We’re at an interesting place in our country’s generational gap.
The large Baby Boomer generation is flowing out of the workplace daily while the largest generation, Millennials, are ascendant. However, before we turn the leadership keys over to the Millennials, there is a generation with something to say…Gen X.
Gen X now accounts for 51% of leadership roles globally according to this CNBC article. In fact:
With an average of 20 years of workplace experience, they (Gen X) are primed to quickly assume nearly all top executive roles.
Now isn’t that interesting? The forgotten generation will be in charge so what does that mean for everyone? Here are some highlights from the article:
…Gen X is the most connected generation. Nielsen found that Gen Xers use social media 40 minutes more each week than millennials. They were also more likely than millennials to stay on their phones at the dinner table and spend more time on every type of device — phone, computer, or tablet. And, as it turns out, Gen X is bringing this connectivity to work.
…they also show a mastery of conventional leadership skills more on par with leaders of the baby boomer generation. That includes identifying and developing new talent at their organizations and driving the execution of business strategies to bring new ideas to reality.
And the one that I think is the pièces de résistance:
Gen X leaders’ strength for working with and through others is enabling them to shape the future of work and generate faster innovation by getting people working together to solve customers’ and their organization’s issues.
The ability to leverage people while increasing reactionary speed is going to be the hallmark of successful leadership in this rapidly disruptive work world. Markets are moving fast, new technology is disruptive and employees are focused on personal development over loyalty. This trifecta plays directly into the strengths of the Gen X leaders.
The finer point to this topic is understanding what type of a leader the person will be. How will they communicate? What drives their decision making? What are their natural leadership aptitudes? These topics, whether dealing with Gen X or any generation, are crucial to understanding their leadership style.
We can help by providing a detailed report on your leaders’ attributes.