Building and retaining tomorrow's leaders

Effective Ways to Build and Retain Tomorrow’s Leaders

Presented by: Eric Meerkamper, President DECODE www.decode.net

Click to edit Master subtitle style

Eric Meerkamper eric@decode.net

© Decode 2011 Page 3

powered by deeper knowledge of

young generations

DECODE

WHY IS ENGAGING AND

RETAINING YOUNG LEADERS

IMPORTANT TO YOU?

4

Click to edit Master subtitle style

Agenda

1. Addressing youth stereotypes

2. What young employees think about leadership

3. Six ways to engage and retain the next generation of leaders

5

SO WHAT’S THE PROBLEM WITH

YOUTH?

6

Click to edit Master subtitle style

7

How Youth are often portrayed

“Gen Y has been pampered, nurtured and programmed with a slew of

activities since they were toddlers, meaning they are both high-

performance and high-maintenance.”

Click to edit Master subtitle style

8

How Youth are often portrayed

“They're young, smart, brash. They may wear flip-flops to the office or

listen to iPods at their desk.”

Click to edit Master subtitle style

9

How Youth are often portrayed

“Are Millennials Prone to Cheating to Get Ahead?”

- W.P. Carey School of Business

Click to edit Master subtitle style

10

What you might be thinking…

• Is our future safe in their hands?

• Are youth able and interested in leading?

• How do we make sure they work with us, and not

go around us?

SOME MYTH-BUSTING

11

Click to edit Master subtitle style

Gen Y wants to be Loyal

58%

64%

58%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Gen Y

Gen X

Boomers

I would like to find an employer where I could spend my whole career

Click to edit Master subtitle style

Youth want to lead

40%

33%

19%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%I want to be the leader of an organization some day

Gen Y

Gen X

Boomers

13

Click to edit Master subtitle style

Leadership and Lifestage

0%

20%

40%

60%

Current Student

SecondarySchool

Current Student

Post Secondary

Young Singles Young Couples Young Familes

I want to be the leader of an organization some day

Male

Female

Page 14

HOW TO ENGAGE AND RETAIN THE

NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS

15

1) Understand Emerging

Leadership Models

16

WWII Generation

Command & Control

17

Click to edit Master subtitle style

1940s/50s

18

Boomer Generation

Rights & Rebellion

19

Click to edit Master subtitle style

1960s/70s

20

Nexus (Gen X)

Freedom

Diversity

Celebrity

Innovation

21

Click to edit Master subtitle style

1980s/90s

22

Who are Gen Y’s Model

Leaders?

23

Question:

Who would you want to lead

your island?

24

25

Boomers Gen Y

Roget’s Thesaurus synonyms for

“Leadership”

administration, authority, command,

control, domination, foresight, guidance,

hegemony, influence, initiative,

management, power, preeminence,

primacy, skill, superiority, supremacy

26

Gen Y

Leadership Model

Social

Networked

Interdependent

Shared Ownership

Collaborative

27

Leaders

28

Leaders

Followers

29

Leaders

30

Change-Makers

Leaders

Influencers

Followers

31

Change-Makers

Leaders

Influencers

Followers

32

2) Become an Advocate for young

leaders in your organization

33

Click to edit Master subtitle style

2) Become an Advocate: know and believe WHY you want and need young leaders

• Why is developing young leaders important to your organization?

• What is the opportunity?

• What is the risk?

34

3) Build a culture of change makers

35

Click to edit Master subtitle style

Build a leader / change maker culture

• Current leaders need to publicly embrace ceding some control

• Step out and others will step up

• Give permission to fail and take initiative

• Allow people to be courageous

36

4) Clearly define the leadership

value proposition

37

Click to edit Master subtitle style

Clearly define what it means to be a leader in your organization

• Develop a clear leadership value proposition

– What does it mean to be a leader in your organization?

– What are the benefits?

– What are the trade-offs?

• Clearly outline the paths

– Create multiple leadership opportunities

– Communicate the benefits of leadership positions

– Provide flexibility in leadership paths

– Develop relevant identification processes for high potential leaders

38

5) Build intergenerational mentor

networks

39

Click to edit Master subtitle style

Build intergenerational mentor networks

• Establish pathways for cross-learning / reverse-mentoring to fully leverage knowledge base

• Demonstrate to Gen Y that they are valued and trusted by teaming them with senior personnel

• Reinforce social bonds

40

6) Enable young employee built

and owned initiatives

41

Click to edit Master subtitle style

6) Enable young employee built and owned initiatives

• Customer based innovation / co-development

• Enable and build relationships

• Allow them to actually influence change, succeed or fail

42

3 Questions to Ask Your Younger

Team Members

43

Click to edit Master subtitle style

3 Questions to Ask Your Younger Team Members

• What do they think it takes to be a leader in your organization?

• What would stop them from becoming a leader in your organization?

• What could you do to help them become a leader?

44

45

CONTACT:

ERIC MEERKAMPER

PRESIDENT, DECODE

416-599-5400 (X30)

ERIC@DECODE.NET

JAY ROSALES

SENIOR MARKETING COORDINATOR

DRAKE INTERNATIONAL

416-216-1070

JROSALES@NA.DRAKEINTL.COM

WWW.DRAKE-WEBINARS.COM