Emerging Leaders Report 2012 Engaging and Retaining Young Emerging Leaders
Alicia Cur*s www.aliciacur)s.com www.emergen.com.au alicia@aliciacur)s.com
aliciacurtis
About the Author Alicia Cur<s is one of Australia’s most experienced mentors of young leaders. She has managed her own leadership development consultancy since 2002, working with thousands of young people aged 12 to 35 years old. Alicia’s talent is in developing engaging leadership programs that inspire young professionals to step up in their careers and community. She is a Professional Member of the Na<onal Speakers Associa<on of Australia and received the Western Australian Excellence in Speaking Award in 2008. Alicia also holds a Masters in Business Leadership. Alicia herself has had a diverse range of leadership experiences including aOending the first Interna<onal Children’s Conference on the Environment host by the United Na<ons in 1995 when she was just 12 years old. She then went on to co-‐found her own Children’s Conference in Perth with three other young people when she was 13 years old. The organisa<on s<ll exists today as Millennium Kids. Alicia has held many leadership posi<ons such as State President of the Na<onal Speakers Associa<on in 2010, Na<onal Young Business and Professional Women’s Director from 2007 -‐ 2010 and she even ran as an independent candidate for the Federal Senate, being profiled on Sunrise and polling 7th out of 15 groups in the 2004 elec<on. Currently, Alicia leads one of Australia’s largest and most ac<ve online communi<es for young professionals called Emergen. This website ac<vates young emerging leaders through connec<on to people and resources, providing inspira<onal educa<on opportuni<es and promo<on. www.aliciacur<s.com www.emergen.com.au Special thanks to Mark Elbourne for his extraordinary assistance in colla<ng this report. Origina3ng from the UK, Mark Elbourne is a university student on exchange from the University of Sheffield studying at UWA. He has been involved with Alicia Cur3s as a Prac3cum student from May-‐ June and was given the responsibility of draMing the 2012 edi3on of the Emerging Leaders Report. Mark returned home at the end of June 2012 having spent a year in Perth.
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Execu-ve Summary The third edi<on of the annual report Emerging Leaders Report provides genuine insight into the expecta<ons and challenges of emerging leaders in the workplace. Our analysis is based on a survey in June 2012 of 201 young professionals across Australia.
Demographics of Survey Respondents ➡ Over 80% were aged between 23 and 32 with 65% female and 35% male. ➡ 32% worked for companies of 1-‐50 employees, 25% with companies of 50-‐500 employees and 43% with companies of over 500 employees. ➡ Over 50% are based in Western Australia.
Summary of Survey Findings ➡ 30% said being given opportuni<es to further their professional development was the single biggest challenge in the workplace, a repeat of last year’s result. ➡ For those in leadership posi<ons, 48% see their greatest challenge as managing and mo<va<ng others, with many of the problems stemming from an uninspired workforce. ➡ The number intending to stay with their employee for two years or less has grown to over 50%. ➡ Employees are more commiOed to their employer if they are happy, with the number intending to stay for five years or more increasing by over 10% on last year. ➡ Young professionals want to see more leadership opportuni<es and training & development available to them in the workplace to prepare them for posi<ons of responsibility. ➡ Emerging Leaders want to have challenging work and a great culture in their workplace, but are less concerned about the company’s perceived reputa<on or fringe benefits. ➡ A s<mula<ng job and good work/life balance score higher as career goals for Emerging Leaders than a leadership posi<on. ➡ Almost four in five par<cipants agreed they wanted to incorporate overseas travel into their career.
Key Recommenda-ons ➡ Provide a program that gives emerging leaders the opportunity to learn, share and prac<ce skills in a safe environment. ➡ Host discussions for new managers to communicate the common challenges when leading their team. ➡ Conduct quarterly professional development plans that explore the opportuni<es for professional development and developing experience in the workplace. ➡ Iden<fy the opportuni<es to increase variety within roles. ➡ Discuss and implement workplace values and discuss how this shapes the culture of an organisa<on. ➡ Lead a suppor<ve and encouraging environment that iden<fies and nurtures people’s strengths, so that people are judged on their merit and not their age or experience level.
