Episode 2: Legacy and Loyalty: What the Traditionalist Generation Built

Release Date

Guests

David Zerfoss

Transcript

GenShift Transcript: Episode 2—Traditionalist

Katherine Jeffery: Hi there and welcome to GenShift, a podcast where generations explore work, life, and leadership. I'm your host, Katherine Jeffery. I'm a researcher, speaker and consultant who spent the past several years studying generational dynamics in the workplace.

My work includes coaching keynotes, team trainings, and I help organizations build bridges across the generational differences. I created GenShift because I believe one of today's biggest leadership challenges is learning to work across difference, including generational difference. Whether you're leading a team, starting your career, or somewhere in between, this podcast is for you.

Together we'll explore what drives us, what divides us, and how we can build workplaces where everyone contributes and belong. Before we hear from our amazing guests today, let's take a few minutes to talk about the traditionalist generation and the impact they've had on the workplace.

So who are the Traditionalists? They were born roughly between 1925 and 1945. They grew up during or just after the Great Depression and World War ii, they were deeply shaped by rationing, sacrifice, and a strong sense of civic duty. They came of age in an era of rebuilding patriotism and institutional trust.

What shaped their worldview? A deep respect for rules, hierarchy, and authority. They had loyalty to their employers and their country. They took great pride in hard work, discipline and personal responsibility, and they had a very keep your head down and do the job. Mindset. they value Stability, security, and consistency. They had deep respect for leadership and a chain of command. They were also incredibly professional, punctual, and they did their part on the team. They also worked quietly behind the scenes rather than seeking out the spotlight. Common stereotypes they face, they can sometimes be seen as rigid, slow to adapt, or even overly formal, but in reality, they actually laid the foundation of our modern work culture.

They led with steadiness and built systems that younger generations now challenge and refine. Why are we focusing on the Traditionalists in this episode? Because their stories are often untold. Their values still shape our workplace culture today, and because wisdom is not outdated, it is essential. So today we're asking what was work like when you started out?

What value shaped your career and what legacy does your generation leave behind? Let's dive into the conversation.

So I'm so excited about this. Today I'm joined by Dave Zerfoss, who represents the traditionalist generation. He was the former president of Husqvarna Professional products, and his team grew the company hundreds of millions of dollars.

He had the honor of leading the North America team, and it was in that role that he discovered his passion and purpose, which is causing leaders to grow exponentially. Dave believes culture is crucial to a business's overall success, and the culture he built at Husqvarna unleashed an entrepreneurial spirit within a large corporation.

He has since graduated to his next role as a Vistage chair, where now more than ever, he can focus on helping leaders grow to their full potential. I am so deeply honored to have Dave with us here today, and Dave just so we can. Let everyone know that you're a true traditionalist. You had a big birthday when I met you, right?

David Zerfoss: Yes we're celebrating the 80th woo is I was born just after the dinosaurs left the earth inside of it. But it's exciting to be with you. want to commend you the incredible impact you made with our Vistage teams and groups. And they're still talking about that.

They're processing that. Thinking through that, how to become better, and I too, as a chair, but you made an incredible impact. And I guess that's also still a goal we have across all generations is to make an impact. 

Katherine Jeffery: That's right. That's right. 

David Zerfoss: So I could help paint the picture a bit, if that helps as traditionalist.

Katherine Jeffery: Yes. 

David Zerfoss: I was born on a bicuspid of traditionalist and baby boomer. It was 1945. I was born on a farm and I'm highlighting that it was not a hospital inside that it was to parents who had lived through many things and every generation believes they lived through everything. And it, it was the toughest also, but I was born to to parents that, as young children went through the Spanish flu, then went through the Great Depression and very difficult and close to starvation sometimes. It was that serious inside of that, but they grew it and they went through that. then the aspect is they call 'em the greatest generation.

I believe the next generation, every generation can be the greatest. But they accomplished incredible things and sacrifices that are beyond our comprehension day to day. my uncles came from a large family. In fact is my middle name comes from my uncle who was left off in a bus station in a town about seven miles away, and was walking up there with his backpack into the driveway when I popped into the world.

