MD: Genesis Corporate Solutions
There is currently a video doing the rounds on Facebook which focuses on the benefits of having a strong mentor. The video begins with a young surfer struggling to ride what is seemingly a powerful wave. His coach/teacher appears next to him, kneeling on his board, riding the same wave. He helps the kid with his posture, and the kid successfully rides the wave onto the shore.
While this is an example of the best kind of mentorship, there are cases where mentors are not building future leaders. I recently read an article on Forbes that points out that while businesses think they are doing well in this sense, they are not.
Massive discrepancies
The Forbes article points out that a recent study by GE showed that while 90% of C-suite executives say their company supports the development of strong leaders, just 68% of entry-level Gen Z employees feel the same way. This divergence of views results in missed golden opportunities to develop a workforce that truly upholds a leadership mindset at every level. While Gen Z has been the unfortunate target of the conception that they are generally lazy—which is not upheld by current, accurate data, they lack adequate support from employers to develop qualities that will enable them to succeed in their careers and thrive into more senior positions.
A survey conducted by Handshake revealed that 67% of Gen Z agree that one of their key priorities when searching for a job is career growth and professional development, second to compensation. A key aspect of this professional development for young employees is that of a leadership mindset, which consists of key qualities such as the maturity to face challenges and risks head-on, a continuous growth mindset, critical thinking, decisiveness, and moving with a sense of purpose and a strong goal structure.
How can both employers and Gen Z entry-level employees cultivate this strong leadership mindset at the entry-level?
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The Forbes article points out that Laura Cococcia, Head of Global HR Strategy, Talent, and Culture at GE, highlights that differences between Gen Z’s and the C-suite’s views afford an opportunity for learning and continuous improvement. “Specific to leadership mindset, these differences can help highlight how organisations may need to strengthen communications strategies in support of employee engagement goals,” Cococcia explains. “In addition, ensuring leaders are aware of and responding to employee feedback helps address differences, and promotes understanding, ensuring stronger alignment among leaders and employees while fostering a leadership mindset.”
Leaders lead by example
The Forbes article adds that one aspect of developing a leadership mindset from the employer’s angle is leading by example, which at its core, is about behaviours. “This means ensuring an organisation is not only describing its leadership mindset but reinforcing it through the actions of its leaders. Depending on an organisation’s culture, this could also mean integrating the leadership mindset and related behaviours into a leader’s goals,” Cococcia says.
Beyond the leaders themselves, Gen Z entry-level employees can choose to selectively model behaviours from employees who have been in the business for longer or in the industry for longer. They can seek mentors and coaches and expand their network to understand what a healthy example should look like. Gen Z can model these behaviours throughout their work, thus increasing their likelihood of exposure to new opportunities to advance their career. For example, choosing to model the behaviour of excellence, even as an intern or associate, will ensure that consistently high-quality work is produced and that you become noticed as a high performer.
Leaders training
Cococcia continues, “The second aspect is that leaders need to invest in meaningful leadership training and development that is tied to a company’s strategy. This is a very visible way to demonstrate an organisation’s commitment to its teams and their continued development as leaders. Eighty percent of entry-level employees agree that leadership training is a meaningful benefit.”
The Forbes article points out that this is backed by data from the same Handshake study that showed that one in five Gen Z employees would stay at an employer that offers upskilling and training opportunities, thus improving retention rates.
Unfortunately, this is not the current reality. The vast majority of the leadership training budget is dispensed on managers and senior leaders. But what if leadership skills training was provided to those at the entry-level? Imagine what a significant boost this would bring to the business as a whole.
The article adds that if this is not currently being provided, Gen Z can still proactively seek to enrol in short courses and distance learning that develop their leadership skills and teach them how to apply these traits in practical workplace settings.
Image By: Alejandro Escamilla via Unsplash
Two-way feedback
“A third thing employers can do is encourage a culture of constructive two-way feedback that allows employees to contribute to improvements, facilitating open dialogue,” explains Cococcia. “All of these are important as organisations think about fostering a leadership mindset in the context of the next generation of leaders.”
The article points out that Gen Z can initiate this honest feedback conversation with their managers, proposing suggestions and vocalising their ideas in a creative, solution-oriented way. Proposing smart workarounds for a slim talent development budget, for example, can ensure entry-level and senior leaders work together harmoniously to improve their mutual workforce.
A leadership mindset is highly prized by both employers and Gen Z, but for it to be effectively demonstrated in actual day-to-day behaviours, senior leaders must work collaboratively with their less-experienced employees to enable these qualities to shine through. Through both parties leading by example, encouraging mutual feedback, and participating in training, a leadership mindset can be fully adopted, and the skills gap between entry and senior levels is closed.
Local importance
Why is this important within the South African context?
The future World of Work is becoming increasingly tech-based and will need young, tech-savvy leaders to drive value within companies. This is one way in which Government hopes to diversify the South African economy. Noticing this, Many of South Africa’s top CEOs have committed to helping fast-track economic growth.
However, if we fall short of the benchmarks outlined in the Forbes article, what will our economy look like in 10 years?