** 7 key ideas for organisa-ons are listed in the Recommenda-ons sec-on on Page 19.
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Contents Execu-ve Summary
3
Introduc-on
5
Survey Methodology
5
Challenges in the Workplace
7
Nurturning Emerging Leaders
9
Biggest Leadership Challenge
10
Developing and Retaining Emerging Leaders
14
Empowering Tomorrow’s Leaders Today
15
Workplace Incen-ves
16
Conclusion and Recommenda-ons
19
How can Alicia help your organisa-on?
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www.aliciacur<s.com
Introduc-on
These emerging leaders provide an organisation
with key insights
into our changing, ever evolving world if we provide the
platform for
them to do so.
One of the key challenges for organisa<ons in today’s fiercely compe<<ve global environment is how to inspire and retain its emerging leaders, understanding their key mo<va<on drivers and providing useful resources to further develop their skills and knowledge. These emerging leaders provide an organisa<on with key insights into our changing, ever evolving world if we provide the pladorm for them to do so. Now in its third year, the Emerging Leaders Report is unique in providing an honest commentary of young professionals in Australia. In previous surveys, findings have demonstrated a strong need to fire the imagina<on and skills of those who show talent and ambi<on. Emerging leader crave the chance to influence their workplace, but ofen feel s<fled by a lack of opportuni<es to display their talents. Businesses can gain an advantage by developing these young leaders by understanding what they value and what they expect from their employers as they define their careers and lives. The report focuses on the expecta<ons and challenges faced by emerging leaders in the workplace, what encourages emerging leaders to stay with an employer and how to become an employer of choice. The comments highlighted by survey respondents offer opinions that are representa<ve of general themes that have emerged from results. We have also provided comprehensive, concise analysis of the data to ensure the cri<cal informa<on that business leaders need to know is easily accessible.
Survey Methodology
Emerging leaders
crave the chance to influence their workplace.
The survey behind the Emerging Leaders Report was conducted online in May and June of 2012 and targeted young professionals across Australia keen to develop and progress in their careers and generally give credence to the <tle ‘Emerging Leaders’. Predominantly, the survey was promoted through the online collabora<ve community emergen.com.au which was established to facilitate networking between young emerging leaders aged between 20 and 35. The survey was also sent to various professional industry associa<ons which together give our results a vast array of opinions origina<ng from a variety of backgrounds. The survey aOracted a broad range of ages between 20 and 39, with the majority of par<cipants between 23 and 32. The survey was completed by 201 people, of which 65.2% were female and just over a third male (34.8%). The size of business worked for by par<cipants also offered a good split, with almost a third employed in smaller companies (32.3%), 24.4% working in businesses with between 50 and 500 employees and the greatest single
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propor<on employed in businesses with over 500 employees (43.3%). Again, the scope of businesses covered was well split with 30.9% at local or regional businesses, 31.3% with na<onal businesses and 37.8% working for global businesses. The greatest single propor<on of par<cipants had been with their employer for between 1 and 3 years (38%). New starters of a year or less made up 31% of the par<cipants, 17% had been employed for between 3 and 5 years and finally 10.5% had been with their employer for over five years. 3.5% were either students or unemployed. The split of industries saw many par<cipants coming from professional services, educa<on services and government. As well as these, par<cipants came from mining, healthcare and construc<on backgrounds amongst others. Over half the par<cipants (56.7%) spend the majority of their <me in Western Australia, whilst the next greatest propor<on reside in Victoria (18.9%) and thirdly New South Wales (12.4%). 43.3% of our par<cipants are members of the online community emergen.com.au. 43.7% of par<cipants are currently in a leadership posi<on in the workplace. The survey follows the trends that have developed over the last three years, as well as opportunity for the par<cipants to provide commentary on specific ques<ons rela<ng to the main focuses of the report: leadership issues and career ambi<ons. With no obliga<ons from outside influences to dictate results in any way, the findings of this report transforms outdated opinions of a younger genera<on and generates real insight into Australia’s emerging leaders.
emergen Emergen.com.au
activating emerging leaders
Emergen is a collabora<ve online community that ac<vates young emerging leaders in Australia. It’s free to join and has a range of resources and ac<vi<es for young professionals.
