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Nine Keys to Leading the Workforce of the Future

Wednesday, October 27, 2010 - by Frances Hesselbein

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My passionate belief has been, and is today, that leadership is a matter of how to be, not how to do. Yet it is what leaders do - not what leaders are - that others see and judge. So what can a leader do?

Define a clear vision that has its foundation in the organization's values.
Give regular feedback.
Provide meaningful work.
Recognize the importance of teamwork and inclusion.
Provide opportunities to lead sooner.
Balance communication methods.
Inspire commitment and keep millennials engaged.
Make work enjoyable.
Find ways for millennials to serve society.

These nine keys are critical for leaders to meet the challenges and provide opportunities for the workforce of the future, which includes staff from four generational groups - traditionalists, baby boomers, Generation X, and millennials. Because most leaders have figured out how to work with earlier generations, these keys focus mostly on emerging leaders, the leaders of the future.

Define a clear vision with its foundation in the organization's values

Most leaders are far more comfortable with defining, executing, and measuring today's efforts than grappling with tomorrow's needs. Too often, the vision is a mere projection of more of today than of something truly different for tomorrow. This lack of prospecting has caused some leading organizations to decline over the past few years. Leaders plan strategically, taking into account all the possibilities. Start with a solid set of values that lend integrity to the vision, and define a vision that will inspire all your people.

Give regular feedback

Leaders can't provide too much feedback. And it does need to be provided often. It must be honest and candid. The workforce of the future has a constant need for feedback, and this provides them with the inspiration and motivation for growth and development. Praise, acknowledgment, and recognition, along with course correction and suggestions for other options, are part of the feedback people need and desire.

Provide meaningful work

The members of the workforce of the future grew up in a fast-moving world. They have their fingers on the pulse of changing technology. They multitask and enjoy a challenge. They need projects that utilize their knowledge and skills and that connect with their philosophical and deeper interests. They contact people around the world and depend on the Internet to deliver vast amounts of data about any topic. They are interested in learning and developing in their jobs, and moving into new and challenging opportunities. They will leave when they think a job has become meaningless or that they are no longer learning and growing.

Recognize the importance of teamwork and inclusion

The millennial generation is considered the most open generation of all. For them, inclusion and diversity are a way of life, and they see themselves as part of a global community to which everyone belongs. They want to be connected with teams at work and with customers. They are good at leveraging the efforts of others to achieve results and at sharing rewards. If they are new to the workforce, it is important that leaders encourage them to become involved in teams where their contribution will be recognized and valued.

Provide opportunities to lead sooner

Providing opportunities to lead sooner is one thing the U.S. military does very well. For example, Warren Bennis was only 19 years of age when he led his first U.S. Army platoon in World War II in Germany. This experience showed him how critical it was to rely on his platoon members. Thrust into the situation, he learned that he needed to trust his team to help him be their leader. Look for projects and assignments where millennials have a chance to lead.

Balance communication methods

Text messaging is a main communication vehicle for millennials. Instant messages can take the place of phone calls, and email can take the place of face-to-face visits. Because person-to- person conversation may be a struggle, leaders must create opportunities for millennials to develop their networking and speaking skills. And when leaders listen intently to the staff they are guiding, the benefits are immeasurable. They learn about the staff's needs and expertise, can identify better ways to work, and in so doing demonstrate that they care about the staff and their ideas. This helps build trust.

Inspire commitment and keeping millennials engaged

Ensure that millennials have reasons to continue with your organization. They will stay longer when they know the organization is invested in their careers and leadership development. Promoting from within signals that the organization values developing its own people. Ensure that leaders are open and accessible to millennials. This helps younger workers see how they are part of the organization. They value authenticity and transparency, which keep them engaged.

Make work enjoyable

Find ways to have fun in the workplace. This is not a new concept, but the people entering the workforce today take it to new levels. They look for excuses to celebrate. They expect to find fun and excitement along the way, in the doing, along with positive relationships and inclusion.

Find ways for millennials to serve society

For millennials, being true to themselves equates with being personally and socially responsible. They advocate reducing, reusing, recycling, repurposing, rescuing, and remembering. So enable them to reduce their carbon footprint; reuse wrapping paper, clothes, and goods that are no longer useful to others; recycle paper, plastic, and aluminum cans; repurpose everything from pill bottles to entire rooms; rescue cats and dogs from shelters; and remember those around the world who need support and concern. Leaders must find ways to support this deeply felt need to help others. This is the generation for whom "to serve is to live."

Reference

Hesselbein on Leadership, by Frances Hesselbein, Jossey-Bass, 2002

Note: This article is excerpted from Chapter 24, "Leading the Workforce of the Future," of The ASTD Leadership Handbook, edited by Elaine Biech.

Frances Hesselbein is chairman of the board of governors at the Leader to Leader Institute and editor-in-chief of Leader to Leader. She was a founding president and CEO of the Institute, previously known as the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management, from 1990 to 1998. Before that, she served as the CEO of Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. from 1976 to 1990. She currently sits on a variety of nonprofit and private sector corporate boards and has co-edited a selection of books, the most recent of which is The Organization of the Future 2. She is also a recipient of the United States' highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.