While an “able and experienced leadership” plays a crucial role in developing a business or an organization, “intergenerational leadership” is also batted to be an integral part for further progress in productivity and growth trajectory.
According to business coaches, “Intergenerational Leadership is about meaningful engagement between leaders across generations that makes aware of the different generations, their individual skills and contributions so that the apt opportunities for partnerships and collaborations could be aptly tapped.”
Now the question arises: How could be that much-sought-after “intergenerational leadership” approached?
As per the views opined in a blog by the website ‘Integral’, “intergenerational leadership” could be approached by:
1) “Being open, curious and kind, and creating a culture of respect.”
2) “Collaborating and facilitating an exchange of resources, skills and knowledge; identifying strengths and learning from each other; accepting different attitudes, values, priorities and styles.”
3) “Providing opportunities for mentoring.”
4) “Applying situational leadership.”
5) “Having a clear organizational mission, and values being valued by employees regardless of age.”
6) “Offering flexible working arrangements that accommodate different circumstances and routines.”
It is well-known that there is a distinction between ‘youth’ and ‘elderly’ persons. The primary distinction is that the youths basically dwell in the future, while the elderly ones like to live in the past, either reflect on their past memories when they were young or stick to the knowledge they have already owned and are accustomed to.
They are also believed to be conservative and orthodox as they are most often observed being ill at ease to modern thoughts, views, skills and techniques and even innovations for improvements as per the need of hour for business prospects.
On the contrary, young people are keen on leading an adventurous life and try to keep abreast of the pros and cons of the current situations, and thus accordingly, devise ways and means for tuning themselves up for learning and mastering new techniques and skills so that the ailing and outdated traditional methods could be replaced or improvised with the new and necessary ones.
By doing so, the younger leaderships strive hard to tide over the crises and headwinds the business establishments are afflicted with. The remedial measures conceived and applied by them could commit to save one and all from the ravages of changes or else it could spell doom.
It’s true that “Old is Gold” for which the experience of the senior leaderships help a lot, but they have to cope up with the changes by prescribing the requisite pills and capsules for recovering from the ailment(s).
If the warranted recuperative diagnosis and surgery is suggested by the younger leaderships, that is expected to serve the pious purpose for reaping common benefits and dividends for all, it must be embraced with open arms by the senior leaderships instead of being adamant and arrogant as well as staying put to their obsolete obsessions sounding the death knell for the organizations/business establishments.
When we are at the crossroads or crucial juncture, wisdom of apt adaptations and meaningful modifications must reign supreme, rather being complacent with fooling around a fool’s paradise.