A lot of recent media focus has been on how Boomers (b. 1943-1960) are facing a more sparse retirement, and Millennials (b. 1982-2001) are facing the start line of their careers.

Missing from many media discussions is the smaller, in-between generation, Gen X (b. 1961-1981). You know them as today's 30 and 40 somethings.

They started their careers in the dream-crushing 1980s when 3.7 million people were "reengineered" out of jobs. They adjusted. With the corporate ladder shattered, Xers became America's first "free agent" generation. They were comfortable with technology, didn't expect corporate safety nets, and didn't need parental supervision.

Gen Xers built Google and Yahoo, got MBAs, started most Young Professionals Organizations, and recently, one of them became America's first black President.

The generation born between 1961 and 1981 are the current and emerging leaders in every single developed country. And yet few people are talking about how Gen Xers will lead in a post Great Recession world. Here's one bet, based on our research of the past eleven years:

Skepticism becomes pragmatism.

Gen Xers were raised to be skeptics. They were warned not to trust "Stranger Danger." They stared at the faces of missing children on milk cartons while gulping down their breakfast cereal. They saw more than half of their friends' parents get divorced, and were warned that there may be razor blades in their trick-or-treat candy.

Unchecked, skepticism becomes cynicism. And many Xers - especially some bloggers and haters - carved niches for themselves in that cynical space.

To be leaders, Xers must channel their ingrained skepticism away from cynicism and towards pragmatism, the ruthless pursuit of what works.  Now, more than ever, we need people who'll look beyond good ideas or traditional D vs. R political agendas and ask, "What works?"

Xers are incredibly well positioned to do just that. They don't buy phony promises. They can smell a shyster from one hundred paces. And they're past the point in their lives where they can afford folly. Gen Xers are becoming parents, homeowners and the next-in-line within their workplaces. They're inheriting a giant economic and environmental shit storm.

They need to find what works, if they're going to lead us out of this recession. Lucky for us, Gen Xers still have enough skin in the game to give a damn, and enough experience to bring some subject matter expertise to the conversation.

Catch up with Rebecca at the Next Leaders Summit in Cincinnati September 17-19th. Learn more here!

There's been a lot of executive hullabaloo recently about offering life-work effectiveness programs to employees.  Even Jack Welch seemed to endorse it at a recent HR fest. 

Since under-forty year olds are twice as likely to rank Life-Work Balance as the most important factor to them at work, let me shine a little light on what it is, and what it isn't:

1. Life-Work Balance benefits are not a "women's initiative." Research we've recently concluded for World at Work, the world's largest association of compensation professionals, shows that life-work balance is more important to BOTH genders when they're first-time parents.  Think about your current workforce.  How many of them are first time parents, or will be one day? That's your target market for life-work balance offerings.

2. Life-Work Balance benefits do not create slackers. Yes, it's possible that some of your lazier employees will abuse your telecommuting policy, but whose fault is that? If you plan smartly - by requiring employees to sign an agreement to codify when they'll be available by phone and email when they're working remotely, for example - you'll increase the odds of getting what you really want from flexible work arrangements: blazing productivity.

3. Life-Work Balance tools like Blackberries and laptops should come with a warning label. The tech itself is not a bad thing, but inappropriate use of it is.  Technology is the great interruptor/distractor at work.  In many ways, it's the enemy of life-work balance. Did you know it takes us between 4 and 15 minutes to get back on track after we've been interrupted at work?  For these tools to be used intelligently, I believe next-gen workers should talk with their coworkers and teams to decide the ground rules on accessibility vs. availability. Here's what I mean:

• Accessibility is unstoppable. We all have each other's contact information and the technology to use it.  This means that each of us is accessible to thousands of people at any moment, should they decide they want to contact us.

• Availability is another matter entirely. I decide for myself when I'm available. If I'm going for a run, I'm not available. If I'm eating dinner with my partner, I'm not available.  It doesn't mean I don't like you, or am not interested in your reason for contacting me. It simply means that I'm not available to you now.

Many American workers confuse accessibility with availability.  We are always accessible, but we don't need to always be available. 

Catch up with Rebecca at the Next Leaders Summit in Cincinnati September 17-19th. Learn more here!

My research team and I recently met with the economic development director of a leading North American city. He's in his 50's, drives a Jaguar, and name-drops more than Oprah. As an example, he managed to get Rick Warren's name into a conversation about rubber bands.

But I digress. This man's mayor does not have a "Kitchen Cabinet" like Mayor Mallory does, which is why he needed our insight. He wanted to know what the next generation values in where they live, and how his city could develop amenities to attract them.

We told him what we knew, and it's what we think Cincinnati should know, too, to become an even stickier place for next-gen talent. Here are the Cliff notes:

- Gen Xers (b. 1961-1981) moved to cities with great after-hours amenities. The Millennials (b. 1982-2001) are choosing cities that are affordable. In fact, our research shows that twenty-somethings are fleeing big cities, and moving to more wallet-friendly places.

- All generations value spending less time in traffic. (If you're spending more than 20 minutes commuting, you're spending more time in the car than most Americans; 19.7 min is the average commute time.)

- Young families with two cars are (or are thinking about) going to one car, especially if the city has amenities like zip car or Community Car.  Yes, Cincinnati needs ZipCar!

The big smack down in the conversation happened when our guest asked about home size and location. He was astonished to learn that the next gen doesn't want - or need - a three car garage in a gated community in a suburb. They're happy with a one car garage attached to a 'big enough' house in the middle of a bustling downtown.

Catch up with Rebecca at the Next Leaders Summit in Cincinnati September 17-19th. Learn more here!