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Challenges in the Workplace When asked to describe their biggest challenge in the workplace, the majority of par<cipants responded: ‘GeSng opportuni3es to gain more knowledge to further my career’
The$biggest$challenges$for$Emerging$Leaders$$ in$the$workplace$ Influencing$Leadership$
“How to identify and develop the
necessary skills
8.2%$
OrganisaGonal$Culture$
9.4%$
SelfAconfidence$Issues$
9.4%$
Management$Skills$
and experience so
13.8%$
Age/inexperience$Barriers$
that I can
29.0%$
Professional$Development$
contribute
meaningfully to the
0.0%$ 5.0%$ 10.0%$ 15.0%$ 20.0%$
company's
30.2%$
25.0%$ 30.0%$ 35.0%$
objectives as well
be in a position to advance my career.”
The biggest challenge for emerging leaders was again limited access to professional development, with 30.2% of the total responses rela<ng directly to it. This follows on from last year’s result which found a very similar outcome with 24% of the total. This year, respondents cited the following skills and knowledge that they wanted to develop: -‐ -‐ -‐ -‐ -‐
Dealing with colleagues, team members and their manager Leadership and managerial skills Time management Building credibility Finding mentors
Emerging leaders have been shaped by the no<on of life long learning and therefore see professional development as a key part of their careers. As they are s<ll developing themselves as leaders, they see professional development as a way to get ahead. Mentoring and training programs were men<oned as preferred methods of professional development.
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The second biggest challenge was being held back by their age and perceived inexperience (29%). ‘Finding room to grow, and being taken seriously by fellow employees’ Challenges rela<ng to being discriminated against based on age was highlighted again afer having first surfaced in our 2010 report as a major problem but not specifically in 2011. This year, almost 30% thought this was a major challenge. Emerging leaders require an environment to trial new ideas and make mistakes, an environment that is also conducive to innova<on. However, many young professionals don’t feel like they have the suppor<ve environment to learn and grow. Thirteen percent of respondents named the need for greater management skills to fulfil their leadership responsibili-es. “Managing people that have more years (age and experience) than myself”, “developing leadership and management skills which are not taught in university” and “managing other people” were common comments that highlighted the need for greater leadership training for new leaders.
“Being so young in a position of
leadership, I find it frustrating that
people often refer to my age, in that
'you are too young to know that'.”
Almost one in ten par-cipants (9.4%) listed confidence issues as a major concern. Examples of challenges include ‘being able to voice opinions’ and ‘confidence in my abili3es from both myself and others’. Combined with feelings of having to build credibility and “being taken seriously by the ‘old guard’” indicates a lack of support and guidance for emerging leaders. This has been men<oned in previous reports. Lack of recogni<on or credibility among colleagues, limited engagement with leaders and not being considered for roles with greater responsibility can disenchant younger professionals who wish to succeed and move ahead. Mentoring, support and career guidance can acknowledge their feelings and set them on the right track. Other challenges that were men<oned by respondents included: -‐
Dealing with gender biases and harassment (par<cularly for young women) Defining their talents and strengths Work/Life balance
-‐ -‐
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Nurturing Emerging Leaders A concern ofen raised in previous years of this study has shown that young professionals believe there to be a lack of opportuni-es for them to show their leadership talents. The graph shows what percentage of young professionals agreed that each category was a factor in holding them back from leadership roles. What%holds%you%back%from%going%for%leadership%roles%at%work?%% Qualifica8ons$
20.9%$
Age$
41.8%$
There is a clear
Lack$of$Opportuni8es$
connection between
Organisa8onal$culture$
the top three
48.1%$
55.1%$
Experience$ 63.3%$
responses: a lack of
0.0%$
experience comes
10.0%$
20.0%$
30.0%$
40.0%$
50.0%$
60.0%$
70.0%$
from a lack of opportunities to gain experience.
