Your organization is facing a shortage, and it is not the one making headlines.
Yes, Rare Earth Elements (REEs) are harder to come by than ever. Television. Smartphones. Computers. Electric bikes. Cars. Batteries. MRI Machines. Many of the things we use daily depend on these metals, which must be mined and purified before they can power our technology. That scarcity creates pressure across industries.
But a shortage of rare elements is not the only thing impacting your organization; young leaders are becoming increasingly rare as well.
This is why “developing future leaders” frequently ranks among the top five most critical needs of leaders and business owners. We often hear our clients say, “We need more and better leaders if we are going to thrive in the future!” Here are my observations on why the need for emerging leaders is so pressing and what it will actually take to find, invest in, and accelerate the next generation of leaders in your organization.
Why the Pipeline is Broken
1. The emerging leader pipeline is shrinking.
First, let’s remember that the demographics of the United States are caving in. Another way to say it is that our country is getting older. Much older. And the trend applies to far more than just the US – it is a global trend. According to the International Monetary Fund, “Over half of the world’s economies, accounting for two-thirds of the global population, now have fertility rates below the replacement fertility level of 2.1 children per woman. Without action, these populations will age and decline over time.” 60 years ago, women in the US would have about three or four children. Yet, today, the U.S. Census Bureau says an average woman will have one or two children. In short, we have a pool of emerging leaders that is much smaller than it was 50 years ago. And this trend will not be reversed anytime soon.
2. There is a confidence and courage gap among emerging leaders.
There is evidence that many of those in the emerging leaders age range (18-35) lack the confidence and courage essential to taking risks and moving outside what is safe or comfortable. This, combined with the rapid expansion of anxiety, may be contributing to a fear of “going for it” – taking risks that every business founder and entrepreneur had to take to get to where they are today. This is not a critique of the emerging generation. Rather, it is likely a reflection of decades of over-parenting, delaying adult responsibilities, and too many of us treating them as fragile and in need of protection. Thankfully, this is something that we have a greater potential to reverse than something as complex as the declining birthrate.
Finding, Investing In, and Accelerating Your Leaders
1. The good news: amazing talent is still out there waiting to be found.
One of my good friends (who is also a client) walked into a gas station and struck up a conversation with a 24-year-old young woman working the counter. He was instantly impressed by her intelligence, personality, and vision for her future. The young woman had never attended college, but that didn’t stop my friend from seeing the talent in front of him. He hired her to work for his financial services business, and he and his wife/business partner are investing in her. They sent the young woman to one of our development programs for rising leaders, sent her to training provided by the larger corporation they are affiliated with, and helped her pursue the credentials essential for her new career. And she is thriving! It has been common throughout much of world history to dismiss someone’s potential because of their age. (This is why the Apostle Paul, writing over 2,000 years ago, challenged one of his mentees to not let others look down on them solely because of their age). Amazing talent is still out there – you just have to have a vision for it and take some risks.
2. Invest. Invest. Invest.
One of our passions here at The Center Consulting Group is investing in emerging leaders because we see firsthand the skill gaps standing between a capable 25-year-old and the thriving leader they could be at 35 or 40. Because of the investment from our team and the generosity of our donors, we have now graduated over 140 participants from our Emerging Leaders Initiative and Accelerate Leadership Intensive programs. By this fall, we will have invested in young leaders throughout the U.S. as well as South Africa, Honduras, Rwanda, and the Dominican Republic. Business owners and leaders of nonprofits and churches have invested in their young talent by sending their highly capable leaders to our programs.
3. Essential skills needed for emerging leaders are changing.
If you spend $150,000 on a college degree, you may have the opportunity to take such profound courses as “Nature and Society: Beyonce and Intersectionality,” “Nip, Tuck, Perm, Tattoo, Embalm: Adventures with Embodied Cultures,” “Introduction to Surfing,” or even “Lady Gaga and the Sociology of Fame.” Yes, these are all very real courses that students borrowed $4,000 to then flush it away, or for which their parents footed the bill. But what if that time and money were instead invested in acquiring knowledge and hands-on skill development areas like self-awareness, artificial intelligence, resilience, innovative thinking, business finance, critical thinking and problem-solving, leading teams, and project management?
4. Accelerate opportunities for younger leaders.
My colleague’s son is now a US Marine. He went through 13 weeks of grueling basic training, additional advanced training, and is now operating a variety of lethal weapons – all before his 19th birthday. A 20-year-old nursing student is already administering medications, conducting medical assessments, and inserting IVs. At 23, a young person can fly a plane 35,000 feet in the air, at 400 miles per hour, while carrying 50-350 customers. Compare this to what so many young professionals experience in the first five years of their career because their bosses are afraid of a mistake, fear liability, or even hold the young leader back with the old saying, “Pay your dues.” In an age of a rapidly declining pool of young leaders, consider doing the opposite – accelerating the process from observation to experimentation to self-management.
Don’t wait until the leadership gap becomes a leadership crisis in your organization. Contact us to learn how our customized coaching services and emerging leader programs can help you build the pipeline your organization needs.
Jay Desko is the President & CEO of The Center Consulting Group and brings experience in the areas of organizational assessment, leadership coaching, decision-making, and strategic questioning. Jay’s degrees include an M.Ed. in Instructional Systems Design from Pennsylvania State University and a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior and Leadership from The Union Institute.