And so that's how I got my middle name. But the aspect of it is. How hard these people worked to do what they accomplished. In my case, I was a large family of my dad's side especially, and they were at Midway, they were at Guac Canal. They were a D-Day, they were Patriots. And they were proud of it, but they spoke very little about it because the things that they saw, I believe, were so horrific that they just wanted to get on with.

Life. in my particular case, it was on a farm and my dad had to work at a machine shop because you couldn't make enough money farming, which is what was his first love inside of that. And during the war is many of the tractors were either not built or They were smelled down for tanks, et cetera. So they handbuilt things from trucks and everything else to do what was normal farming work. but it drove that ingenuity. Wow. But it also was a sense of responsibility. And as I told folks, I grew up on the farm. I was highly motivated to get off of it.

I learned tremendous lessons from that. I learned as you reap what you sow. And if you sow great seeds and it doesn't have weed seeds in, it grows very nicely. The same earth grows wheat, corn, et cetera, but grows weeds too, especially before we round up them with chemicals. Yes. But the aspect of it was just that hard work continually. And that was what defined us our social life was around the church was the crossroads a couple miles away. And I went to a one room schoolhouse for five and a half years.

 Katherine I am proud to say is I didn't repeat the same grade. Good job. But it tells you where, who we were and what we thought, but it was hard work and you didn't ask for allowance 'cause you had a roof over your head it was a different world and a different time. 

Katherine Jeffery: Yeah.

It was gratitude for different kinds of things than we might show gratitude for today.

David Zerfoss: It is it is the thankfulness for every day for the things that you had. And I think that gave us a closer spiritual connection, a closer relationship experience of looking out for the other person, not just for ourself.

Yeah. And I think that's pervaded through life. I wanted to be seen always as a servant leader. Inside of it, because I believe that was my responsibility, but my responsibility was though, to get the work done at the same time. So very intentional about what you did. 

Katherine Jeffery: Yes. And Dave, whenever I talk about the Traditionalists, I talk about their lack of indoor plumbing.

What was that like for you? 

David Zerfoss: We were ecological sound before, before we even knew what green was. we did have an outdoor restroom, an outhouse inside of that that you really timed things better and thought about 'em differently, especially when, some of that Sub-Zero winter weather or the a hundred degree weather in the summertime.

But also the interesting thing of the one room schoolhouse is that we all had roles and responsibility. and they rotated. Uh, You cleaned the chalkboard the blackboard, and you also would carry wood and coal in for the pot belly stove that was in the middle of the classroom.

you did have. Outdoor restrooms. Yeah. Inside of it. So I was so ecological sound before I could even spell ecological. 

Katherine Jeffery: Good for you. Yeah. It's such a different world and that's one of the reasons I'm so excited about this episode is because I remember listening to you just share your experiences and I'm like, we have to capture this.

The world has changed so much in your 80 years. I don't think people understand the transitions that you've been through and how much you've adapted, and then I want people, I'm sure they'll get a sense of this as they listen to you, but you've had so much impact on people over those 80 years and it's profound.

The people you work with highly respect you and want more from you, right? They want more time with you because it's just gold. 

David Zerfoss: I think it's a sense of giving and and I have thought so much about your conversation about the five different generations we discussed and the five islands of culture that they were on.

And the reflection is, also very interesting I shared probably more with the Gen Zs inside of who we were and what we were more than maybe the next generations which was very interesting. Yes, I might have thought that when we started that wonderful week of learning with you inside of it, but it's that responsibility that you have and the outcomes that you want, and, there's things that you learn. You gotta meet people where they're at. And if you aren't a student of meeting people where they're at your leadership is gonna be stunted at best. You helped illuminate that path to understand and define those differences.

