Confident Leadership in 21st Century Business: Bridging the Generation Gaps

Modern business demands that leaders understand how to motivate, how to lead through involvement, and how to encourage and reward innovative thinking. Given that today’s workforce is comprised of 4 very different generations, each with their own motivational forces at work, a variety of workplace needs, and very demanding workplace expectations, that is no small request. Business leaders of the 21st century understand that each of the generations in today’s workforce is motivated by different values. They must know how to tap into the strengths of each of the groups, they must address their responsibility to mentor and create new leaders, and they must bridge the gaps between the generations so the entire group can work together as a successful, cohesive unit. Have the fundamental rules of leadership changed with the generations? Yes, and no, but regardless of the generation, regardless of the situation, and regardless of the preferred method of leadership, the same governing tenet still prevails: everyone wants to feel included, have their ideas acknowledged, feel appreciated, and work in a company that agrees with most of their fundamental values. Values are an integral part of situation, and understanding them is a vital part of the solution. Given the massive change in values over the last 4 generations it is no wonder that the generation gaps are causing very tangled and chaotic misunderstandings. Global realignment of values is causing tremendous upheaval and necessitating the reconsideration of the norms of leadership. Today’s employees are brilliant, technically savvy, and essential to move businesses from here to there, and they are demanding to be heard. Where employees of bygone days were content to fulfill the expectations of their position without question, and were expected to start at the bottom and work their way up the corporate ladder, today’s younger generation will have none of that. For better or for worse, the commonly accepted hierarchy of business organization is being questioned in favor of a more circular system of leadership. Leaders are discovering that the pyramid of power is no longer palatable to the workforce. What has precipitated these changing attitudes, and more importantly, how can leaders provide environments that cater to the needs of all their people? Each generation has unique limitations and undeniable brilliance, the question being: How can leaders today excite and motivate each board member, employee, and stakeholder to create and share their own brand of brilliance for the betterment of themselves, the company, and the community? Confident Leadership in 21st Century Business: Bridging the Generation Gaps provides information, shares others’ points of view, expresses opinions, and offers suggestions for rectifying the misunderstandings between the generations in today’s workforce. Once leaders understand the reasons for the differences, and how those reasons affect workplace expectations, they can begin to fulfill the needs of individuals so that desired outcomes may be reached more easily and expeditiously.