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Creating a 2-Way Street Generational Transfer among Retiring Boomers, Entrepreneurial Gen Xers, and Free-Market Millennials December 18th, 2012

Creating a 2-Way Street: Generational Transfer among Retiring Boomers, Entrepreneurial Gen Xers, and Free-Market Millennials

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The Dec 18th, 2012 webcast brought together current leaders from 4 industries and 3 generations to discuss experience transfer across generations. Covering issues such as: - What does generational transition mean for retention of high potentials? - For development of the leadership bench? - For how current leaders lead? The Panelists: - Karen Vander Linde, former head of PwC's Global People & Change practice (Boomer); - Leslie Bradshaw, President and COO of Jess3, named by Wired, FastCompany, Wall St Journal, and Inc as one of the top executive women of her generation in tech (Millennial); - Jeff Vargas, Chief Learning Officer, Commodity Futures Trading Commission and leading expert on Gen X in the workplace (X'er) - Helen Ng - CEO of Planet Habitat and also CEO of the Cockroach Club, a for-profit venture in sub-Saharan Africa reaching an audience of 2 million (X'er)

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Page 1: Creating a 2-Way Street: Generational Transfer among Retiring Boomers, Entrepreneurial Gen Xers, and Free-Market Millennials

Creating a 2-Way Street Generational Transfer among Retiring Boomers, Entrepreneurial Gen Xers, and Free-Market Millennials

December 18th, 2012

Page 2: Creating a 2-Way Street: Generational Transfer among Retiring Boomers, Entrepreneurial Gen Xers, and Free-Market Millennials

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David Reimer — Facilitator

CEO, Merryck & Co, where he leads an organization of former top executives who work 1:1 with current business leaders and their high potential successors.

• Previously, led a 3-year turnaround under private equity ownership of Drake Beam Morin’s (DBM) North American business.

• Consulted on global M&A and restructuring projects with 30% of the Fortune 100, including through the dot.com aftermath and, during the financial crisis, the three largest financial services mergers in history.

• Typical Gen Xer: 46 with 1.9 children under age 4.

• Frequent writer and speaker on how great leaders develop on-the-job, in the heat of the crucible.

Page 3: Creating a 2-Way Street: Generational Transfer among Retiring Boomers, Entrepreneurial Gen Xers, and Free-Market Millennials

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Who is Merryck?

Over 15 years, Merryck has become the proven global resource for Leadership Magnitude™

Has run a $750MM – $120B P&L

Is chosen for ability to identify strengths, and define and help develop the blind side

Mentoring 1-on-1 with a former top executive who:

Is trained in-depth to support with questions and perspective, not to take on the job

Is up to speed on the company’s issues and the executive’s dynamic role

Page 4: Creating a 2-Way Street: Generational Transfer among Retiring Boomers, Entrepreneurial Gen Xers, and Free-Market Millennials

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A quick definition of terms

• Coach – external or internal• Identifies and develops communications styles, preferences and awareness

• Fosters awareness of behavioral strengths and opportunities

• Develops people management capabilities

• Mentor – external or internal• Expands and develops leader’s perspective on the business

• Addresses strengths and development areas related to strategy, operations, culture and relationships up, down and across the organization

• Links leader to external connections and business expertise

• Experience transfer (vs. knowledge transfer)• Exchange of insight and understanding, not just data and facts

• Two-way, not one-way: in order to understand the truth, one must discover it for oneself

Page 5: Creating a 2-Way Street: Generational Transfer among Retiring Boomers, Entrepreneurial Gen Xers, and Free-Market Millennials

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Today’s Topic

Generational transfer: What are the issues and opportunities from an organizational and cultural perspective?

Why this topic?• Volume of leadership turnover

• Trending tendency of high-potentials to opt out

• Re-definition of engagement

Page 6: Creating a 2-Way Street: Generational Transfer among Retiring Boomers, Entrepreneurial Gen Xers, and Free-Market Millennials

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Leslie Bradshaw — Panelist

COO at a stealth start-up (stay tuned!) Formerly Co-founder, President and COO of JESS3.

