The next generation of LEADERS!

 What do they look like, how do they perform? 

For well over 20 years now I have been learning from great leaders, I have worked with some incredible people and have had the privilege to learn about University ion the care to have a continued education. I have had some wonderful mentors that have impacted my life and will continue to do so. Some of the wonderful leaders we have now will leave a great legacy for generations to come. If we just take a moment to look at the work that Bill and Melinda Gates are doing and the great contribution Richard Branson is making to the  on his Island. John Maxwell has dedicated years to creating leaders and my all time great Mentor Jim Rohn, who will always be in my thoughts and I only hope that one day I live the values that he lived. 

Like many I have spoken to in recent times I am very concerned about future generations and how they will develop leadership skills? I see a lack of effective communication and commitment from the young people in small business and in the corporate world? As a manager having to continuously recruit staff when they don't seem to be committed to the position long term can be frustrating and costly. 

I certainly am not suggesting every GenY is not committed or motivated or even a bad communicator, however the problems I am hearing about are very real. As a CEO of a Training Organisation I see first hand the challenges of creating an effective workforce let alone future leaders.

We hear many complaints about the lack of commitment or the attitude of entitlement that seems to be prevalent in a large percentage of GenY. I have seen this first hand in my own children, as much as I hate to admit this but somewhere along the line some of us parents (me included) have certainly contributed to creating a generation of self absorbed young adults. Some of whom seem more focused on instant gratification and less focused on making a positive contribution to society. To be brutally honest I continuously self reflect on how I participated in this creation. None the less, I did!

Some of my personal reflection I have concluded that I wanted my children to have an easier time than I did. I wanted them to have learned from the mistakes that I made before they make them....what I realise now is they were my mistakes and my lessons and that was my journey. They all have their own journey and lessons to learn along the way and it wasn't my job to to stop the natural process called life. Hard to swallow but true!

What I do know for certain is we have such opportunities ahead and inspirational young adults coming into the corporate world is a must. I believe it's our job to teach them how to be leaders and where to obtain the knowledge to learn the skills, teach them how to bounce back from adversity, communicate effectively and build strong relationships, become strong stable leaders for the future. We all know leadership development can take time.Some are born leaders and some have to work really hard at it. Climbing the corporate ladder takes time for good reason, as Jim Rohn would say its about "staying the seasons" "reaping what you sew". Making mistakes and learning from them is all part of the journey that we take.Whilst climbing the ladder you can learn great things from the leaders who are currently standing in the position or were there before you. 


What can you teach the next generation of leaders?