The greatest degree of agreement was given to experience with almost two thirds agreeing (63.3%). This follows on last year’s study that found experience to be the second biggest factor behind the employee’s age. This year, the second most well-‐supported response was that the organisa<onal structure holding emerging leaders back from leadership posi<ons (55.1%). Other points of interest were a lack of opportuni<es (gaining 48.1% agreement) and last year’s top factor, age – this year achieving 41.8% agreement. Extent of disagreement roughly followed this guide in reverse, however more than anything else respondents disagreed that qualifica<ons were holding them back (55.7%). There is a clear connec-on between the top three responses: a lack of experience comes from a lack of opportuni-es to gain experience, which in turn comes as a result of the organisa-onal culture and a_tude towards such development. Our findings have shown that emerging leaders are aware that their age and perceived inexperience is a drawback to their progression and so are desperate to find opportuni<es to alter that. Most do not believe businesses are doing enough to give young professionals every opportunity to be prepared to go for such roles.
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Biggest Leadership Challenges for Emerging Leaders The biggest leadership challenge facing young professionals today is the ability to manage and mo-vate other employees. This was expressed in many formats and from various perspec<ves, but overwhelmingly, 47.6% saw this as their greatest leadership challenge.
“Inspiring excellence in others. Older management
personnel that have been in the
The$Biggest$Leadership$Challenges$for$Emerging$Leaders$
organisation a long
11.3%&
Lack&of&Training/Resources&
time and are not
open to new ideas/
15.3%&
Age/inexperience&Barriers& Organisa)onal&culture&&&Leadership&Issues& Managing&and&Mo)va)ng&Others&
ways of doing
25.8%&
things.”
47.6%&
0.0%& 10.0%& 20.0%& 30.0%& 40.0%& 50.0%&
Beyond this dominant factor, the next biggest challenge was overcoming the organisa-onal culture and influencing leadership (25.8%), then came age or inexperience related barriers (15.3%) and finally a lack of training or resources (11.3%).
Perceived barriers rela<ng to the professional’s age and experience have also risen. Comments such as ‘people don’t take me seriously because I am young’ and ‘being seen as credible’ demonstrate issues of authority as young people baOle against discriminatory barriers in order to do their job. Yet many emerging leaders recognise that managing older employees can some<mes lead to a clash of work styles, expecta<ons and strengths on both sides: “The ability to connect with people older than you, who might feel frustrated and irritated by your constant energy and well-‐respected ideas.” Other comments that provide insight into the leadership challenges: “Unable to create a good team that unites together.” “Inspiring my team to employ the same customer first and change champion mindset I subscribe to.”
These young professionals have a
“Re-‐engaging other employees that have become complacent / lost drive due to lack of leadership.”
passion and desire to
“Feeling unsupported and isolated”
inspire excellence and create high performing teams.
“Encouraging and suppor3ng autonomy and the ability to problem solve” “Finding the balance between suppor3ng people and challenging them/ pushing them to achieve more.” “Challenge of taking on new teams and establishing boundaries and expecta3ons Frustrated by levels of bureaucracy that s3fles change and innova3on” These young professionals have a passion and desire to inspire excellence and create high performing teams. Organisa<ons can harness this through suppor<ve work environments, mentoring and training, and role modelling collabora<ve leadership.
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Developing and Retaining Young Professionals In difficult <mes, retaining and developing the young professionals in your organisa<on may give you a compe<<ve edge over a compe<tor who neglects this and sees ambi<ous, younger genera<ons leave for more demanding challenges and opportuni<es elsewhere. Effec-ve Reten-on Nearly thirty percent of survey respondents were happy to stay with their current employer for more than 5 years. ‘I like my workplace environment and the company culture’ Suppor<ve work environments and leaders who nurture emerging leaders are rewarded with less turnover. ‘I’m looking to cement myself within a company that has true poten3al’
How$long$Emerging$Leaders$intend$to$stay$with$ their$employers$ 5+$years$
28.9%$
3"4$years$
18.1%$
1"2$years$ 0.0%$ 10.0%$ 20.0%$ 30.0%$ 40.0%$ 50.0%$
53.0%$
“Not sure if there are advancement
60.0%$
opportunities and my Over 50% of par<cipants responded that they intend to stay with their current employer for less than two years. Respondents saying three years (12.1%) and four years (6%) did not make up a large propor<on of responses.
