Local Author Pens ‘Gen-eXceptional: How the Unique Traits of Generation X Can Transform Leadership’

Tony Di Domizio | North Penn Now•

Generation X is the best generation to take on the leadership challenges of the 21^st Century, and seasoned educator and Lansdale native Dr. Robert F. DeFinis lays out a guide for their future in his latest book, "Gen-eXceptional: How the Unique Traits of Generation X Can Transform Leadership.”

Generation X is considered the "forgotten generation” or "latchkey” generation, according to DeFinis, but he believes they are positioned well to take the leadership challenges in the future, in an ever-evolving world.

"We can't generalize or state absolutes, but what we know is that in the mid- to late-70s and into the early 80s, there was a shift in the family dynamic. The family unit was changing and one of those changes was more single parent homes and both parents having to work. This creates an absence to some degree and thus we have a generational cohort that had to figure it out,” DeFinis said. "That means they supervised themselves at times, had to prepare their own food, occupy their time creatively and so on. In comparison, we see in some cases the complete opposite with millennials and Gen Z.”

DeFinis said the term "helicopter parent” has emerged in the last decade or so to refer to parents that are overly involved in all aspects of their child’s life and on top of them constantly.

"In ‘Gen-eXceptional,’ I try to highlight that many of the independent skills that Gen Xers have is because of how their parents reared them. Of course, there are many other factors as well,” he said.

In DeFinis’s book, he uncovers the essence of Gen X, exploring foundational experiences and values that shape their innovative approach to leadership, while illuminating the dynamic leadership styles inherent to Gen X., which blend traditional wisdom with cutting-edge strategies for the digital age.

DeFinis said Gen Xers are the forefront of driving transformative change, propelled by their valuable insights into distinct leadership strengths. Those strengths, he said, are poised to shape the trajectory of leadership down the line.

"Gen Xers have a different lens of the world. They have a healthy balance of optimism and skepticism which, in my opinion, allows them to be a ‘bridge’ between boomers and millennials,” he said. "They value autonomy in their decision making but see the benefit of collaboration. Putting this into a leadership context, we want leaders that allow for creativity, idea sharing, and growth but at the same time we need them to be action driven and hold people accountable. Gen Xers exemplify this.”

DeFinis does not subscribe to the typical stereotypes of generations.

"We see that each emerging generation brings a new set of opportunities with them. It's about how we can learn what makes them tick and then take that information to leverage high level performance in the workplace,” he said. "Not taking multi-generations into account as a leader will create issues for any organization. The reality is that with life expectancy increasing and economic uncertainty, you will have between four to five generations in the workplace at one time.”

DeFinis said we need to be hyper focused on how we get them all moving in the right direction under one roof.

"This is a big challenge for any leader, and my research suggests that a Gen X leader could be successful,” he said.

As the future becomes written, it surely means there will be further advancements in social media, which has a transformative effect on generations.

"Gen Z and younger millennials are considered digital natives and have expectations on usage of social media from their companies and leaders. For example, Gen Z is more inclined to check their Facebook for a class cancellation over the school's web page,” he said. "Leaders and organizations have to adjust to where their clients and employees gather, and places like TikTok have to be explored as opportunities.”

DeFinis was motivated to write the book after witnessing Boomers and Millennials in constant conflict, while Gen X remained on the sideline watching. Baby Boomers were leaving the workforce, he said, and Millennials and Gen Z are in the infancy of their careers, he said.

Gen X, he said, is primed to make a significant impact on how organizations will be led.

"Drilling down a little more, I would see that the Gen Xers had great ideas and solutions to help both groups, but were unwilling to get in the game,” he said. "This motivated me to know why, and the result was seeing that Gen X could be our next best hope in leadership studies to solve our growing leadership crisis.”

"Gen-eXceptional" is available in hardcover, e-book, and audiobook formats and can be purchased from leading retailers, including Amazon and iUniverse. For information about the book and the author, please visit www.drdefinis.com.