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Leading Across Generations: A Review of

5-Gen Leadership: Leading 5 Generations in

Schools in the 2020s

By Amie Cieminski

The author reviews a book that explains the similarities and differences among the generations
and how leaders can address the needs of distinct generations in their organizations. Although
the book has school examples and is geared toward school principals, the reviewer believes it
offers insight and practical advice to leaders in multigenerational organizations.

White, M. (2022). 5-Gen Leadership: Leading 5 Generations in Schools in the
2020s. Corwin Press. 175 pages. ISBN 978-1-0718-3702-3.
any may have looked at someone from an older or younger generation and
Mwonderd why? Why are young people always on their phones? Why do
some people insist on printing copies and meeting face-to-face? Why are people
less interested in spending their entire career in one field? Why are fewer people
joining organizations and more people joining social media? Similarly, some may
be confused by terms like Gen X, Baby Boomers, or Millennials and wondered what
these concepts mean for one’s life and work. Mark White’s book, 5-Gen Leadership:
Leading 5 Generations in Schools in the 2020s, may provide some insight relating to
understanding and leading people of different generations.
White has served in many roles in education, including band director, English
teacher, principal, and superintendent. As superintendent of Gahanna-Jefferson Public
Schools in Ohio, he was recognized for his leadership in academic achievement,
financial stability, and the implementation of 21st-century
skills and technology into the curriculum. Now he serves
as a school leadership consultant and spends time in
schools around the United States and the world, working
with leaders on educational reforms.
White’s book on 5-Gen leadership is an in-depth follow-
up about generational differences that builds on ideas in
his previous book with Dwight Carter, Leading Schools
in Disruptive Times: How to Survive Hyper-Change. In
that book, White and Carter (2021), who worked together
as school administrators in Gahanna, Ohio, explained
that the pace of change in schools is accelerating. They
pinpointed seven disruptions that school leaders must
navigate and adapt to, including student and staff safety,
diversity, technology, educational reforms, generational
differences, global readiness, and transparency. They
provided numerous examples of leaders who have used
disruptions as reform mechanisms by coping with the
immediate disruption, adjusting school practices and
procedures, and transforming their organizations to be

Educators’ Choice 49