About Sherri Elliott-Yeary

Sherri Elliott-Yeary is known as the Generational Guru because of her expertise in helping employees and employers bridge the generation gap to work more productively and achieve a competitive advantage in the marketplace. As a Senior Human Resources Professional with over fifteen years of experience, Sherri has seen her share of on the job squabbles. She’s learned from experience what works and what doesn’t in an era where four distinctly different generations must all work together and get along.

Sherri specializes in helping supervisors understand Millennials (a.k.a. Generation Y). Millennials are rapidly becoming an important part of the workforce, but because they are so different than previous generations, conflict frequently occurs. “I hired and fired my own daughter three times,” Sherri says. But then she noticed her daughter wasn’t the only young person who didn’t seem to be motivated and engaged at work. “It dawned on me that the problem wasn’t my daughter. The problem is that no one understands how to properly train and motivate the Millennial generation.” Thus began the transformation of her standard HR consulting practice into something more.

Professional Background

Sherri is the C.E.O. of human resources consulting company Optimance Workforce Strategies , which specializes in helping organizations overcome human resources challenges to unleash the performance potential of people, leaders, and organizations. Because she was seeing so many workplace problems that were directly attributable to generation gaps, she also founded Gen InsYght, a human resources consulting company dedicated to helping clients effectively recruit, retain, and motivate the best talent from each generation. She brings to both businesses a wealth of experience and has served as a trusted advisor and human resources consultant to companies ranging from small startups to large international corporations. Prior to founding Optimance and Gen InsYght, Sherri served as the Vice President of HR & Risk for Snelling Staffing Services. She is a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and holds an Associate designation in Risk Management (ARM).

Ties to Tattoos: Turning Generational Differences into a Competitive Advantage

Sherri’s unique insight into generational problems in the workplace has made her a sought-after speaker and leader in the HR community. Her book, Ties to Tattoos: Turning Generational Differences into a Competitive Advantage explores the differences between all four generations and offers practical strategies and advice for bridging communication gaps, minimizing risk, and promoting harmony within the organization. It also outlines the best ways to attract, retain, and motivate the top talent from each generation. The book is available through Amazon.com in print and on Kindle.

Awards and Community Involvement

Sherri and Mason Yeary Sherri’s innovative consulting techniques and business savvy earned her a nomination for The Dallas Business Journal’s Women in Business Changemaker Award in 2009. She is extensively involved in her community, where she serves on the board of the Richardson Regional Medical Foundation, the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce, and the Lance Armstrong Foundation. She is also a member of C.E.O. Netweavers and is an active mentor in the community. When she’s not working, she enjoys spending time with her husband Mason. Mason and Sherri are both board members of The Bridge, an organization that facilitates access to health care for low income breast cancer patients. They are both avid cyclists and world travelers.