And as they said, as a leader is you've gotta touch hearts before you ask for their hands. Yes. And and if you don't understand that, but I also think that some of that came in the aspect of growing up that we did because we were all as I said level at the foot of the cross.

we all worked, we did not feel we were better than our neighbors ever. of course, it was a quiet, not everybody was posting everything in their life and what they had for lunch and where they went because they didn't do those things. But the aspect of it is we sensed it and knew it.

Yes. And if they needed that help, you would come alongside of it and many times not ever say a word. Whatever was needed, showed up or folks came to do that work, et cetera. left knowing that was their sense of responsibility and duty versus, Hey, we should be recognized.

There should be selfies, there should going so, and look at me. But it was probably just the opposite that we felt that was who we were and what our responsibility was to each other. 

Katherine Jeffery: And almost like we're all in this together, right? Versus this person over here and this person over here, right?

Which is where we're now, right? We kinda look at that, that selfie generation versus this very communal, like how could we all help support each other? 

David Zerfoss: I think that is at the heart of people if you call it forward. Unfortunately you had a major challenge this past year with the hurricane coming through and the devastation of the mountains where you would never believed it, it called forward the best in people.

You also see some of the worst, by the way, but too, but I believe that's. Sense is in everybody, quite frankly. Yeah, we might just have to work harder in different generations. That's right. To come to the surface, but that's where our manifestation is as best as the people. I want to be a lid lifter. Yes. And give folks that opportunity. 

Katherine Jeffery: I love that. Okay, so let's. Focus in on your early work experiences. What was your very first job and what do you remember about the workplace back then? Like how did it operate? What was expected of you? That kind of thing. 

David Zerfoss: I guess that growing up period onto college and into professional work world. But the aspect to start with is I learned hard was expected. farming is 365 days a year, seven days a week. That's just the way it is. And, again, I probably did appreciate all those lessons, by the way, before.

I sound like my ego's too big here. But the aspect of it is you work to do something you learn to finish something. And you didn't stop until you finished it.

Yeah. And it is interesting. Angela Duckworth, on one of her scales of true grit, is do you finish things? the other one is we faced adversity probably the adversity I thought was not near the adversity my parents did, or certainly my children would probably not conceive.

But the aspect of it is we had to deal with stuff. you learn when you deal with stuff that you either build character or you go backwards, but you build character you learn from that in that process, which. Served me well as I went to the next step. my, idol was my older brother who was five years older than me.

And he was meant a genius level. And something happened to Dave. I don't know what it was. But I didn't quite measure up to that inside of, 'cause I was into racing stuff and doing boy stuff, crazy stuff inside of it. But but he had the aspiration and went on with full scholarships to Harvard, et cetera.

 that formed a concept for me was this was a bigger world and there were possibilities inside of it. And I worked my way through college and during that I graduated with three children. As I told folks, when I graduated, I was highly motivated. I was debt propelled, yeah, quite a bit.

But I was working, 50 and 60 hours a week in carrying a full class load and graduated in four years. That was a concept that was a little foreign to my children that I grew. But you just did what you had to do and you didn't complain. That's what it was. And that's. Where you went from there.

But again, is I think those things just continued to layer onto me to build better character. It doesn't mean that I still don't have a ways to grow yet today. And that's one of the things I think is a growth mindset, doesn't have an age limit. that that's imperative and I learned that in the process.

But I went on to First class of liberal arts of economics at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. it went through three different names and the time that I was there, but it was IUP was on there. The only problem is when you explain to people where you went to school, they want to know about Bobby Knight and no, Bobby Knight wasn't in Western Pennsylvania.

Yeah. But the thing that learned was what the discipline of that was. But my professional life, it was very interesting they called it communications. It wasn't English or whatever in a term the first book that I read was The Man in a Gray Flannel Suit.

And that's how we modeled ourself but I was working my way through significant jobs and working. learned to be a craftsman mechanic in a world where we fixed foreign cars where nobody else would touch them and anything that was not built in the United States, nobody else wanted to fix.

