We often talk about diversity in terms of background or culture, but age diversity plays just as big a role in team success. In this episode, we explore what happens when you bring together different generations at work and create space for all voices to be heard.

Gary Danoff, a global leader at Google and an experienced executive coach, shares how he builds strong, multigenerational teams. He explains how to recognize and work with the different experiences that shape each generation. His approach centers on curiosity, active listening, and what he calls leading with love. Gary also shares how he encourages open conversations on teams and why understanding strengths is more useful than relying on labels.

This is a practical look at how to create respectful, high-performing environments where people of any age feel valued and motivated.

Key Takeaways:

1.    Curiosity is the bridge - Asking questions and staying open to others’ experiences helps create understanding across generations.

2.    Labels are only starting points - Generational terms can guide conversations but should never limit how we see or support people.

3.    Love belongs in leadership - Caring about your team as people helps build trust and brings out their best work.

4.    Strengths matter more than age - People thrive when leaders match work styles to individual strengths, not generational stereotypes.

5.    Tough moments create growth - When conflict shows up, leaders need to step in, listen, and help teams learn through it.

Resources Mentioned

The Inspire Your Team to Greatness assessment (the Courage Assessment)

How can you inspire our team to be more proactive, take ownership and get more done?

You demonstrate and empower The Courage of a Leader. In my nearly 3 decades of work with leaders, I’ve discovered the 11 things that leaders do – even very well-intentioned leaders do – that kill productivity.

In less than 10 minutes, find out where you’re empowering and inadvertently kills productivity, and get a custom report that will tell you step by step what you need to have your team get more done.

https://courageofaleader.com/inspireyourteam/

About the Guest:

Gary Danoff is an Advisor, Executive Coach, Content Creator and Global Leader of Alliances for Google Workspace at Google. Gary loves working with people in leadership and contributor roles regardless of title. What matters most is the curiosity they have to overcome obstacles, create new paths for themselves and their organizations, and do so while employing a mix of humor, determination and with an open heart/desire to create work they and others love.  

As an executive coach, Gary serves founders, entrepreneurs, executives from all over the globe and those around them. With a focus on improving human connection in a digital world, Gary is the executive producer and host of What's Next Now! Guests share their stories of blending business goals, public interest, personal passion, and their best human strengths to create positive outcomes for themselves, citizens, customers and the employees they serve.  

https://www.linkedin.com/in/garydanoff  

https://www.instagram.com/garydanoff/?hl=en  

https://www.garydanoff.com/  

What’s Next Now podcast: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/gary437/

About the Host:

Amy L. Riley is an internationally renowned speaker, author and consultant. She has over 2 decades of experience developing leaders at all levels. Her clients include Cisco Systems, Deloitte and Barclays. 

As a trusted leadership coach and consultant, Amy has worked with hundreds of leaders one-on-one, and thousands more as part of a group, to fully step into their leadership, create amazing teams and achieve extraordinary results. 

Amy’s most popular keynote speeches are:

• The Courage of a Leader: The Power of a Leadership Legacy
• The Courage of a Leader: Create a Competitive Advantage with Sustainable, Results-Producing Cross-System Collaboration
• The Courage of a Leader: Accelerate Trust with Your Team, Customers and Community
• The Courage of a Leader: How to Build a Happy and Successful Hybrid Team

Her new book is a #1 international best-seller and is entitled, The Courage of a Leader: How to Inspire, Engage and Get Extraordinary Results.

http://www.courageofaleader.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/amyshoopriley

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Teaser for Next Episode

Genevieve Retzlaff, the founder and CEO of Grow Better Together, explores leadership as a journey, focusing on self-awareness, trust, vulnerability, and creating space for growth and innovation.

Mentioned in this episode:

The Inspire Your Team to Greatness assessment (The Courage Assessment)

https://courageofaleader.com/inspireyourteam/