work may become repetitious”
Reten%on trends over the last three years Looking over a longer period of <me, the percentage intending to stay for 1-‐2 years has grown substan<ally year on year, with under 40% in 2010, almost 45% last year and as previously stated over 50% this year. In contrast, those that see their medium term future with their current employer seem to be on the decline, demonstrated by over a quarter of respondents in 2010 dropping in 2011, with con<nua<on of that trend this year with now only 18.1%. However, those with long-‐term plans firmly
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Changes(in(Prospec/ve(Time(with(Current(Employer( 40.0%$ 35.0%$ 30.0%$ 25.0%$ 2010$
20.0%$
2011$
15.0%$
Long-term employee loyalty can be found in today’s young
2012$
10.0%$ 5.0%$ 0.0%$ 1$year$
2$years$
3$years$
4$years$
5$years$
professionals and that there is plenty an employer can do to generate and sustain this.
established with their current employers rose drama<cally on last year with a jump from 18.1% to 28.9%, implying that long-‐term employee loyalty can be found in today’s young professionals and that there is plenty an employer can do to generate and sustain this. Young professionals are becoming increasingly decisive; those who are unhappy have shown intent to give their employers only a few years to improve situa<ons, compared with happier young professionals who have become increasingly confident in commiqng to one organisa<on for an extended period of <me. This will please employers and HR departments who can recognise the need to be efficient in communica<ng with young staff to resolve issues quickly. This will result in longer-‐term sa<sfac<on and subsequent greater employee reten<on. Effec-ve Development How do you best develop your emerging leaders? What are they really looking for to prepare themselves for leadership roles? In the 2012 survey, respondents were asked to choose their most preferred from five key development strategies that had been resonant in previous reports. This was designed to assist organisa<ons priori<se high value development strategies for emerging leaders. The greatest agreement was given to ‘Prac-cal Experience’ with over 90% of respondents agreeing and less than 4% disagreeing, giving a combined total of 87.3%. The second most preferred strategy was ‘Shadowing & Consulta-on’ with a combined score of 81.7%, which refers to observing others in leadership and having access to mentoring and networking opportuni-es.
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Current'Methods'of'Leadership'Prepara3on'' used'by'Emerging'Leaders' Further$Educa.on$
34.8%$
Workshops$
“Experience in
52.5%$
Reading$
leadership roles are
58.8%$
Shadowing$&$Consulta.on$
81.7%$
Prac.cal$Experience$ 0.0%$
87.3%$ 20.0%$
40.0%$
60.0%$
80.0%$
essential in building confidence and ability”
100.0%$
Thirdly came ‘Self Development’ (reading outside of the workplace) with 58.8% and fourth was afending conferences/workshops with 52.5% and finally came ter-ary educa-on with 34.8% combined agreement. This follows last year’s results which found a similar trend – prac<cal experience and social learning ranked first and second, with reading fourth overall and ter<ary educa<on fifh. When opportuni<es to lead cannot be provided, offering a young professional further exposure to higher management and leadership can easily be encouraged through an effec<ve mentoring program. Conferences and training can be expensive for young professionals and many can presented in an uninspiring and non-‐interac<ve way that doesn’t connect with their younger par<cipants. Although some examples are star<ng to emerge of dynamic conferencing involving smaller numbers, dynamic and challenging group ac<vi<es and greater emo<onal connec<on. Only (56.3%) agreed in principle that ter<ary educa<on was a preferred method of leadership development, being the lowest general agreement Yet, 42.6% of those strongly agreed, the highest strongly agree percentage out of any of the factors, implying that those keen to follow the ter<ary educa<on method are very keen to do so and are more likely to work hard for the substan<ve benefits they believe they stand to gain.
“Mentoring is
undervalued in my organisation”
Empowering Tomorrow’s Leaders Today The two most preferred ways of developing leadership in emerging leaders, as found in the survey, are providing opportuni<es to lead (24.7%) and by providing training and development (24.1%). Most%preferred%Leadership%Prepara0on%Methods%% for%Emerging%Leaders%in%the%Workplace% Support$from$Colleagues$
“Our company has
External$mentoring$
quite a flat
promotions within
13.0%$
Internal$mentoring$
structure with
opportunities for
10.1%$
13.9%$
Strong$Leadership$
14.2%$
Training$and$Development$
24.1%$
Leadership$Opportuni6es$
our team extremely
24.7%$ 0.0%$
limited. I have
5.0%$
10.0%$
15.0%$
sought our
20.0%$
25.0%$
opportunities to
move across to gain business experience
and the business has been extremely supportive.”
