HAYDEN — Communication is the essence of life, and that was the topic at the Coeur d’Alene Regional Chamber Intergenerational Lunch and Learn workshop on Wednesday at the Companions Animal Center.

“The older generation has talents and skill sets that are not yet developed or perfected with the younger, the incoming generation,” said Jeff Conroy of Conroy Leadership Consulting. “So, there are businesses that are paying the older generations significant bonuses to stay on and not retire because their skill set hasn't been replaced yet.” 

Conroy has been working for nonprofit corporations in the area for over 30 years, serving as the director of the United Way of North Idaho and the CEO of St. Vincent de Paul.  

“During that time, leadership has always been kind of an interest of mine,” he said. “One of my good friends was the former executive vice president of Walt Disney World — he ran Walt Disney World. I once asked him, ‘How do you get 75,000 cast members moving in the same direction when I can't get my three kids to clean their room?’” 

The answer, he said, was effective communication and understanding individual motivation, why people from different generations are the way they are. 

Conroy referenced five generations: Baby Boomers (1946-1964), Generation X (1965-1980), Millennials (1981-1996), Generation Z (1997-2012), and Generation Alpha (2013-2025). 

The common denominator in effective communication with all five generations, Conroy says, is the need for clarity, someone who’ll listen to them and vision that all can buy into, and that’s what they are looking for in an employer as well. 

"Anyone who is, quote, unquote, a good leader has to be able to listen to people. If you're not hearing what they're saying, you have no clue what's going on,” Conroy said. “Every generation has its own language. It's just a matter of whether you can listen to it or not.” 

He also thinks every good leader is a constant learner.  

“I believe that. Leaders read. Leaders try to understand,” he said. It's those leaders who are still living in the top-down, hierarchical, "do as I say, not as I do" world who are going to struggle with the newer generations. The newer generations aren't going to work with them.” 

When Conroy was the director of the local chapter of the United Way, he wanted to create a culture that was fun to be a part of 

“Fundraising has got to be fun, or it's not worth doing. We made it more of a club atmosphere. It didn't matter how old or young you were,” Conroy said. “I had young people, old people there. Then when I went to work at St. Vincent's, I jokingly said, I had staff that had master's degrees and an intimate knowledge of the federal correction system.” 

So, he had to learn to adjust his management style. 

“I had to learn how to pivot and understand that the way I lead one person is not the way I can lead another,” Conroy said. “Each person hears and speaks differently — reacts differently. So, I had to adjust my communication and my leadership method to get the most out of people.” 

He said what it all boils down to is clear, concise communication and respect.  

“Everybody needs to be treated with respect and dignity,” he said. Everybody wants to feel valued, be heard, feel included, and seen," Conroy said. “That’s why, as an employer, it’s important to be a lifelong learner — to try to understand where they're coming from.”