The climate for change has been set to high by 125 million Gen Xers and Millennials who are hell-bent on making sure things aren’t business as usual.
- We’ve packed out polling booths in record-breaking numbers.
- We’ve taken our beef with corporate dunces to the online streets.
- We’re working together as change makers to provide solutions to global injustices.
- We’ve started our own businesses and taken on unprecedented leadership roles in the community.
And even with those staggering claims and sheer bully-proof numbers, we’re still seen as the generation that can’t.
- Our ability to deliver goods outside of the social media and techno-sphere is questioned.
- Our need to contest status quos is seen as insubordinate chatter.
- Our refusal to take monotone, conventional career paths is chalked-up to lack of direction.
- Our desire for freedom and flexibility in the workplace is characterized as work avoidance.
This is not an us versus them case. It’s a case where we—as emerging leaders—want to be heard, respected and valued for our unique contributions, but most importantly, provided adequate opportunities to grow professionally and personally. There is no shortage of leaders. We stand here wanting to lead—wanting to make a difference in our communities.
But, what we have in this relentless, impatient economy is a lack of trust to allow now generation leaders to lead and a lack of investment in developing the leaders of tomorrow. That is (or should be) the crux of the debate. And this is where Young Nonprofit Professionals Network-Twin Cities (YNPN-TC) comes in.
Here at YNPN-TC, we strive to be a channel that provides and promotes those opportunities for professional and personal development of young nonprofit professionals. And although the focus is on young professionals in the nonprofit sector, our community is made-up of emerging leaders, volunteers, supporters, and allies from various sectors.
As a reader of the vibrant Leadership & Community blog, we believe that you share this same passion for leadership development. You understand what’s at stake for our interwoven communities if the leadership baton is dropped. This is why we want you to engage and share your knowledge and thoughts with us, whether that is through our blog—which tackles topics (often cross-sectoral) and provides resources to challenges facing young professionals—or attending a YNPN-TC event.
Whichever your preference, we want to connect with you.
~ Adaobi Okolue is a guest contributor.
Hey Sarah, thank you for your inspirational and insightful comment. I completely agree with you about the need to focus on succession planning, as we talk about next and now generation leaders. There has been a lot of discussion in the nonprofit sector about generational changes in the workforce, but it has primarily focused on how to work together to encourage good organizational culture. I would love to here your thoughts on ways we, as young professionals, can go about shifting the focus on succession planning to the point where we are able to have transformational discussions.
Thank you for speaking out on behalf of next generation leadership! As an expert on demographic shifts and a local community advocate, I assure you that the time for Generation X and Y’s leadership is fast-approaching.
The recent recession back-burnered talks of turnover and gave our workforce a false sense of security, when in fact 40% of our workforce became eligible to retire in 2010. The recession may have prolonged retirements for a year or two, but it can’t stop people from aging. With every passing year, more Boomers will be eligible to retire.
By 2015, the U.S. Census Bureau reports that Boomers will cede the majority of the workforce to Generation Y. This means emerging leaders will have an opportunity to lead sooner than later. But ceding one majority to another isn’t going to solve all our leadership problems.
The greater concern is that when the time comes to lead, our next generation of leaders will be ill-prepared because they were never given the chance to learn from our current leadership or to test their leadership skills.
The greatest legacy the Baby Boomers could leave would be to mentor future leaders– to simply give them the opportunity to have their voices heard, to give them a seat at the decision-maker’s table, and to inspire and motivate them to lead.
Most Baby Boomers were given leadership opportunities at a very young age. For example, more than half of today’s elected officials were in office by the time they turned 35. But today, very few of our nation’s elected officials are under the age of 50. For one reason or another, our present-day society has done a poor job of succession planning. Perhaps technology has divided the generations. Perhaps the Boomers have been the majority for so long, they don’t fully grasp the importance of succession planning.
Whatever the case may be, our nation’s organizations are in for very difficult times if we raise a nation of inexperienced leaders and fail to prepare for the future of our communities, enterprises, and industries.
Next-generation leaders – don’t give up hope! Your turn is coming. And we’re counting on you to be prepared.