Everyone's obsessed with Gen Z. Career minimalism, quiet quitting, accomplishment hallucination—Gen Z content dominates the conversation. Millennials get their share of headlines too.
But Gen X? The generation born between 1965 and 1980? Crickets.
Last year, a New York Times piece—The Gen X Career Meltdown—essentially wrote off Gen X creatives as having obsolete skills. The backlash was swift. Author Jonathan Smalls fired back: *"A new article tried to write our obituary. We're just getting started."*
He's right. And as a CEO of a 900+ person company spanning every generation, I can tell you: ignoring Gen X is a leadership mistake.
Why Gen X Is a Secret Weapon
They're masters of the "power skills." Gen X came up when remote work was the exception, not the rule. They learned communication, active listening, and collaboration face-to-face—and it shows. They're the ones chatting by the water cooler, grabbing coffee with colleagues, and building the relationships that make teams actually stick together.
They're the original digital immigrants. They've survived every disruption thrown at them—dot-com busts, recessions, and now the AI wave. One Gen X commenter put it perfectly: "If we could ride the waves from vinyl to 8-tracks, cassettes, CDs, iPods, and streaming… we can handle this."
If Gen Z is associated with workplace anxiety, Gen X is defined by fortitude. That's energy every team needs.
3 Ways to Keep Gen X Engaged
1. Put them in the mentor's seat.
Gen X brings decades of experience, client savvy, and strategic thinking. Build internal mentorship networks where they can guide younger employees. It builds your juniors' skills—and reminds your Gen Xers their contributions matter.
2. Use them as tech translators.
Gen X knows how to succeed *with* and *without* modern tools. As management professor Megan Gerhardt notes, they're "well suited to be mediators in generational battles" between old-school methods and new tech. A Gen X manager can help a team blend AI speed with editorial judgment and quality standards—best of both worlds.
3. Push them to prioritize their health.
Gen Z asks for time off. Gen X grins and bears it. Studies show they're less likely to prioritize exercise, sleep, and preventive care. The burden falls on leaders: normalize taking leave, offer flexibility, and model boundaries yourself. I talk openly about my own need to exercise, be with family, and fully disconnect—because leaders set the tone.
Burnout doesn't discriminate by generation, and neither should your engagement strategy. Gen Xers may have decades of experience—but as Smalls said, they're just getting started.
Show them they have firm footing in your company, and they'll be the rising tide that lifts all boats.
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