢？如果我们给这个有点害怕的人一点怜悯，会怎样呢？
Or that Generation X-er who has four drop-offs, three kids, two hands, and is just trying to keep the wheels on the bus.
或者某个X一代的人家里有四个人无法工作，还有三个孩子，只有两只手养家，努力的想要维持生活。
Sure, maybe she's a little aloof at work. Maybe she's a little independent, maybe she's exhausted.
当然她在公司可能表现的比较忧郁。也许她很独立，也许她很疲惫。
Or that millennial who asks for a raise after two months because they're "entitled?"
或者某个千禧一代的员工说自己有资格，于是两个月后就要求加薪？
Well, maybe it's because that generation has more debt than any generation before them,
也许是因为那一代人的债务比他们之前的任何一代人都多，
coming out of college, and they just need the money to keep going, to pay rent.
因为刚出大学，所以需要更多钱来支付租金。
And suddenly, when you meet people in their onlyness,
如果你去了解你个人的故事，
that spot in the world only they stand, we're not talking about a generation anymore.
去站在他的立场，我们讨论的对象突然就不再是某一代人。
We're talking about Jim or Jen or Candice. And so here's my challenge to us.
我们讨论的就是吉姆或者珍或者坎蒂斯。这就是我发起的挑战。
Pick a person, just one, and explore their onlyness.
选一个人，一个就好，去了解他的故事。
And then learn. And then in the moments where it's appropriate, teach.
去学习。再在合适的时候教他怎么做。
And figure out what they bring to work that no one else can bring to work, because that's what makes work richer.
找到那些被他们带到工作中而别人没有的东西，因为就是这样，工作才变得更丰富。
And then do it again. And do it again.
然后再换一个人。再换一个人。
And then some day, we're not working with generations anymore. We're working with people.
这样我们就会发现，在某天我们不再是跟某代人一起工作。我们是在跟具体的一个个人一起工作。
And so to really understand the beauty of the multigenerational workplace,
要真正理解多代人一起工作的好处，
I think we just have to meet people where they are.
我觉得我们需要去了解这个人。
And that doesn't require that we unpack and live there with them.
这并不需要我们打包生活用品去跟他们住在一起。
But we might find, at least on occasion, it's a beautiful place to visit.
只是有时候我们会发现，他们的生活环境值得一看。
And so I think there's just no need to argue about which generation is the most angry or the most entitled or the most so obsessed with food.
我觉得也没有必要争论哪代人更加暴躁，更有特权或是更贪吃。
We all come to the classroom, to work, back to our homes, a little bit tired and a little bit tattered sometimes.
我们都上过学，上过班，有时候回到家的时候有点疲惫，有点风尘仆仆。
Maybe let's just do our best to humbly meet people where they are, how they show up that day, generation and all.
也许我们应该尽量耐心的去了解一个人，问问他那天是怎么来的，那一代人，以及所有的人。
And in those moments where it can feel a little bit like intergenerational warfare,
在这些时刻可能感觉会像代间战争，
I think we can at least all agree that shoulder pads aren't the solution. Thank you.
但我认为，至少我们应该达成一个共识：垫肩并不是解决办法。谢谢。