3-5 Page Executive Summary and PowerPoint.

As Baby Boomers move into retirement age, organizations may be facing talent and knowledge gaps in the workforce. Generation X (~1965 to 1979) and Generation Y (1980 -2000) are the leaders of the future, and their idea of how leadership should operate is different than the way many organizations are structured today (Penney, 2011).

Leaders who operate as a team player and are able to empower their employees in decision making to achieve organizational goals are critical to the new environment of constant change (Guillen & Florent-Treacy, 2011). Traits that support a more synergistic approach to leadership will appeal to all generational levels. Top down hierarchy holds back the innovation and empowerment that appeals to Boomers, Gen X and Gen Y alike (Andert, 2011).

Research shows that Generation X leans toward a flatter organizational structure. Leadership should be shared and will come from where ever the individual is in the organization; front line, individual contributor, team member or declared project leader (Penney, 2011). Other behaviors that they feel are important to good leadership are collaboration, especially with the growing remote worker opportunities; and the ability to effectively work in teams.

The Gen Y or Millennial workforce views a leader as someone who mentors or coaches instead of dictating (Pollack, 2014). Like Gen X, this group values collaboration but also wants to work in an environment that is less competitive (Asghar, 2014). This generation has a driving need to be part of an organization that makes a difference and be able to articulate their contribution to the cause. Leaders need to shift to a style that allows for questioning the status quo, frequent feedback, and provide the opportunity to work independently in an unstructured environment (Asghar, 2014).

Leaders need to understand the different communication preferences of the multi-generational workforce. While Baby Boomers will build on relationships in communications and use meetings to convey information, Gen X tends to lean toward short, brief communications by voicemail or email and are very conscious of not wasting other’s time (Lakmal, 2014). Millennials are heavy users of technology; email, text, instant messaging and all forms of social media. Helping the associate polish written and verbal communication skills is one area where the leader can provide feedback for improvement. Networking is a priority and the ability to receive frequent feedback on their performance and ideas is an aspect that the leader will need to consider (Lakmal, 2014).

References

Andert, D. (2011). Alternating leadership as a proactive organizational intervention: addressing the needs of the baby boomers, generation xers and millennials. Journal Of Leadership, Accountability & Ethics, 8(4), 67-83.

Asghar, R. (2014, January 13). What millennials want in the workplace (And why you should start giving it to them). Forbes, online. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/robasghar/2014/01/13/what-millennials-want-in-the-workplace-and-why-you-should-start-giving-it-to-them/

Guillen, Laura and Florent-Treacy, Elizabeth, Emotional Intelligence and Leadership Effectiveness: The Mediating Influence of Collaborative Behaviors (February 11, 2011). INSEAD Working Paper No. 2011/23/IGLC. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1759991 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1759991

Lakmal, Darshana, Managing the Challenge of Generational Diversity in the Workplace (February 4, 2014). Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2390574 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2390574

Penney, S. H. (2011). Voices of the future: Leadership for the 21st century. Journal of Leadership Studies, 5(3), 55-62. doi:10.1002/jls.20233

Pollack, L. (2014). Millennials; tomorrow's leaders today. Retrieved from The Hartford.com: http://www.thehartford.com/dm/tomorrow/pdf/white_paper_leadership.pdf