Situational Awareness

Exploring the nuances of generational communication to foster understanding and cooperation in family businesses.

I want to dive deeper into a theme we explored in our last episode of Resilience Talk (episode 18): the generational conflict in how we perceive business operations and familial language in a professional setting. Many of you might recall our discussion about how younger generations often feel triggered by the older generational view of business as “family.” However, a recent blog post by David Heinemeier Hansson (DHH) from 37signals provides a fresh perspective.

Over many years of working with businesses and family enterprises, there’s been one topic that surfaces—implicitly or explicitly—again and again. And that is the difference in perspectives across generations. It’s a theme that’s both challenging and enriching for the workplace (and family!) dynamics. In episode 18 of the Resilience Talk podcast we explored some of these differences in perspective across the various generations, from boomers, to Gen X, to millennials, and to Gen Z.  I the post I want to highlight just a few of the major areas of discussion from the episode.

Cybersecurity has become a critical concern, especially over the past eight or so years, as hackers increasingly target midsize and small businesses. Unlike large corporations like Citibank or Target, which invest millions in cybersecurity, smaller businesses often lack the resources and awareness to protect themselves. This makes them the path of least resistance for cybercriminals.