Is this it? Is this the actual moment when the Gen X generation of Steve Harper starts to make good on the years of knowing that some time the boomers are going to have to go?
The key move was one of Harper's first: pulling Kevin Lynch back from Washington where he was an executive director at the International Monetary Fund and appointing him clerk of the privy council, the government's most powerful public servant. Lynch, an economist and career civil servant with a shrewd policy mind, was deputy minister of finance under Paul Martin. Harper gave Lynch the mandate to "renew and overhaul" the public service, another top insider said, adding, "He (Lynch) is well on his way to doing just that."..."I think it is widely known that the civil service, like every other institution, is facing a serious generational retirement problem in the next few years," said the senior insider.Succession is an extremely important question which is little discussed in organizations. It can be foisted upon you through mortality, surprize you through unannounced plans being launched or creep up on you through a run of good years flying by unnoticed. Sooner or later, however, it comes and soon that will mean the slackers will be in charge. Hmmm. What will that exactly look like?
Comments
Ben (The Tiger in Exile) - August 28, 2006 8:52 am
Hey, I hadn't thought of this... he is our first Gen-X PM.
Beat the Americans to having a head of government from Gen-X. But then, it was one of our writers who coined the phrase...
Hans - August 28, 2006 9:45 am
Clarification please. I think Harper falls into the Boomer Generation which if my demographic understanding is correct runs from 1945-1964. Bill Clinton was a Boomer as is George W. The interesting thing in the states is how the Presidency skipped a generation from the first Bush, a WWII guy, to the Boomer generation. In Canada, we had Chretien who was from that elusive 'tween generation. Harper is Boomer, but he is trying to appeal to folks from the Gen X generation, but not necessarily the slackers or the protagonists from the Coupland novel. See Michael Adams book "Sex in the Snow" for a good look at who might voitng for Harper and why.
Alan - August 28, 2006 9:50 am
Even if Steve is a tad old, being born 30 April 1959, he is surrounded by sycophants who are clearly under the line. Gen X for me is better started around 1961 as then it includes me and also more properly describes someone who made their first thoughtful independent record buying decisions at or after punk rock started to bubble to the surface of pop culture in late 1976 to early 1977.
Alan - August 28, 2006 9:51 am
The obligatory wikipedia link.
Hans - August 28, 2006 10:01 am
Okay. Clarification accepted. Boomers 46-64, Gen X 61-81. Harper is a Boomer, but his fart catchers are Gen X. The use of the delineation by redord buying decisions makes the most sense.