The number one method this year was opportuni-es to lead (24.7%), con-nuing their desire for prac-cal experience. This was very closely followed in second by training and development with 24.1%. This follows last year’s results that offered the same number one method – opportuni<es to lead. In third came the need for strong leadership examples from above (14.2%), before internal and external mentoring (13.9% and 13% respec<vely) and finally support from colleagues (10.1%). In comparison to last year’s findings, support from colleagues has dropped in value as a way of helping an Emerging Leader succeed in leadership. Furthermore, whilst mentoring appears to have gathered support over the last year, the most preferred methods are those which have occupied our top three spots two years running. It is thought that some businesses neglect mentoring opportuni<es from external par<es as they do not see the benefits an outside perspec<ve may have on an individual or team’s performance. They believe it beOer to manage from within, however this does not always allow for all issues to be accounted for as both par<es have a form of vested interest within the organisa<on. Furthermore, employees may not feel en<rely comfortable discussing key issues with senior staff if they believe it may damage their personal reputa<on in higher circles. A neutral external mentor may be able to offer solu<ons to both problems and deliver informed feedback to all par<es.
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Workplace Incen-ves Understanding the workplace incen<ves that are important to emerging leaders is key in retaining them as staff. We asked our survey respondents what they look for in an employer, providing ten op<ons that offered a great variety of choice to the par<cipant. We asked them to list these answers in order of preference. We found the most important workplace quality to emerging leaders in our sample is ‘Challenging Work’, with a score of 16.2% when all figures are taken into account and total up to 100%. Next came ‘Great Culture and Staff’ with a score of 13.8%, and comple-ng the top three was ‘Work/Life Balance’ with 11.7%. In comparison to previous findings, our top two have featured in the top five in both previous years, however a good work/life balance appears to be growing in importance to Emerging Leaders. ‘Career Development’, first and second placed respec<vely in the past years, dropped to fourth this year with 11.4%. Next came ‘Fair Pay’ (11.0%), ‘Advancement Opportuni<es’ (10.6%) and ‘Company Leadership’ (8.5%).
Our top two
results, challenging work and great culture have
feature in the top five in both
previous years of the survey.
What%Emerging%Leaders%want%from%an%Organisa4on% NonNFinancial$Benefits$
4.3%$
Corporate$Social$Responsibility$
5.6%$
Company$ReputaHon$
6.9%$
Company$Leadership$
8.5%$
Advancement$OpportuniHes$$
10.6%$
Fair$Pay$
11.0%$
Career$Development$ Work/Life$Balance$ Great$Culture$
11.4%$ 11.7%$
Challenging$Work$
13.8%$
16.2%$ 0.0%$ 2.0%$ 4.0%$ 6.0%$ 8.0%$ 10.0%$ 12.0%$ 14.0%$ 16.0%$ 18.0%$
Financial mo<va<ons do not appear un<l fifh highligh<ng that emerging leaders highly value the enjoyment and mental s<mula<on they get from working above all else. Businesses should be delighted by this result – ensuring ‘Challenging Work’ for employees should be possible for businesses in almost any circumstances. Therefore, keeping staff invigorated and absorbed in their du<es should be the number one concern for personnel strategies. A ‘Great Culture’ has always rated highly in the top incen<ves that keep emerging leaders at a workplace. Young professionals see the workplace as an extension of their social network, therefore placing a greater priority on workplace dynamics in their decisions on whether to stay or not. In previous surveys, a ‘Great Culture’ has been described by respondents as:
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“Good people to work with. A great vision too” “If your work colleagues are people you get along with certainly makes working life easier as well as helping to ease frustra3ons we may have from management” “A good corporate culture -‐ a company that cares for it’s employees” Trends across the last three years
‘Challenging Work’
Looking at the top five incen<ves from across all three years shows that Emerging Leaders have their eyes firmly set on their careers and less so on their personal gain. ‘Challenging Work’ and ‘Career Development’ have remained very important and been joined by ‘Great Culture’ as being the top incen-ves and expecta-ons of the workplace. In further comparison to previous years, ‘Fair Pay’ has remained an important if not top level priority with back-‐to-‐back fifh best overall posi<ons, sugges<ng that par<cipants expect this to be fair without having to priori<se it.