JESS3 blended science and art to drive data visualization to a new level of business prominence, while Leslie built an international operations system of physical offices, a hub of core employees, and hundreds of contractors worldwide. In 2012, recognized by Inc. Magazine as one of 30 Under 30, and JESS3 made the Inc. 500 list.

• Named one of the top five female executives in the technology industry by Fast Company

• Recognized by the Wall Street Journal as a Top Woman In Tech Under 30

• Trusted strategist and consultant for top brands including Intel, Nike, C-SPAN, Pfizer and Google

• Writes for Forbes on the topic of female entrepreneurship

• Serving as a Fellow for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Foundation, writing and researching on the topics of innovation, millennials and female leadership

Page 7: Creating a 2-Way Street: Generational Transfer among Retiring Boomers, Entrepreneurial Gen Xers, and Free-Market Millennials

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Helen Ng — Panelist

Founder and Managing Principal of Planet Habitat (an advisory for investments in emerging markets in housing, education and green infrastructure)

CEO and Founding Member of an early-stage US-Kenyan “edutainment” platform linking disadvantaged youth in emerging markets with educational and job opportunities (Cockroach Club eXchange – www.cockroachclub.net; facebook: CCXworld)

• At Barclays Capital and Dresdner Kleinwort Benson, conducted project financing in environmental infrastructure (telecom, transport, water) in emerging markets.

• Has written US government policy on transportation infrastructure, and lectured and published on public-private partnerships. 

• Fluent in Russian -- former Rotary International scholar, served as the American Ambassador of Goodwill to Russia. 

• Co-host of a sub-Saharan radio program with an audience ranging between 250K and 2MM listeners

Page 8: Creating a 2-Way Street: Generational Transfer among Retiring Boomers, Entrepreneurial Gen Xers, and Free-Market Millennials

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Karen Vander Linde — Panelist

Merryck Mentor. Retired PwC Partner who led the US and global People & Change practice. Boomer, multi-lingual; 27 years in consulting. When PwC restarted People & Change practice, they re-recruited Karen lead it.  Starting with 2 people, rebuilt US practice to prominent business line and led organic growth of global practice to become high 9 figure business -- in just 7 1/2 years.

• Named by Consulting Magazine in 2008 as one of the Top 25 Consultants in the profession.

• Delivered dozens of publications, major speeches and media appearances in the past 10 years on topics such as business agility for change, leadership, talent management and successful leadership transitions.

• Serves on the boards of Greater DC Cares and the Atlantic Seaboard Dyslexia Education Center and is an Executive Council member of the Business Council for Peace (Bpeace).

Page 9: Creating a 2-Way Street: Generational Transfer among Retiring Boomers, Entrepreneurial Gen Xers, and Free-Market Millennials

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Jeffrey Vargas — Panelist

Chief Learning Officer (CLO) for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

As the CFTC’s first CLO, established their Office of Talent and Leadership Development, and created the CFTC’s first-ever strategic learning plan.

• Former CLO, National Nuclear Security Administration, where if leadership fails, “things could go kaboom.”

• Established a regulatory training series on swaps, organized supervisory training, and a learning conference on the commodity markets. Where, if leadership failures occur, things could, economically speaking, “go kaboom.”

• Frequent speaker and writer on Gen X in the workplace; recently organized a government-wide conference on the use of social media.

Page 10: Creating a 2-Way Street: Generational Transfer among Retiring Boomers, Entrepreneurial Gen Xers, and Free-Market Millennials

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Discussion Framework

The Challenge

The Opportunity

The Real World

Q&A

1

2

3

4

Page 11: Creating a 2-Way Street: Generational Transfer among Retiring Boomers, Entrepreneurial Gen Xers, and Free-Market Millennials

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The Challenge

Leslie Bradshaw Jeffrey Vargas Karen Vander Linde

Helen Ng David Reimer

Boomers Global Perspective

What are the generational elephants in the room?

Gen Xers Millennials

Page 12: Creating a 2-Way Street: Generational Transfer among Retiring Boomers, Entrepreneurial Gen Xers, and Free-Market Millennials

12Leslie Bradshaw Jeffrey Vargas Karen Vander

LindeHelen Ng David Reimer

The Opportunity

Legacy MakersWisdom

Global PerspectiveGlobal Connections & Learning

Problem-SolversInnovation

Digital NativesCreativity

What are the generational leadership strengths?

