I remember speaking at a national conference on the subject of Leadership for 21st Century. The major point of my presentation was the need to shift from a positional leadership model to a participative one.
The feedback after both of my sessions confirmed everything I have been reading and experiencing on this subject. The consensus is there is very little honest and clear communication taking place between key leaders and their teams on an ongoing basis.
The challenge for most corporations today is that the majority of senior management positions are filled by baby boomer age leaders who know primarily a positional leadership model. They were trained that way academically and that is the only system that has been a part of their entire career.
The new workforce is made up of Generation X and Millennial employees that have an entirely different world view that impacts how they view their career and life in general. They are highly motivated and want to be a part of an interactive team where they can actively participate in the process of leadership.
If we do not provide the critical situational leadership skills that both new generations need then we are creating unnecessarily a leadership cultural war that can destroy morale and diminish productivity. The result of any lack of relevant training is that the older generation think the younger ones are too aggressive and the younger ones are convinced that the old guard will simply not let go and delegate.
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