Their principal loyalty is not to the organisation, rather to their careers and a good manager. The absence of strong leadership and a good manager is the number one reason many leave organisations. When challenged on what good leadership means, Generation X say “Leaders who do what they say they will do”; with Generation Y who are impatient by nature, extending this to include “ … when they say they will do it!”

In a research report on Generation Y (which covered participants from more than 50 different cultural backgrounds), titled “the Who What When and Y of Generation whY”, over 75% of the Generation Y survey participants identified the most important characteristics of effective leadership, in order of importance to them, as:

• An ability to inspire and motivate people
• Being a good listener
• Creating a positive work environment
• Leading by example

The other leadership characteristics which they rated highly are:

• Valuing teamwork
• An ability to manage change
• Good values
• Demonstrate self leadership
• An appetite for learning and developing others
• Giving regular, constructive feedback and mentoring
  

Based on the fact that many Generation Y employees have not been in the workplace that long, and that they have different expectations of the workplace and their managers, the participants were asked to think about the best team leader or manager they had worked for, and what it was that made them such a good manager. Overwhelmingly, the majority of the participants said that what made them the best team leader or manager was his/her ability to listen to staff. This was closely followed by managers who treat all people with respect and as equals, and do not regard themselves as “superior” to the people who they were responsible for managing.

Included in the top five characteristics for a good manager, together with the two identified above, were managers who give regular, constructive feedback; explained things, answered questions and coached staff; and were encouraging and supportive. These young workers identified a total of 14 characteristics of a good manager from their perspective. Ironically many of these characteristics are not seen as important as technical expertise, experience and tertiary qualifications by the two older generations who make up the majority of the senior management positions in the public and private sector, in many developed countries around the world.

This strong desire by employees for good leadership is further supported by the Best Employers surveys conducted by Hewitt Associates in Europe, the USA, Australia and Asian countries over the last 7 years, which has identified the number one factor (setting such organisations apart from all others), as strong leadership and a commitment to the people inside the organisation.

Currently the majority of board positions, senior and executive positions in many countries are occupied by Veterans (born prior to 1946) and Baby Boomers (born 1946 – 1964), who have a different understanding of the key motivators of the two younger generations.

In broad terms, many leaders fail in the following key areas:

• Managing poor performance in the workplace
• Giving regular, constructive feedback
• Are poor listeners
• Exhibit command and control leadership styles.
  

Many older, traditional managers and leaders do not like giving feedback, but are even more uncomfortable receiving feedback on their own performance from their subordinates. They do not like giving feedback on poor performance because it “upsets people”. Studies on management styles have found in certain cultures leaders have an “avoidance leadership” style. This is characterised by fear of engagement, withdrawal from taking responsibility and a preference to defer decision making. At the other end of the feedback scale, we find leaders promoting the “tall poppy syndrome”; that is “we can’t tell people when they are doing a good job, otherwise they might get overly confident ’’. So employees are left with no feedback at all! This is unacceptable to Generations X and Y, who not only expect feedback, but will demand it. They want to know when they are doing well so they can continue to do it. They also want to know when they are not doing well, what they need to do to improve and what their leader or manager is willing to do to help them improve. Together with leadership and challenging work, regular, constructive feedback is one of the top three motivators for both Generations X and Y at work.

The Hewitt Associates Best Employers surveys found that leaders in those organisations are strong communicators who are good listeners, and are open and honest in their communication style. One of the most valuable leadership lessons I learnt was from my maternal grandmother who told me when I became school captain that it was important to listen, and that it was a skill I would need to learn to be effective in my first leadership role. She said: “God gave us two ears and one mouth because He expected us to listen more than He expected us to speak!” - a simple but powerful lesson. One can learn a lot more about our people and our workplaces by listening more and talking less, by observing in silence and listening with our ears, eyes and hearts. One of the qualities of highly effective leaders is that they don’t believe that they have all the answers themselves. They recognise that the answers to many workplace issues may be found within the organisation and often at levels below management. They ask questions of employees at all levels, and then willingly listen to their contributions. This earns respect for the leader, but simultaneously demonstrates respect by the leader for the employees. In order to engage the employees, the leader must help them understand “why” they must follow, rather than assume they will follow. Leaders need to be more open to challenges and questions from employees across the organisation and at all levels.

In order to move towards a more collaborative and inclusive leadership style, leaders need to focus on:

• Learning how to give and receive constructive feedback about both good and poor performance
• Building learning cultures within the organisation, enabling the development of the management and leadership skills of all employees responsible for leading and managing others
• Creating positive work environments, where employees are encouraged to be the best they can be
• Adopting more inclusive approaches to problem solving by seeking input from employees, where possible
• Moving from command and control leadership to more collaborative, inclusive leadership.
  

In the late 1990s two forward thinking men, David Clancy and Robert Webber, wrote a book titled “Roses and Rust” which was about redefining the essence of leadership in a new age, challenging “traditional” assumptions about organisations, management and about “our most valued resource” in business, people. What resonated most with me was their description of people who would challenge the status quo in organisations, who they referred to as “Pioneers of Hope”. These people work tirelessly to re-establish hope and create positive work environments to ensure work has meaning for people, and so that we can create a bright working future for generations to come. They are determined to walk the path of the “unsayables” and hold up mirrors within their organisations or those of their clients, so that organisations can grow and move forward ethically. It is people such as these that truly inspire others to be the best they can be, and show others the way things could be in the future rather than just how they are at present. This is what Generations X and Y are looking for in their leaders, people who are ethical, honest, trustworthy and courageous, who want to create a better work environment for the present and the future.

In order for a leader to be truly credible, he or she needs to lead by example exhibiting appropriate behaviours in their own lives. In the words of Father Chris Riley, CEO of Youth Off The Streets ( a charity committed to improving the lives of young people living on the streets):

“Leading by example is how leaders make vision and values tangible. It is how they provide evidence that they’re personally committed. And that evidence is what people look for and admire in leaders – people whose direction they willingly follow.”

Acknowledgements

Clancy D and Webber R (1997), Roses and Rust, Business and Professional Publishing, Warriewood NSW Australia
Drucker Foundation (The) (1996), The Leader of the Future, Jossey Bass Publishers, San Francisco, USA
Henry A (2005), Leadership Revelations An Australian Perspective, CCH, Sydney, Australia
Henry A (2006), The Who, What, When and Y of Generation whY?, AH Revelations, Sydney, Australia