Gina Kirschenheiter’s Rolling Stones Tee

Real Housewives of Orange County Instagram Fashion

Like many of us, Gina Kirschenheiter is spending her time at home organizing her closet. I have really been doing so because we are supposed to put our house of for sale and I’m not quite done sifting through the mess. I’ve been dying to move for years and all of the current madness is putting a little kink in our plans, although I know there are much larger issues at hand. That being said, I may just allow myself to have a pity party and get Gina Kirschenheiter’s Rolling Stones tee delivered to my door to make me feel just a leeeetle bit better while I’m staying put.

The Realest Housewife,

Big Blonde Hair

DAYDREAMER Rolling Stones Tee

Photo: @GinaKirschenheiter

Originally posted at: Gina Kirschenheiter’s Rolling Stones Tee

If you choose to continue working after the official age of retirement, you stand a good chance of working in a team with Millennials and Generation X’s. There is also a high probability that your team will be led by someone from a younger generation.

So
what is the significance of this situation? Well, each generation comes with
its own traits and characteristics, and in many instances, we have different
values and focus on completely different aspects of the job to be completed.

The
benefits of building on our different strengths can be amazing. Yet too often
people fall prey to miscommunication due to a basic lack of understanding of
the ways others think and what they want to achieve.

Unless
you have a basic understanding of the generational differences, you may
struggle to get your head around their differing values and work styles.

You
may find yourself as the oldest member on the team, with the least amount of
delegated responsibility – especially if you are extending your work on a contract
basis. So how can you help make it work?

Be Flexible and Accommodating

However
tempting it is to tell the ‘youngsters’ how to do it, you need to realise they see
things differently. You can’t be certain their way is wrong, but it is likely
to be different, so you may have to learn to simply zip it!

Maintain
an attitude which is open to learning from the younger generations. Age does
not mean we know best, especially as we enter the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Don’t Stereotype

Keep
in mind that if you stereotype the younger generations, you stand a chance of
being side-lined because of your age, evoking ageist reactions.

Though
it is important to understand the general characteristics of each generation,
do not box individuals in. No two people are exactly alike, so see each person for
what they bring to the team.

Learn from One Another

Showing
a willingness to learn from each other will bring down any walls between the
generations. The corporate advantage of keeping boomers on the team is to
facilitate the handing on of knowledge and information.

As
a boomer, you will be better off if you see it as a learning opportunity in
terms of technology and recent innovations. Successful multi-generational teams
are able to identify, value, and build on each others’ strengths.

Establish Respect

In
our youth, it was drummed into us that we should respect our elders. In a
multi-generational team, it is important that everybody has respect for all the
members of the team. Your leader may well be younger than you, but that should
not diminish the respect they deserve.

Adopt a Flexible Communication Style

We
were always told how to communicate; that correct grammar and spelling are
essential. But, with technology come spell-checks, abbreviations, and phonetic
spelling, to mention a few.

To
operate in a multi-generational team you need to be flexible in your
expectations and weigh up whether it is essential to do it your way, before you
comment.

For
the younger generations, communication is good enough as long as it relays the
essentials speedily.

Focus on What Unites You

There
are many similarities between the generations, and you will need to focus on
these to gain group cohesion, rather than constantly noticing the differences. After
all, as employees, we are all there to get the job done and be remunerated.

We
all want to feel respected, that we can make a contribution and achieve the end
result. If you realise this you will go a long way to forming a cohesive
multi-generational team.

Don’t Waste Your Chance to Break the Boundaries

This
is your opportunity to break down some of the ageist stereotypes around boomers.
We look to those of you working in multi-generational teams to lead the way.

If
you want to learn more about the general characteristics of each generation,
there are plenty of sources you can check out online. It is worth reading
around the topic if you are working with different generations.

How often do you need to work with people from a younger generation?
How do you handle the differences? Do you have any special tips about breaking
down the generational boundaries? Please share them in the comments below.

If we had to pick one celebrity who consistently surprises us when it comes to their beauty looks, it’s Janelle Monae. The girl continually slays every time she steps out on the red carpet. We rounded up some of our favorite of Monae’s hairstyles to use as inspiration for our next big event. From hair clips to gems to rope, in braids, twists or buns, the triple-threat gives us infinite hairstyle ideas.

