Mal Fletcher comments

More than one GenX leader has told me how their parents, having been raving alternative-everything liberals in the 60s, are now deeply concerned about the lack of moral fibre in society. Their children find this frustratingly inconsistent and often find themselves longing for someone to simply say what they think is right, as opposed to what sounds cool or expedient.

One wonders where our society might be today in relation to family breakdown, teen alcoholism and teen pregnancy, had we Boomers thought more clearly about the future consequences of our ethical decisions. After all, what one generation tolerates, the next will often treat as normal.

Compared to Boomers, GenXers are often less drawn to ideological causes and more concerned about getting a pragmatic result and maintaining relationships.

This lack of respect for pure ideology may prove a point of contention for leaders like Ed Miliband, who must be true to their own generational heritage whilst keeping favour with powerful factions who're driven by ideology.

Fortunately for Mr. Miliband, his generation is also keenly aware of its relative lack of demographic weight. It is smaller in size than the Boomers or Millennials and is therefore often more open to achieving goals through cross-generational alliances. It knows it has to pull other generations into the process if it is to get anything done.

That's part of the reason leadership structures in business are flattening out: GenXers naturally bristle at hierarchies, but thrive on partnerships. Alliance-building is a skill that every truly great Generation X leader, in any field, will cultivate.

As true children of post-modernism - and the first generation to be educated in a post-modern way - GenXers are also inclined more toward process than event. If you're a GenXer, you may find yourself calling into question the views of 'experts', at least until you're given access to the process behind their thinking and conclusions. Once you buy into the process, you may be more willing to agree with the end result.

This too will prove important in the worlds of politics and business. GenX leaders will be under pressure from their generational peers to open the windows on decision-making processes, to allow greater scrutiny from outside the bubble. Corporations will need to become more transparent and politicians more personally accountable.

Whether or not GenXer's feelings of angst constitute earlier-than-normal mid-life crises is open to debate. One thing is sure, however: the balance of generational power is shifting past across many spheres of influence.

The future we build from here will depend on how willing we all are to understand generational differences and to turn any tensions between us into creative ones.