Research suggests that 49.7% of the global workforce in 2020 comprised Millennials and Gen Zers (Lettink, 2019). Out of that half the population doesn’t trust their bosses!
If you are a manager who recently promoted a young team member to a leadership role, you can understand their excitement, curiosity, and … a tad bit of anxiety in them.
What’s expected of me? What will change? Will I succeed? How…do…I…lead?
This new phase is exciting for them, but there are a lot of unanswered questions. Expectations are not clarified until the unspoken goes unmet. There’s no preparation for the change in peer relationships and broader accountability. And the answer to “how do I lead?” usually becomes, “the way I’ve been led,” which isn’t necessarily the path to success.
Radically different from their previous generation, Millennials and Gen Z have unique perspectives and work expectations. Organizations need to start them strong with a well-defined and consistently implemented leadership development program. In the course of my career, I’ve created and delivered many leadership initiatives.
Here are what I’ve found to be “best practices” when developing this generation of leaders.
DURATION. Conduct the training over at least a 6-month period to allow for shorter sessions, application of new learning, and feedback. Learning is a process, not an event.
MENTOR. Each new leader should have a seasoned leader mentor. Ideally, this is someone other than their immediate leader.
COMMITMENT. Both the new leader and their immediate leader should demonstrate commitment to the development program. The new leader to participate and complete it, and the immediate leader to support and reinforce the learning.
REGULARLY SCHEDULED SHORT WORKSHOPS. These can be weekly or bi-weekly, but should be regularly scheduled over the course of the program and a priority for all involved. (This is where the commitment comes in). For weekly workshops, I recommend two hours on the same day each week. For bi-weekly, you may want to go a little bit longer. Topics should be built around what it means to be a leader in your organization – expectations and responsibilities, managing vs. leading. I also recommend including sessions on effective communication, resolving conflict, team building, coaching employees, and transitioning from peer to leader.
SELF-DISCOVERY WORKSHOP. The best leaders are self-aware. Giving new leaders the opportunity to understand themselves – how they communicate, how they interact, how they are likely to lead – early on, increases the likelihood that they will adapt successfully to the role. I use the Lumina Spark assessment for this. Done in a workshop setting, it also helps leaders gain a better understanding of others, which will help them successfully lead the individuals on their teams.
INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPMENT PLANS. Throughout the program, participants should be receiving regular feedback from their immediate leader as well as guidance and feedback from their mentor. Upon graduation from the program, each participant should work with his/her leader to identify strengths and development areas to create an individual development plan.
A few other components I’ve also used in the past with positive results are: a syllabus of reading materials – books, white papers, articles, on leadership topics; having participants work in teams to research and present on one of the topics outlined in the program; and creating a “New Leader Forum” where new leaders get together to share issues and ideas, with alternating senior leader facilitators.
These 6 best practices are included in my Keep it Real Leadership Development Program, along with rich content and an array of leadership resources. Keep it Real is leadership development anywhere/ anytime. It’s a virtual, blended learning approach with practical application, accountability and follow up.
Give your new and advancing leaders a strong start. Contact me at kcolligan@PeopleThink.biz to learn more and to schedule a demo.
“Winning companies win because they have good leaders who nurture the development of other leaders at all levels of the organization.” — Noel Tichy
Till next time, keep it real.
Karen
