I am one of those people who believe that age/generation influences, contributes and has a decisive impact on the way a leader communicates. Obviously, a good leader will learn to transcend these influences, but they are still part of who they are and how they communicate with their team. In a conversation with my uncle who made his fortune in business coaching and consulting, he used the transmitter-receiver model covered in the Module 6 reading (Lussier and Achua, 2010, par. 4) to illustrate how communication can be affected by gender, age and values. His example was that it was an older man, recently retired, Vietnam veteran, communicating with a young female business owner and that feedback is necessary to ensure that what was said had the same intent /interpretation once received. (W. Rose, personal communication, April 12, 2011)An experience during my tenure as a customer service manager provides another example of the impact of age/generation on a leader. My department was very stressful, with 24/7 support and staffed entirely by a younger generation. I recognized their energy, their enthusiasm and their desire to play when they are not on the phone helping out a merchant. Needless to say, our department was loud, full of laughter and toys, but also one of the most close-knit groups in the company. Most of the other department heads were of a much older generation and placed a high value on silence and solemnity. When our company moved to a larger building, my department was assigned an area completely isolated from other quieter departments and we continued to enjoy our youthful (but very productive) habits while the others were not disturbed. related articles ... middle of paper ...... come to them and develop a cohesive and productive team. Generational communications is just one of the challenges leaders will face as they build their team. Works Cited Duke University, (nd). Intergenerational communication [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://www.duke.edu/web/equity/div_genera~ppt%20III.pptLeibovich, M. (2008). McCain the analog candidate. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/03/weekinreview/03leibovich.htmlLussier, R. and Achua, C. (2010) Leadership: Theory, Application and Skills Development (4th ed.) Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning. Phelps, D. & Yee, C., (April 1, 2011). Do you want a job? The communication skills of “text generation” are not that good [web blog]. Retrieved from http://blog.nwjobs.com/careercenter/u_want_a_job_communication_skills_of_Generation _text_arent_so_gr8_.html