# From the Stage: Cardboard People and Plasma People
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## Article Content
From the stage At a conference of the people who design in-store displays, I went to the cocktail party the night before. On one side of the room, a group was deep in conversation about trends in corrugated cardboard. On the other side were the younger folks. I asked who they were: "well, they're the plasma people." They imagined a store where picking up a product triggers a video on a nearby screen. The two groups barely spoke to each other. "It was the cardboard people, and it was the plasma people." Why it matters Every organization has its cardboard people and its plasma people: deep experience on one side, digital instinct on the other. When they stay on opposite sides of the room, both lose. The experienced side misses where customers are going; the younger side misses what the business has learned the hard way. "What innovative organizations do is they focus on generational collaborative capability." The takeaway Look at your next meeting: are the cardboard people and plasma people in the same conversation? Pair experience with fresh eyes on purpose, through reverse mentoring and mixed teams. Treat generational difference as an asset, not friction. Related: Earlier: Mastering Generational Transformation : Cardboard People, Plasma People (2022) · Retail & Consumer From the Stage is a weekday series of short clips from more than 30 years of keynotes, and the leadership lessons that still matter.

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Source: https://jimcarroll.com/2026/11/from-the-stage-cardboard-people-and-plasma-people/