At the March CEOtoCEO Breakfasts in Bellevue and Spokane, Anna Liotta spoke to our group of business leaders about all things generational. From her remarkable childhood in a family of 19 children (she now has over 50 nieces and nephews!) to her career as a generational expert, speaker, and consultant, Anna knows how to make a complex topic fun and insightful.

Anna outlined the four generations that you are likely to encounter in any workspace in 2019:

• Traditionalists (born 1927 - 1945)
• Baby Boomers (1946 - 1963)
• Gen Xers (1964 - 1979)
• Millenials (1980 - 1999)
• Gen Z Globals (now entering workforce)

Following that, Anna detailed her Generational CODES, a framework that the members of each generation use for making decisions about their personal and professional lives. These CODES include:

• Communication
• Orientation
• Discipline
• Environment
• Success

With these CODES in mind, a business owner, HR person, or employee can enhance their business and increase profitably in several ways, whether through better hiring practices, increased sales as a result of understanding a target's CODES, or optimized internal communication and understanding.

Business leaders, you simply cannot afford to ignore the generational aspect of company culture any longer.