I happened to work with a craftsman that did that. So what does that have to do with I learned is. You work with different things and there's opportunities in there, but you also learn the analysis. And you had to have that you just didn't replace. Big modules or sections. You replaced individual pieces and you repaired those.

So it gave you critical thinking. Yeah. Inside of that. But this man in a gray flannel suit was, boy, that was the model. You wear a gray flannel suit and you carried a briefcase. And I think that's pretty cool because that was one of my goals. In life was to carry a briefcase. 'cause I saw the folks in town when we were farming and I was going up and down the street learning sales door to door.

Do you want strawberries? Do you want sweet corn? Et cetera. So yeah. For a very introverted farm. Boy, it was a scary experience, but I learned a lot in the process. Another skill I developed didn't appreciate at the time. Yeah. But again, is going on to work. It was all about professionals. It was all about the company and the outcome of the company your job was to fulfill the role and to accomplish the goal no matter what. as long as it was morally correct, again, it was hard work. Get goals, accomplish 'em, et cetera, which came a bit naturally to me. But your whole goal in life was to, were you working towards a retirement fund?

Yeah. When they had fixed retirements that, yeah. Most of your audience do not know about that. Yes. 

Katherine Jeffery: Why don't you would talk about that for just a minute. What did it look like for you? 

David Zerfoss: The retirement, of course if I told folks when we started is I thought I was earning the incredible sum of $7,800 a year.

Incredible amount beyond my comprehension, but with a family and raising a family, I found is there was a need, earn more money in that process, but you really wanted to work hard and you wanted to move up to the next level. but there also was a lot of training programs and development.

Eventually, in one of my roles on the executive growth ladder became a training coordinator and he trained everything at Exxon between the person that actually put gas in your car. And there was somebody else at that time that did that and went, cleaned your windows and swept out your car.

Checked your oil and maybe even your water level or whatever inside of that. but then you also taught people on policies and the equal opportunity acts and all the things that you had to do inside of that. That was that development process that we went through as folks, which often misses for people today the lack of the formalized programs.

There was like the Xerox learning, there were, training and development. Now there wasn't extraordinary benefits, but you were hoping for a couple percent income raise every year or two, couple years. And then, but you were also, working towards. Retirement from day one. That was always held out and especially for our parents coming out of the Depression, which had No safety net. so that was all about, gee whiz, is I gotta go for that golden watching that retirement because it's gonna get stability inside of that. it was contribution. And what did you do? And you served the organization. This wasn't about me manifesting myself inside of this, who was I gonna be, All I knew was I want to do more. And the people that were doing better, we moving up. That seemed to be having more fun. At least it seemed that way.

Katherine Jeffery: But it seemed that way. Yeah. 

David Zerfoss: But that's a different place in time too. And what was that Security net, of course, today? Yeah. It's not much of a security net with inflation, but no.

Katherine Jeffery: It's like good luck to all of us.

Yeah. Yeah. 

David Zerfoss: But it was a different thinking. 

Katherine Jeffery: They didn't have 401k back then, right? That's right. Yes. 

David Zerfoss: Yeah. And and you married your spouse and you stayed and married. They, that was forever and you hoped you got a golden watch and that your kids went to school.

Katherine Jeffery: Yep.

David Zerfoss: That was our big route. We weren't hanging off the side of cliffs taking selfies and traveling the world and and taking a jump year off of, between college graduation. Yeah. You were working. 

Katherine Jeffery: Yeah. It's so back to the farm. When do you remember, your first job on the farm?

How old were you? What did you do? 

David Zerfoss: probably was with my dad and mother inside the work they did, and it was working and my mother and I did. Household would be in the garden or whatever, and probably three or four years old, we were doing something. We were carrying something, maybe pulling weeds or whatever we might be helping, getting hay down for the mouth feeding the cows or whatever.

We started very early. I was in a tractor seed at probably nine years old. And oh boy. I'll tell you what, I'll have to watch who's monitoring this, but I think I was driving on the road at 11. on the country roads. Yeah. but everything around us was country roads. There wasn't anything that looked like a highway practically.

