The skill of connecting has been made easier thanks to social media avenues like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and the like. The theory of “six degrees of separation” was first reported in 1929 by the Hungarian writer Frigyes Karinthy in a short story called Chains. The idea that everyone and everything is only six steps away from making a connection to each other was even developed into a game called Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon—with the concept that any actor could be tied to Kevin Bacon using less than six movie connections.

Recently, the basic “six degrees” concept has been confirmed by many professors and Facebook gurus. However, it’s been found that what used to be six degrees away is now somewhere between 3 to 4 degrees away…and in our global society, that number is quickly diminishing. Regardless of the exact number today, the point remains that social media has made us more connected as a professional and global society. While many Baby Boomers finally made their way to Facebook in the last 3-4 years, 89 percent of 18-29 year olds use social media as a way of life. As a result, the Millennial Generation is growing up with a particular skill of connecting.

Those of us with kids, or anyone observing the new generation, realize that the way they communicate and connect with the world around them is inexorably linked to social media. When young adults meet new friends, they immediately start to make connections and build “communities” via texting, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. Whether it’s a Facebook page for incoming college freshmen or one for a specific high school club, Millennials have learned to build small social media groups so they can all stay connected. It’s fascinating how easily they move to establishing and building relationships at the digital level—because that’s the way they’ve learned to communicate.

Baby Boomers in the business world have also changed their ways of networking and communication over the years. While I’m not as social media-savvy as my kids, I find myself using my business cards less and less these days, and instead finding ways to “link in” with new associates or colleagues. In most cases, I’ll look up a person on LinkedIn rather than searching through an endless collection of cards. The business card, like many of the “old ways,” is dying a slow death as we develop our skill of connecting in a new way.

The young adults of today are the WOW leaders of tomorrow. And while they’re learning the power of connecting and networking at a very early age, they need to master turning that skill of connecting into business or career opportunities. They often fail to understand the professional opportunities that can be gained—but also the pitfalls that can occur—when using networks like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Instagram. Of course, the antithesis is also true. Professionals today understand that “networking” is critical to building a career and becoming a WOW leader, but they need help becoming comfortable with the new 21^st century communication platforms.

Whether you’re a Baby Boomer or a Millennial, it’s important to keep building and improving upon your skill of connecting. If you’re a Boomer, it’s time to accept that social media is not going away! To keep up, you’ll need to strategically determine your own comfort level as well as “how” you want to engage or connect using current social media outlets. You’ll also need to prepare for the new mediums popping up on a daily basis. While it may seem like an overwhelming and daunting task, improving your skill of connecting and networking is quite valuable. The degree to which you engage needs to match your goals and objectives and be used as a tool. You decide the level of engagement you want to have. But keep in mind—you must embrace technology and social media platforms to keep moving with the times.

Conversely, while Millennials don’t have problems making those social media connections, they lack the know-how to leverage those connections and hit the “bleep button” on their social sharing. If you’re a Millennial, you’ll need to begin understanding how your personal profiles have professional impacts. Often, this reality is learned the hard way—with embarrassing or politically charged statements, photos, or associations eventually coming back to haunt you. As a media-savvy individual, be sure you’re using that media responsibly and mindfully.

Since Baby Boomers and Millennials have varied skill sets, shared mentoring can be a valuable tool for both groups. For Baby Boomers, keeping up with fast-moving technologies can be scary—even for the most skilled WOW individual. But continued learning is essential for all WOWs. You must choose to use social media as your platform for connecting and learn how to best utilize that skill of connecting. You must continue to evolve and learn new skills even though it can be frustrating and overwhelming. That’s where the younger generation can help. If you don’t have a young adult at home—perhaps you can borrow one! It can be very enlightening to observe how they approach the world of connecting and how easily they master the technologies. Ask a young person to show you the finer points of Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. Have them explain what a hashtag is and what it does. Watch them use the technology. Learn to become familiar and comfortable in their world—and then apply it your own.

In much the same way that Millennials have mastered the art of connecting in a social manner, Baby Boomers in the business world know how to network on a professional level. Boomers can teach Millennials how to build a LinkedIn page, and explain why those types of professional connections are important. Encourage them to start a LinkedIn page in college, before they graduate—not after. Once they’re looking for a job in the business world, it’s too late to start the networking process. They want to have a professional network begun and active before they leave school.

Whether you’re from the Boomer generation or in the Millennial group, you have specific skill sets that can help the opposing generation improve their skill of connecting. Tomorrow’s WOW leaders must think about their future and make sure the impact they have today is positive, while current WOW leaders need to keep growing and help engage the next generation. Through shared mentoring and a desire to keep learning and growing, we can keep bridging the gap between the generations and keep reducing those six degrees of separation.

–Sheri Staak