Next Generation Leadership

Employers who refuse to adapt to the expectations of younger generations are losing out on top talent, as they leave for positions at companies with more modern practices. Learn what companies need to do to fit into the new normal in the workplace.

Generation Y sees the world differently than any other generation in modern memory. And nowhere is this more evident than in the workplace. The astronomical shifts that this generation has seen in the economy, technology, and the world have changed what they want from life and work--which is not a 9-5 existence for forty-plus years, leading to a typical retirement at sixty-five. What older generations call a poor work ethic from a spoiled generation, Gen Y sees as a different way of doing things. Companies that don't get on board risk losing the diverse, young talent that is critical for them to be able to compete.

Companies that take the time to listen realize that what Gen Y is asking for isn't that crazy; in fact, it's better in many ways.

• A demand for work-life balance isn't a cry for fewer work hours--it's a cry to be able to work from outside the office beyond a rigid 9-5 schedule (which can lead, ironically, to Gen Y employees working even more hours than you expected).
• Leaving a job after a couple years isn't an inability to commit--it's a need to learn more, expand their experience, and develop their career at a faster pace, something that is helpful to companies that hire those individuals, including your own.
• Elevating nontraditional benefits over financial benefits is a step toward creating an emotional connection to the company where employees spend the majority of their time and invest significant mental and emotional efforts.
• The need to work for a company with a purpose is a reflection of the power that social media has had on the social consciousness.

This book will explore what's behind these shifts in the character of the emerging workforce. It shows that, as Gen Y assumes managerial positions, the nature of leadership and business will change over the next few decades in irrevocable and profound ways.