and ‘Career
Top 5 Incen%ves 2010 -‐ 2012
Development’ have 2010
remained very important and been
2011
2012
#1
Challenging Work
Career Development
Challenging Work
#2
Career Development
Great Culture/Staff
Great Culture/Staff
top incentives and
#3
Fair Pay
*Training/Mentoring
Work/Life Balance
expectations of the
#4
*Recogni<on
Advancement Opportuni<es
Career Development
#5
Great Culture/Staff
Fair Pay
Fair Pay
joined by ‘Great Culture’ as being the
workplace
*These choices were not available to respondents in the 2012 Survey as they were deemed repe<<ve.
Knowing what employees expect from your organisa<on is integral in retaining your workforce. However, a similarly important aspect of maintaining employer morale and high employee reten<on in the long term is understanding the reasons why they choose to come to work every day. We asked emerging leaders to rank a number of diverse mo<va<onal drivers from one to six to really understand what deep, underlying desires exist in today’s emerging leaders.
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Career Mo-va-onal Drivers These results were generally very close and our responses saw results for all possible answers averaging between 3 and 4, confirming that none are heavily more important than any other. The highest overall was the Emerging Leader’s Lifestyle (averaging 3.15), closely followed by their Development (3.35) and Self Esteem (3.39). Next up came Financial mo<va<ons (3.49), Altruis<c mo<va<ons (3.64) and finally Rela<onships (3.97).
“I’m struggling with a specific plan to
achieve my career goals. I would really appreciate
mentoring or advice
Career%Mo(va(onal%Drivers%for%Emerging%Leaders%
but not sure where to get it”
Rela=onships" Altruis=c" Financial" Self"Esteem" Development" Lifestyle" 1"
1.5"
2"
2.5"
3"
We can acknowledge that lifestyle came out on top, which follows up other data telling us that young professionals desire a beOer work/life balance – there is a link between these two sta<s<cs.
“The older I get, the
Furthermore, that the financial mo<vator only turns up fourth out of six gives further jus<fica<on to the claim that Emerging Leaders are less mo<vated by money. As we can see, ‘development’ and ‘self-‐esteem’ came second and third respec<vely which adds to the general principle previously noted that Emerging Leaders have a focus on their careers and maximising their poten<al in the workplace.
position. I don’t
less I want to be in a very senior
want to deal with the politics and I
want to make sure I
actually have time to make a difference to my workplace and community”
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Empowering Tomorrow’s Leaders Today
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Conclusion and Recommenda-ons
“Many companies
believe they have a
great program for
mentoring staff and preparing them for leadership however in practice it does
not work. I believe that companies do require external
help to not only set up leadership
programs but to
also monitor them
and make sure they
are done correctly”.
This report highlights, for the third year in a row, the expecta<ons and challenges faced by young emerging leaders in the workplace. It offers guidance when designing workplace culture, incen<ves and opportuni<es to overcome the difficul<es that send young professionals out the door to look for opportuni<es elsewhere. What is recognised in this report and in previous years, there is a great amount of enthusiasm and commitment by emerging leaders to give fully to their workplace and if this is harnessed, can be a great compe--ve edge for employers. Younger professionals are highly educated and seek opportuni<es to further develop themselves through challenging work, mentors and advanced training. These strategies are more than enough to keep emerging leaders loyal to your organisa<on. Here are our recommenda<ons from the survey results this year. 1. Young professionals believe that the greatest challenge facing them is being given diverse opportuni-es for professional development. 30% of our respondents directly addressed this as an issue and believe that they are not rewarded with opportuni<es reflec<ve of their efforts. Furthermore, if opportuni<es to lead are unavailable, young professionals expect there to be training schemes in place so that their professional development doesn’t suffer.
What to do? We recommend an emerging leaders program that gives emerging leaders the opportunity to learn, share and prac<ce skills in a safe environment. This type of program may include shadowing senior leaders to provide them with further experience and insight in the business. Be aware of external opportuni<es to your business that can be recommended to employees such as networking events, conferences and mentoring programs as these can be rewards for outstanding efforts.
2. Young professionals in leadership posi-ons cited managing others as their greatest challenge. Emerging leaders cited both leadership challenges as well as the challenge of managing staff who are older than themselves as demanding.
