How to be Taken Seriously as a Young Leader: Closing the Generation Gap
Jason Prevost
Young leaders (40 and under) possess self-confidence, drive, and creative thinking. Yet they often struggle with how to present themselves as leaders when working with leaders from older generations. Regardless of age, it is important to cultivate what I would call your “leadership brand” — a blend of self-worth, talent, value, and perception that is unique to each person, regardless of role or title.
Recognizing and building your leadership brand is a critical part of success in leadership. A strong brand will make you a memorable and effective leader.
Our industry is changing dramatically. We are in an age when well-established industries are just one innovation away from total disruption. Companies get disrupted because of one of two things: they are unable to develop leaders who will innovate when asked to, or do not develop leaders who can innovate fast enough.
Companies in the electrical industry face three major barriers today to developing innovative leaders:
• information. They do not have the needed information to innovate.
• normative. “Hey, we have a way of doing things.” Business leaders who hide behind tradition and routine place themselves at a disadvantage.
• cognitive. This is the greatest barrier to developing innovative leaders. There are many cognitive factors that just make it hard for us to see the need for innovative leaders.
I cannot underscore the importance of creating an environment where young professionals can network and grow. A dynamic, focussed and creative Young Professionals Network (YPN) will help our industry’s young, innovative leaders emerge with mutual respect by
• supporting career strategies. If you’re a YPN, don’t wait to be discovered. Don’t wait to be asked to speak. Just get in front of the right people on a consistent basis. This means having something worthwhile to say and a platform to say it on.
• providing young leaders with an environment in which they can figure out their driving principles, what you believe, and how to organize around a set of talents or an area of expertise.
• helping them master social media to create influence. As a young professional, are you interesting? Do you add value? Are you an original thinker with your own ideas?
In closing, I have attended many conferences and events where I was told, as a young professional, that youth are “the future.” This statement not only ignores but also underestimates the value of activities and actions undertaken by young professionals towards the present.
Young professionals are “the present.” We spread enthusiasm, ideas, innovation, respect for others, creativity, a desire to discover, questions, energy, understanding. We see the world as it is, ask, “Why,” and imagine a different one and ask, “Why not?” We dare to dream and do things that some in business have lost the will to do. We have a big capacity to learn and to lead.
Support Electro-Federation Canada’s YPN initiative by encouraging your young professionals to join and participate in the young professional network.
Find out more about YPN: www.electrofed.com/young-professionals-network/
Jason Prevost is Vice-President of Marketing at Standard Products, National Chair of Electro-Federation Canada’s Young Professional Network, and a member of CEW’s Reader Advisory Board.