Yeah. But but that was just, a growing up process. So it was working very early. that started routine is, and that you had that responsibility. that's part of the way you earned your income, that your support, so to speak. Yeah. 

Katherine Jeffery: So that, hard work ethic was ingrained in you since you were a toddler basically. 

David Zerfoss: Right.

Yeah. It was a way of life. Yep. That's what you did. the whole thing about the the ant and the grasshopper, there's of parables about the aspect of it is you had to work if you didn't grow a great garden, Or there was a bad growing year for what that happens in farming they're the greatest people in the world is every year is never as good as what they want.

But they keep coming back to plant something the next year. You buy stuff at retail and sell it at wholesale. It doesn't lot of sense in sometimes. Yeah. But what we did In that summer period and harvest season and spring season is how we got through the winter. 'cause my mother was canning.

We were showing pea, showing beans. We were planting, growing potatoes and you name it. The rhubarb it just you grew what and you had to make. You had to grow it. You had to process it, and it was simple processing.

I tell people, they say, I can't have processed food. Everything was processed at least once if you picked it or shel it or did something with it. But that's just a guess. 

Katherine Jeffery: That's true. I never thought about it like that. Yeah, 

David Zerfoss: that's just the way, we learned to do that. So we learned to put up stores for the fall in the winter.

Katherine Jeffery: Yeah. So you were constantly preparing for what was next too.

David Zerfoss: Right? Yeah. Yeah. If you were into the habit called eating. 

Katherine Jeffery: Yeah. How do you think the Traditionalists influenced the workplace overall? 

David Zerfoss: I think there's probably a combination still to this day, there's a bit of a military organization design, and then we'll say that came outta World War II or World War I.

What actually came out the Romans, as we carried over the organizational structure especially and emphasized it from the military, 'cause that's where these leaders were coming out. They were coming back and they saw a new and different world some of it pretty challenging, but at the same token, they saw a different world in their travels and they came back, what the aspiration was we can do anything if we work hard enough. That was where we were at. You, it seemed was a requirement to work smart. 'cause people said you worked smarter or hard. You did both. Uh, Inside that process. But when they say the greatest generation, I believe the greatest generation is yet to come.

But I would call these folks heroes of what they accomplished and what they did with what they had. and even a Warren Buffett has said that carry over from where he is Yeah. He's still living a small ranch house. Nebraska inside of that, he hasn't changed that.

But I think that's what we were as traditionalist. We wanted to accomplish things. Obviously we wanted to be financially successful, but we have a different focus on that than we today. It was to provide assurances for ourself for our family and stuff going forward versus we were setting up trust funds.

Yeah. that was part of our generation and who they were and what they accomplished. 

Katherine Jeffery: Yeah. I love that. And when you think back about your experience in the workplace over all these years, what has surprised you the most you know? What changes have surprised you the most?

And then what has been maybe the most difficult to adjust to for you? 

David Zerfoss: Wow. Those are great questions. It was very create some level of reflection. one of the greatest lessons I learned in that process is critical thinking skills and transformational skills To go to the level that you want to grow, as we talked about, and you were so kind. And I have to say, I do feel a little bit of a giddy up in my step when you talk about we grew by hundreds of millions, which we did, which was in an industry that wasn't growing by the way. So we had to take market share.

And that gets tough. Some industries, they just explode and everybody gains. Because they showed up. You have to do more than show up. the perspective is in transformation, which we live spiritually, but I believe inside of our thinking said we have to become a new being.

To go to the level. When I say that, 'cause you can't think like the former being, you have to move into that yet, you can't go anywhere in the future. And your people can't go any further than where they see the leader standing. And took those lessons. I learned them, I probably refined them but I learned them by randomness at times that I felt was that the potential of our industry was very large.

And when I accepted a role of, president of hus, Marta, professional Products North America we were gonna be a billion dollar organization. and so I learned in the first day that the board might have, puffed up where we were at.