Monae has hairstylist Nikki Nelms, or the Hair MacGyver as she calls herself on Instagram, to thank for her stellar looks. Nelms was even responsible for dyeing Monae’s armpit hair that pretty pink/orange shade a few months ago. Nelms continually pushes the boundaries of what a pop star or A-list actress is supposed to look like on the red carpet. She’s also helped change the game when it comes to natural hairstyles. There are no beach waves here. But Nelms doesn’t want her work to be seen as a political statement. Women of color have been wearing natural hairstyles since the beginning of time.

“I don’t want to come across as this ‘radical.’ They ask what message were you trying to send with the natural hair on the carpet and I’m like, ‘Message? It went with the dress! Simple as that,” she told W magazine. “There are black girls that just do nice hair and it’s not ‘a message’ or they’re not trying to save the world with their hairstyle, you know. I want the freedom that others have when they ‘just do hair’ and that’s it, they’re not trying to save a culture with an updo. I don’t wanna save my race with an updo. If I could, I would, but that’s not what I’m thinking about—I just thought it went nice with the dress.”

Relive some of these killer hairstyles, below.

Image: Shutterstock.

At the Balmain Fall Winter 2020 show at Paris Fashion Week

Image: Shutterstock.

At the 51st Annual NAACP Image Awards

Image: Shutterstock.

At the opening night premiere of Queen and Slim in Los Angeles

Image: Shutterstock.

At the Harriet film premiere in Los Angeles

Image: Shutterstock.

At the UglyDolls film premiere in Los Angles

Image: Shutterstock.

At the 2018 Hollywood Film Awards in Los Angeles

Image: Shutterstock.

At the 2018 Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Los Angeles

Image: Shutterstock.

At the 60th Annual Grammy Awards in New York

Image: Shutterstock.

At the 2017 CFDA Fashion Awards in New York

Image: Shutterstock.

At the 89th Academy Awards in Los Angeles

When we were in our 20s and 30s we had
many advantages in life. Do I need to list them all? I don’t think so. We are
very aware of those advantages… both the real ones and the imagined.

But, as we age, we begin to realize
(hopefully) that with all the disadvantages of growing older there are many,
MANY advantages that come along with it as well.

When I was “let go” from my job at the
age of 48, I was finding it hard to remember those supposed MANY advantages of
getting older.

After all, I was a middle-aged,
over-weight (not that THAT had anything to do with anything – just thought I’d
add it here), unemployed secretary that had no idea of what the next step
should be.

To say that I was scared and
directionless would be an understatement.

Fortunately, I quickly found out about
working as a Virtual Assistant, also known as V.A.

A Virtual Assistant is basically what
I had been doing for over 20 years as an Administrative Assistant, but it’s
done in a remote location (i.e., home office, while traveling, or maybe in a
coffee shop somewhere) and normally as a freelancer.

And, even better, I found out about working as a Virtual Assistant when
you’re a “more mature” person.

In the Physical Office

My age in the physical office was
always evident. And, even though I take good care of my skin and am not overly
concerned with the thought of my aging (in fact, I feel blessed to have lived
to get to this age) – others do have perceptions about it.

My FACE told others that I may not be:

• As
  quick and efficient with social media.
• Very
  technologically savvy.
• Fast
  enough up and down the staircase.
• Using
  words that were considered “cool.”

Whether these things were true is not
the point. It was the perception – at least in my mind.

In the Virtual Office

Working in a virtual world changed all
of that.

• The
  skills I had gathered over the last 20+ years were the things that shined.
• I
  could predict patterns from my office experience and be proactive with those
  patterns instead of reactive.
• I
  could work faster than others and give input at the same time because I’d done
  it all before.

The look of my aging face meant
nothing to my clients. It was all about how well I was performing the work.

Success

Working virtually actually evened the
playing field for me.

Because I spoke as someone with
wisdom, confidence, and knowledge, my rates were higher than those that weren’t
able to speak of such experience.

My client connections were strong and
long – because I knew the value of finding the right clients and working hard
to keep them.

And, I loved every minute of my new
job. That is a sure win-win.

What could be better than that?

Nothing.

Well… except… maybe the feeling that I
now had an advantage over those “youngins” back in the office.

Want to learn to work this way too? Join me on this journey at stephaniebrodt.com

What advantages do older people have
in a work setting? Do you work with people younger than you? How do they look
at you? How would you like them to look at you? Would you consider working
remotely from a home office? Please share your thoughts with our sisters!