They Didn’t See That Coming!
One of the things I find fascinating is the study of trends, particularly in business. I tend to see patterns in the way things are happening and then use those patterns to consider what is coming next. It isn’t that I know more than anyone else, but I have learned that the trend is your friend. When I began to study generations back in the year 2000, I was looking at the changes in the birthrates for the Traditionalists to the Baby Boomers to the Generation Xers. What stood out was how many more Baby Boomers there were than Xers. It was more than a 30 million person difference. This tells us quite a bit about what to expect when the Boomers retire.
The first thing we should have seen coming was the shortage of people for the number of jobs. Since 2020, we have seen a mass exodus of Boomers. With more people leaving than there are replacements, that creates an issue and an opportunity.
The second thing I noticed was the attitude of Generation Xers versus Millennials. The Xers mostly want to work and leave. This means that many of them would rather not be in leadership roles. They like to do stuff in a pragmatic fashion, then go do something else. The Millennials were told they could do and be anything by their parents. This built their confidence and pushed them to advance as quickly as they could. Combine those two attitudes, and you will see Millennials step into leadership roles as quickly as they can while Generation Xers remain reluctant.
The third thing I noticed was the hesitation of companies, many of which were led by Boomers, to prepare for the shifts in workers. This meant that without a solid succession plan, we would not be preparing the next generation of leaders to actually be leaders. Instead, we would be waiting until the Boomers left and then “hoping for the best.” From my experience, hope is not a good strategy.
So what does this tell us about trending? Well, history repeats itself until the lessons from history are mastered. When we step back and look at what brings true progress and success, it is rooted in consistently investing in the preparation of our teams to be successful.
My question to you is… What are you doing to prepare the next level of leaders? Each level needs to know that they have been prepared to lead. Each level needs practice before they are put into the situation of being in charge. Laurence J. Peter explained it best in the late 60’s. People tend to get promoted beyond their level of competence. He was advocating for the development of people before they were thrown to the wolves. Here we are today, 6 decades later, still advocating for the same thing. Invest in your people. Teach them to succeed. Map out the skills that will get them. You’ve got this!
Jody N Holland, M.S. Psychology
www.jodyholland.com