We were actually going backwards from 29 million, and I'm talking about a billion. So the second day I showed up at work and I put a laminated facsimile, I wanna say that, but all the legal, what? What's that, Dave? It is called is, it doesn't look like exactly. A billion dollar bill. I had that laminated and I had that on every cubicle in office.

But I said, that's where we're going. There were probably times that folks were looking for Dave's antigravity boots, but the the or maybe worse inside of it. But I saw that and I believed that, and I knew was I had to. Think and stand in that future to bring them to that future. And that was one of the really critical lessons that I learned is you can be who you believe and want to be and make up your mind.

I listened to these recording Earl Nightingale. It was, you know, you can create whatever you want to be. And I just thought, wow, that's something. I want to be something more, but how do I do that? The Russell Cromwell acres of diamonds, and most of us are tripping over that. and the farmer that had the farm threw himself in desperation in South Africa into the river.

And then there was a company called De Beers bought it. And yeah, they found something, they called diamonds. And that was the the story. I don't know a hundred percent how true that is. And I started thinking that way and believing and speaking into the future, and it was one of the greatest lessons that I've ever learned.

Now you have to be willing to do the hard work. Behind that. But I had that figured out because folks would say, Dave, you know you're a workaholic. I said, man, this is easy compared to the farm. It's all contrast in that aspect. That's right. But that thinking is what really started to say is how could we do this differently better and create and generate.

And I think that's when we're calling mankind to that, I think that's where their greatest being is. I'm just phenomenal in awe of things whether it's ChatGPT, or it's Elon Musk or whoever this is I start thinking, as I tell folks, are we thinking big enough? But what we can accomplish both for society, for people, for industry, for generations to come is going to be how we think.

Not what we think. I think that's an individual's person's prerogative, but I think that was the earliest experiences I started to learn As I started to say this stuff, started to say this stuff, started to do this stuff is what really started to create the the breakthroughs for that.

Then when you talk about is on the flip side is what's my greatest disappointment is when you can't call people forward for the God-given natural gifts that they have and not living up to their potential. I think we're overcharacterizing by, we all want these assessments of who an individual is, and I think we are blessed.

Beyond comparison. There's only gonna be one Dave, and there's only gonna be one Katherine in this world ever. That's exactly who we are. Yep. with that is, uniqueness and it should make us fill with this pride, but also responsibility of what we are going to do with those gifts and uniquenesses that we have.

And and as leaders, we have to call that forward in other people. Our job as a leader is to equip others to create competency and capacity in them for doing meaningful and worthwhile work. another lesson is the power of purpose, vision, mission, and values this does cross over every generation, and I was just delighted to hear our Gen Zs, and the fun, the incredible work that you did is.

They believe in the same thing. We may have a difference in some how we're conversations and how we talk about it and how we get our arms around it. But the thing I have found is regardless of generations and I have worked with. All of them at this point? Yes. All of them from traditional, there was people before us.

Yeah. Yeah. Way before us, Columbus, there was a lot of folks side of this, but the perspective is that all of 'em will rally around purpose. People need three things, purpose, meaning, and direction. I think Simon Sinek has told us that other folks. I believe it, I practice it and it motivates every generation. You just have to learn the conversation and how you share it and call it forth, that's a responsibility for a leader. And without that is we become wondering generalities rather than meaningful specifics. 

Katherine Jeffery: Yes. Oh, I love the way you said that.

That's really good. now good news, everybody is, we're gonna have Dave back on with the Gen Z and they're gonna share, they're gonna share their stories and that's coming up. But Dave, it's like a little taste of that. What do you wish younger generations better understood about your generation?

David Zerfoss: I think it's the. Attributes and the habits and what we did versus just who we are. understanding who we are helps 'em to communicate is, but it's so important for me to share the meaning of how do you deal with adversity? We know one of the characteristics are, is that they're slower in adulting, and it's not because they're incredible. They're genius. I love them. When I say that. But we've done such a job, and I think you said it so well, and I've used your line. I attribute it to you, but we have protected them so much. Physically, we think, and we have just been just totally out of touch of protecting them digitally and what that has occurred in that comparison, that creates this. High level of anxiety and and fear. And we've not talked about purpose and principles and responsibilities.

