Good News Regarding the Future
by Vic Downing
© Victor Downing May 2010
The May 2010 issue of Harvard Business Review discussed the potential influence of “generations” on business leadership. The message: We need Generation X people to lead now (pp. 63-66) and The Millennials can be easily mentored (pp. 68-72).
Actually, we don’t need Generation X or Y to lead now or at any time, and Millennials offer far more to business today than their willingness to be mentored.
Good News: (1) Business doesn’t need many (or possibly any) Generation X or Generation Y leaders because Boomers are delaying retirement and Millennial’s are a very large cohort and are ready to make the sacrifice to lead (unlike most X-ers and Y-ers). (2) The characterizations of generations (see below) applies to many but not all members of the respective generations, and enterprises need only a few people from each cohort. Choose well. Do well.
Actually, we don’t need Generation X or Y to lead now or at any time, and Millennials offer far more to business today than their willingness to be mentored.
Strategy for Business: (1) Narrowly define the leadership behaviors that are essential to business success. (2) Retain Boomers who are the best-of-the-best in modeling those behaviors and employ them as Master Craftsmen/Craftswomen under whom Millennials and Gen-X/Y-ers may apprentice. (3) Recruit and quickly “prune” potential leadership ranks, placing extreme emphasis on personal initiative, mental discipline, humility, courage, interpersonal acumen, and business acumen.
| Generation | Year Born | Commentary |
|---|---|---|
| Greatest | 1916-1925 | Retired… Heroic… Self sacrificial… Honor… Patriotism… Courage |
| Silent | 1925-1942 | Retired or retiring. Children of The Great Depression. Too young to serve in WW II |
| Boomer | 1946-1960 | The population “pig in the python” … redefined culture and society by virtue of their large numbers… the beneficiaries of Post WW II prosperity and the advent of the dot com boom… live better than parents… lead 180 of the 200 largest corporations in the world… are delaying retirement to cope with current economic chaos |
| X and Y | 1961-1980 | Children of The Silent Generation and Boomers… “raised” by all manner of electronic media… Seek their own path… alienated from corporate America… threatened by Boomers and Millennials… Assume they are viewed as expendable… experienced the dot com bust as children… live less well than parents and are shocked by that… 50 million in the US (less than Millennials)… not a large enough cohort to replace retiring Boomers… lead 20 of the 200 largest corporations in the world | Millennial | 1977-1997 | 50% of the employees in the world… 88 million in the US… natural kinship with Boomers… desire feedback… realistic expectations… Work is a part of life and not something to be balanced against life… Eager to make friends at work, to learn at work, to connect with a larger purpose at work… Set high standards for themselves… Competitive… Take initiative… Over-achievers |
Track Record
30 years experience… North America, Asia, Europe… BioTech, Transportation, Distribution, Health Care, Manufacturing, Wholesale, Retail, Construction, Financial Services, Software… Sales, Service, Marketing, Environmental Health and Safety, Human Resources, Information Technology, Customer Service, Technical Services… CEO, CIO, CFO, Line Manager, First Line Supervisor, individuals, teams, virtual teams… find the problem, design the event, facilitate the meeting, train, inspire, build the process, fix the process, develop in-house expertise, listen, keep confidences.
Vic Downing
President, Global Advantage, Inc.
Sample Assignments
In two years increase per-square-foot net profit of a retail chain by more than 30% while expanding outlets by 10%… and be recognized as the number one quality vendor in the industry.
In one year reduce $300,000,000.00 operating budget by $47,000,000.00, not including savings associated with reduction in force.
Convene North American-Western European-Asian summit to resolve operational and cross-cultural issues that were impeding performance. Walk away with an integrated, measurable plan and a unified team with an extremely high level of rapport.
Jump-start a high potential manager whose performance was neutralized by the inability to delegate.
Prepare a Senior Vice President to plan, announce, and successfully manage two downsizings in six months, while improving the performance and loyalty of top performers.
Ramp-up emerging, high-technology production by 300% in 12 months while shortening cycle times, reducing waste, and improving morale.
Yeah but…
At Global Advantage, our customers sit at the top of the organization chart. Please let us know if you’ve got a question regarding this article, have a different perspective on this subject, or see something specific you want us to address.