If you’re in the Baby Boomer generation about to retire or already retired, congratulations! But this article is not for you. As the Baby Boomers retire they are taking with them critical leadership skills that the younger generations just don’t have. There are several reasons for this. First, the same skills set that worked for the Baby Boomers isn’t going to work for the newer generations. Second, no one is focusing on developing those skills that WILL lead to successful leadership in the future.
Right now Corporate America is facing the largest leadership gap in history. There are several common complaints coming out of this issue. The new generation of the workforce lacks:
- Collaboration
- Relationship Building
- Risk Taking
- Teamwork
- Effective Communication
- Strategic Thinking
Even though the problem has been identified, many don’t know where to start in solving it. In the education system the newer skills of social and emotional intelligence are not being developed or emphasized. Parents also don’t value these skills because they were not even on the radar when they were growing up. The responsibility for developing these skills in the future leaders of America falls on businesses.
Catalyst level leaders can be identified and developed. These are the members of the workforce who:
- Can learn from their mistakes
- Can navigate change
- Can see other perspectives
- Can persevere in hard times
- Can build relationships with others
- Will welcome mavericks into the mix
- Have demonstrated a strong work ethic
- Sought out work they are passionate about
- Are willing to share knowledge with others
- Want to have a positive impact on the world
Currently over half of the leaders in corporations are stuck at high school level leadership skills, while more than a third will never exceed college-level leadership skills. These are the skills that are necessary for leaders to think outside the box, effectively manage change, and think strategically. It takes good leaders to produce a successful organization, and those leaders will never be developed if no one takes the time to identify and train them.
It is believed that only 10% of those in the workforce possess all the necessarily skills to become catalyst level leaders, so it’s crucial to identify and develop them early. Without these leaders corporations are doomed to fail. Something has to be done before the Baby Boomers are gone completely from the workforce forever. Learn more about developing the next generation of leaders from this infographic!
Please include attribution to genesaleadership.com with this graphic.
Author: NowSourcing is an award-winning nationally recognized infographic design agency. Founded in 2005, NowSourcing has strong roots in the human and technical nuances of the web.
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