It's how to protect him. It's the world of it. And I can validate your comments on his parents showing up for interviews as astounding to a traditionalist as I could possibly imagine. By the way. And and showing up for their performance is what we've done is we've stunted their growth inside and we've not called them forth not calling them out, but calling them forth as you so aptly said, for them to learn principles, purpose, meaning, values.

Purpose and how does it manifest itself in the world? what is that contribution each of them can make and those types of conversations that need to be had. Because the worst fear I have for any organization is. When you allow the disease of entitlement in any way, shape, or form into it it can be terminal because there is no such thing as entitlement. I guess you could describe that behavior, but the aspect is bring their together for a for meaningful and worthwhile work. And that is the most important thing that we can do with folks. Maybe there's some additional coaching needed because of the nature of how our society has evolved.

But it's our responsibility as generations that went before, which is the way we feel as Traditionalists is to help them to grow, to be successful. I just had a delightful sharing on Instagram. And of course my wife shared it with me because I don't watch that, that much.

I am aware of it before people think that I'm going out to lunch here, it was, my daughter and her first days on work and she's in China. At a company working on DNA and DNN splicing and stuff. And to see that granddaughter that is now an international is just amazing and I'm so proud of her.

She reaches out for coaching from granddad and grandmother, and so it just. Wow. It warms my heart, but I just see that through all her friends, Now, I think it was too much parting in school and stuff. I am a traditionalist but just to see that what the possibilities in this world is with her genius, her gifts, Like the other Gen Zs in this world, and all the rest of our Millennials are Xers, Baby boomers. Those folks. And and one traditionalist left, but It's exciting to me and I just it keeps that belief of who we are and what our job is to sow the seeds for the future.

my dad was very close to his last year or two in the side of it, he was planting pecan trees and fruit trees and his statement was, he was planning it for the grandkids, and that's what we did. We planted those fruit trees and those nut trees and stuff for future generations would be harvesting.

Yeah. Maybe not the redwoods, but yeah, those are, that was inside of that. But I think that really exemplified what was poured into me as a traditionalist That's what I'll leave. 

Katherine Jeffery: Yeah. That legacy. Such a key part. So if we had a Gen Z on here today with us what is the one thing you would tell them?

one piece of advice as they enter their career?

David Zerfoss: boy, you were asking for, the one thing I think is to have a conversation about the wonderful gifts and stuff that they have received. We all have it just maybe in different categories And with that comes responsibility. with that responsibility, you're gonna have things that work in life. and it's what they said that the whole Mike Tyson thing is a plan's great until you get punched in the mouth. You're gonna get punched in the mouth. guess what is your character's going to be defined by how you get back up.

And there's stuff gonna happen. But if you're going to realize these gifts and that contribution to the world, that you're gonna have to get back up, dust yourself off and just say, this is not going to define me. What's gonna define me is how I go ahead, not what occurred and this stuff is going to happen.

It also is I guess I'm exceeded my one by two now by, but by three is the aspect of it is. We were created to give back. And what are they gonna give back in this process? Not what they're gonna get, but what are they gonna give back? And by the way, is you'll be blessed. even US traditions paint outside the lines of your question. No, that's 

Katherine Jeffery: Great. 'cause I was just thinking that your generation, very much like you, is very. Forward thinking like you're not looking back, right?

You're moving forward and you're not just thinking about your own future, but that legacy that's gonna come after you. And I think that's really beautiful and special. 

David Zerfoss: There's that saying it probably came from a movie, I don't know, but is I do not want to be a legend in my own mind.

Because that's and I think too many people get their ego wise and at 80 I'm still learning. And as I share with our leaders, you're only gonna be relevant if you decide to stay relevant. Yeah. And right now in the marketplace and in the in the world is people are getting disintermediated at a very fast rate because they're not making the choice to be growth minded.

