For the uninitiated in yachting circles Fife Yacht Builders (three generations of the same family) made classic yachts from 1803 to 1939 in Fairlie, Scotland. Wally is a much more modern yacht builder based in Monte Carlo famous for the sleek, minimalist design which also typifies modern racing yachts.
I have been on holiday in the Gulf of St Tropez this week and am privileged to have witnessed the Voiles de St Tropez regatta which has 300 yachts participating with an incredible mix of classic boats and the latest state of the art racing yachts. They both co-exist side by side in St Tropez harbour before and after racing and provide a sense of history as well as sailing drama.
What particularly struck me watching the very different types of sailing yachts returning to port was that what made the regatta was this very diversity. A Scottish bagpiper played aboard one of the classic yachts as it arrived back in harbour, while we watched the professional crews of moored modern yachts way up the mast cleaning the carbon fibre masts and cross trees ready for the next day’s racing.
This diversity of old and young set the tone for the yachting event and reminds me (returning to a theme I explored in July) how important this sort of diversity is in the work place. Some organisations only seem to recognise one or other – youth or experience. They either go for and promote thirty somethings to high office very quickly or everybody who matters is older.
Age diversity is about accepting and benefitting from different age categories in an organisation. Not that it is all plain sailing. Even the boats in St Tropez raced in different categories reflecting their diverse performance. This (quite old) article Dueling Age Groups in Today’s Workforce; From Baby Boomers to Generations X and Y from Wharton University of Pennsylvania discusses how If it is hard to get people from various generations to reach any agreement, it is even harder to do so within a corporation.
But I suggest that it is definitely worth it in the same way that at the regatta different generations of yachts made the whole event. Everybody benefits. I like this quote from the American physician and poet Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. The young man knows the rules, but the old man knows the exceptions.
Each generation of yachts and workers brings something different and valuable to the party.
I have been on holiday in the Gulf of St Tropez this week and am privileged to have witnessed the Voiles de St Tropez regatta which has 300 yachts participating with an incredible mix of classic boats and the latest state of the art racing yachts. They both co-exist side by side in St Tropez harbour before and after racing and provide a sense of history as well as sailing drama.
What particularly struck me watching the very different types of sailing yachts returning to port was that what made the regatta was this very diversity. A Scottish bagpiper played aboard one of the classic yachts as it arrived back in harbour, while we watched the professional crews of moored modern yachts way up the mast cleaning the carbon fibre masts and cross trees ready for the next day’s racing.
This diversity of old and young set the tone for the yachting event and reminds me (returning to a theme I explored in July) how important this sort of diversity is in the work place. Some organisations only seem to recognise one or other – youth or experience. They either go for and promote thirty somethings to high office very quickly or everybody who matters is older.
Age diversity is about accepting and benefitting from different age categories in an organisation. Not that it is all plain sailing. Even the boats in St Tropez raced in different categories reflecting their diverse performance. This (quite old) article Dueling Age Groups in Today’s Workforce; From Baby Boomers to Generations X and Y from Wharton University of Pennsylvania discusses how If it is hard to get people from various generations to reach any agreement, it is even harder to do so within a corporation.
But I suggest that it is definitely worth it in the same way that at the regatta different generations of yachts made the whole event. Everybody benefits. I like this quote from the American physician and poet Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. The young man knows the rules, but the old man knows the exceptions.
Each generation of yachts and workers brings something different and valuable to the party.
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