Continuing with our look at Generational snapshots to begin 2013.. This will reveal the elements that make up that generation’s CODE, which in turn is the basis for how that generation perceives the world, its role, and that of other generations. When you get to the core of what people in a generation have in common—their shared experiences as a collective—you begin to see the big picture of why, as a generation, people do what they do, why they see the world as they see it, and how/why they lead, or micro-manage a project, relationship, or team. This week’s snapshot features the Traditionalist Generation.
Natural Realities in a Nutshell
Born: 1927-1945
Names: Traditionalists or Silents
Archetype: Artist
Mood: Compliance
Focus: Nuclear Families, Community and Civil Service
Technology: Radio, Silver Screen
Shifts: Rise of Labor Unions
Beliefs: Sacrifices for the greater good are necessary and honorable; hard work is its own reward; discipline saves lives
Anchor Points: Great Depression, World War II, Space Race
People: Joe DiMaggio, FDR, John Wayne, Ella Fitzgerald, Jackie Robinson, Colin Powell, Walter Mondale, Woody Allen, Sandra Day O’Conner, and Elvis Presley
Places: Pearl Harbor, Normandy, Breadlines, Victory Gardens
Events: Roaring Twenties, Two World War II, Hitler invades Russia, Great Depression, Hindenburg Tragedy, G.I. Bills, Korean War
Natural realities explained:
Traditionalists were born between the years of 1927-1945 and make up 7 percent of today’s workforce. They are ready to retire and have been retiring. They are still an economic factor, and because of the changing economic times and improved quality of life, we are seeing some Traditionalists stay in the workforce longer while others re-enter the workforce after a short stint in retirement due to both boredom and economic need.
Also known as “Silents,” Traditionalists grew up during the double crisis of the Great Depression and World War II. Their Nomadic Lost Generation parents overprotected their Traditionalist (Artist) children almost to the point of suffocating them. While the preceding decades had seen times of abundance and gaiety, the crash of the stock market in 1929 launched the country into a Crisis season. Young Traditionalist children became familiar with the sight of ragged and hungry men fighting to survive wearing threadbare clothing and
standing in soup lines.
By 1932, despite the promises made by President Herbert Hoover that “prosperity is just around the corner,” unemployment was at 25 percent with nearly one in every four workers unemployed. The market had lost 80 percent of its value, and 9 million people had lost their life savings. With the addition of the most severe drought in U.S. history, hundreds of thousands of agrarian-based workers were displaced and drifting. Hoovervilles, the name given to cardboard box communities that sprouted up across the country, were a familiar sight.
These impressions and realities would never leave the young children’s memories or allow them to take for granted the basics. You will never see Traditionalist grandparents buying daily $5 cups of coffee for themselves because of vivid memories of scarcity and conservation, but they will pay any amount for their grandchildren to have a better future.