Other Strengths?

Page 13: Creating a 2-Way Street: Generational Transfer among Retiring Boomers, Entrepreneurial Gen Xers, and Free-Market Millennials

13Leslie Bradshaw Jeffrey Vargas Karen Vander

LindeHelen Ng David Reimer

Leveraging generational differences

significant organizational change

The Real World

Operations

Open Structured

New Balance

Culture

Coaching/Mentoring

Mindset

Leadership

Reshaping

at all Levels

Flexibility

Global Local

Work Life

Page 14: Creating a 2-Way Street: Generational Transfer among Retiring Boomers, Entrepreneurial Gen Xers, and Free-Market Millennials

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Major Takeaways

Transfer experience across generations to increase impact

What Why

Inspire

Develop

Attract

1. Leaders must be aware of their own biases and how those play out in the make-up and dynamics of their teams.

2. We need a “pause” moment – taking the time to onboard people effectively based on who they are.

3. The organizational culture must promote learning from each other (within and cross-generation, in both directions). A coach-mentor mindset is critical, one that accommodates different learning styles.

4. Create a culture that encourages role-modeling and recognizes the importance of having one or more role models (who may be younger!).

1. The most effective teams are generationally diverse by design. Single-generation teams will lack strength in critical skills, and may not realize what’s missing.

2. Onboarding requires generational design and roll-out. Millennials, Gen X and Boomers tend to process information differently and have different onboarding needs.

3. Leaders are responsible for developing themselves as well as all of the people around them. That requires both up and down knowledge and wisdom transfer.

4. A key challenge of generational difference (especially overseas) is the level of “hands on” responsibility for driving outcomes. Cross-generational role models have been very effective in creating a shared organizational culture

 

Page 15: Creating a 2-Way Street: Generational Transfer among Retiring Boomers, Entrepreneurial Gen Xers, and Free-Market Millennials

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Panelists’ parting thoughts

Helen

• Find a balance to align the economics and the organizational structure – ideally from the get-go – with multi-generational, cross-border talent

• Even among the poor in emerging markets, a mission-driven approach, combined with a long-term business view, can knit together multiple generations and eclipse short-term monetary concerns

Jeff

• Invite Gen X to lead, teach us to lead, invest in us as leaders – help us make the transition from tactical mastery to strategy

• Give me direct, candid feedback about how I’m doing – positive or negative

Karen

• Cross-generational experience transfer is hard work. It’s not enough to want it, or to name someone a coach or someone else a mentor and hope for the best. The framework needs to be at least partly formal, and both parties have to be clear that their relationship is a two-way street.

Leslie

• Exciting to see that this conversation is happening across industries, and at a high level in organizations. Acknowledgement is a key step in making headway in addressing the challenges.

• So many young, “wet behind the ears” business leaders out there need Boomers’ knowledge and wisdom. It is highly important that experience transfer happens between Millennials and Boomers.

Page 16: Creating a 2-Way Street: Generational Transfer among Retiring Boomers, Entrepreneurial Gen Xers, and Free-Market Millennials

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Resource Recommendations

•  Books

• Generation Me: Jean Twenge

• The M Factor: Lynn Lancaster/Ben Stillman

• Not Everyone Gets a Trophy: Bruce Tulgin

• My Reality Check Bounced: Jason Ryan Dorsey

• When Generations Collide: Lynn Lancaster/Ben Stillman

• Generations: A History of America's Future 1584 to 2069: William Strauss/Neil Howe

• Why America’s Twenty and Thirty Somethings Can’t Get Ahead: Tamara Draut

• Articles

• Generation X, Stepping Up to the Leadership Plate, January 21, 2007, www.cio.com

• What Does Generation X Leadership Look like?, Leslie Ungar, March 2, 2008, Ezinearticle.com

• Generation X Leadership, Paula Danner, August 8, 2012, www.examiner.com

• Is it Time for Generation X to Lead Us?, Ray Williams, July 4, 2010, www.psycologytoday.com

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Contact Info

www.Merryck.com

[email protected]

1-888-Merryck