Good ideas and boomers...

My mom is brilliant -- really brilliant, particularly about dealing with people. She's been a nurse for about 45 years, so she has some experience with people. She's also been in the position to manage others off and on over those 45 years -- thus even more experience. Finally, she has my grandma's intuitive sense about how to get people to do what she wants them to do. Yea -- Mom rocks!

Mom is not a boomer -- she's too old. I'm too young to be one... and, at times the boomers make us a bit nuts. A while back Mom went to a seminar about generational differences as part of her nursing continuing education requirements -- and she learned a lot. One thing she learned is that it is a boomer trait to have to be RIGHT. Those with this infliction behave as if the good idea MUST come from the boomer, otherwise it simply could not be the way to do things.

I'm dealing with exactly this situation now --

Last year I had a discussion with a Boomer I'll call Boomer X (or BX) for short.

BX is a pretty darned smart person, with advanced degrees and kids about my age, maybe 5ish years younger perhaps. BX treats me like one of her children and/or someone who needs to be mentored.

Last year BX rejected my objections to one of their planned actions (how's that for vague :) ). I, being a gen X er and a philosopher / debate coach at heart, gave BX about six justifications for my position -- and BX rejected it anyway. Being used to being dominated by boomers, I accepted that the planned action would continue.

Fast forward -- to this week.

BX gives me back my ideas from last year as their own.... using my own words! Trying to 'teach' me this good idea-- passing on the wisdom of BX's experience to a young (folks, I'm almost 40) person who can benefit from it...

Of course, had BX agreed that I was right last year --- they would have had to be wrong, and BX simply can't have that. The good news is that BX can learn and I eventually got my way on the next go-around... The bad news is that I'm going to propose some new stuff in the next week or two -- and I don't expect BX to agree -- that is, until next year when I hope to be on sabbatical.