I'm gonna be growth minded. I'm gonna be relevant for every year that I am blessed to be on this earth and I want to be able to pass that gift. You can see some of the. Titles behind me. The Exponential Leadership series. That's all. How do you grow and think exponentially? We got stresses of choice back here.

Inside we got a prayer. Jab Bez up there is we blessed Indeed. Those are the things I want to pass along at each and every, Conversation. Every coaching event, every meeting we have is equipping and increasing folks' capacity and competency to make a larger contribution in the world.

Katherine Jeffery: And I will say. From firsthand knowledge being with Dave's Vistage groups, they are hungry for these golden nuggets every day. And for those of you that can't see Dave, we're on Zoom and he's got his tie on. Yes. And so that's definitely a generational thing too, right? Yeah. 

David Zerfoss: It is. And I do get various comments on it.

Most of 'em are pretty positive, by the way. It 

Katherine Jeffery: It looks great. 

David Zerfoss: I do it to honor the work that I do. I do it to honor the other person I am with. Yep. Now, they might interpret that as stuffy. I try to make this as possible inside of this. you do have to have your trademarks and who and what you are, but it's to honor what I do is to honor the work I do is to honor the other person and be a professional.

I had my annual physical yesterday, which always a great event. But if my doctor comes in a Hawaii and luau shirt, I can tell I'm a little concerned by the way. Now, maybe on a social event. That's okay. 

Katherine Jeffery: That's right. That's right. 

David Zerfoss: But I don't wear it to bed at night 

Katherine Jeffery: No, and I wouldn't say that you feel stuffy in any way. No. You're so personable and sincere. 

David Zerfoss: Yeah. Humility is one of the things you learn in life. 

Katherine Jeffery: Amen. 

David Zerfoss: It humbles you in that process, but I think it also builds character.

Katherine Jeffery: Thank you so much for your time and your stories. Yeah, and the four words that just have surfaced for me is legacy, resiliency, loyalty and hard work, right? Like you stand for those things and you still live by them. You haven't left them in the past. You're bringing them forward and you're passing them on not only to the people that you're impacting in the workplace, but also to your family.

 Your grandkids. And hopefully your great-grandkids. So anything else you wanna add or anything else you wanna put out there? 

David Zerfoss: I just want to encourage people to adopt a growth mindset when you stop leading, you stop growing. And when you stop growing, you stop leading. I would encourage people that leaders or readers.

I would think that they immerse themself. Now, the great part about it's, we know you have books and we have podcasts and recordings and all of those things, but if you're not immersing yourself in growth, you're actually going backwards. I want folks to enjoy a full and complete life and a great contribution to this world, regardless of the generation.

If they're just starting out or they've had a journey, there's always a contribution they can make no matter where they are on that article of their journey in life. when you have purpose, meaning, and direction, it gives you a reason to get up every morning. 

Katherine Jeffery: That is so true. Without vision, the people perish, right?

David Zerfoss: Yeah.

Katherine Jeffery: Thank you Dave. such a pleasure and I can't wait to have you back on. 

David Zerfoss: Keep living and leaning powerfully. 

Katherine Jeffery: This conversation really reminds me of why I started GenShift in the first place because it's easy to make snap judgements across the generations, but when we pause to truly listen, what we uncover is shared values, untapped potential, and new ways forward.

What the Traditionalists are showing us, and hopefully you heard this loud and clear today, that work was once about duty, sacrifice and showing up even when it was hard. And there's wisdom in patience, consistency and humility and honoring the past helps us build a much more thoughtful future. And this isn't just a traditionalist conversation, whether you're Gen Z, Millennial, Gen X, or Boomer, these stories matter.

What's coming up next on GenShift is future episodes will feature voices from every generation, and we'll explore the assumptions we carry and the values that connect us. If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, leave a review and share it with someone who values cross generational connection. This is GenShift. We're generations explore work, life, and leadership.