What to do? Host discussions for new managers to communicate the common challenges when leading their team such as inspiring a shared vision, balancing leadership and friendship, fostering mo<va<on and building credibility. This support will nurture their leadership abili<es.
Empowering Tomorrow’s Leaders Today
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19
3. Figures from this year suggest that a trend of short-‐termism may be infiltra<ng young professionals with over 50% intending to stay with their current employee for only two years or less. On the other hand, a growing trend for young professionals commi_ng to an organisa-on for over five years shows the other side of this. What can be made of this? Young professionals are becoming increasingly decisive in their ac<on; if they’re not happy, they’re less prepared to hang around to see if anything improves.
“In most
workplaces, the
emphasis of training is always on
graduates and
What to do? To ensure that your young professionals don’t start jumping ship, iden<fy high poten<al emerging leaders and conduct quarterly professional development plans that include monthly reviews, an emerging leaders program and regular mentoring. This will ensure that organisa<ons to adjust strategies for the individual through this regular communica<on.
senior management and forget
everyone else in between”
4. Results from several ques<ons emphasised the importance of con-nuing to offer employees challenging work and mental s-mula-on. This was recorded as the highest career goal for our Emerging Leaders and as such should be an absolute priority for businesses. U<lise this ambi<on and harness it in your workplace.
What to do? Fostering variety in the workplace increases in mental s<mula<on and can be achieved by implemen<ng work rota<ons so that the distribu<on of work can be seen as fair. Employees are more likely to put up with s<nts of less s<mula<ng work if they know they are soon to be in line for jobs and projects that are perceived as more s<mula<ng. Develop champion roles to assess and recommend strategies for work projects, workplace culture or based on the interests of the employee. For example, designing a volunteer program, coordina<ng social media or designing professional development plans.
5. Beyond challenging work, other key factors that scored highly were an afrac-ve organisa-onal culture and work/life balance. As young professionals enter the workforce, they bring with them their concep<ons about an ideal work life. This includes flexible working arrangements, allowing them to achieve a number of priori<es in life such as travel and volunteering. In order to achieve this, they will need to feel comfortable within the culture and feel that this fits their character, both personally and professionally.
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Empowering Tomorrow’s Leaders Today
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What to do? Ensure ample <me is given to discussing the workplace values and culture within your organisa<on as well as how they are put into ac<on. Emerging leaders look towards senior leadership to role model the preferred values and culture of the organisa<on. Use this report as a catalyst to discuss what is preferred work culture for employees and brainstorm how this can be put into ac<on straight away.
6. Iden-fy interna-onal opportuni-es for emerging leaders who are keen to stay with the organisa-on. A trend towards incorpora<ng overseas travel into employment opens many opportuni<es to businesses for increased interna<onalisa<on. Almost four in five par<cipants agreed they wanted to incorporate overseas travel into their career. Opportuni<es might include fostering partnerships with overseas organisa<ons to share knowledge, gain new markets or generate more value from suppliers. Businesses should take advantage of the flexibility of today’s workforce; those that can’t might see ambi<ous young professionals leave to realise these dreams with rival organisa<ons.
“The workplace
needs to create an
open and supportive
What to do? As well as implement strategies outlined above that help young professionals to understand the direc<on their career pathway, it is important to hold regular consulta<on mee<ngs to share concerns or hopes for what might be achieved in the future differently. Furthermore, look to establish flexible working arrangements with employees so that they can tune their work life to suit their personal lives, therefore maintaining sa<sfac<on and loyalty.
environment for
emerging leaders not just spout rhetoric.”
7. It is vital to lead a suppor-ve and encouraging environment that iden<fies and nurtures the strengths of your diverse workforce. Many young professionals have expressed the concern that their work is not judged on their merits and is ofen influenced by what others think they should be capable of given their age or rela<ve experience.
What to do? Develop a strengths map detailing the unique strengths, including knowledge, experience and skills, that team members possess. Workplace teams should focus on u<lising the talents that team members possess to gain the best work outcomes. Proper feedback mechanisms can then work with emerging leaders to iden<fy areas of fatal flaws that could bring them down.
Empowering Tomorrow’s Leaders Today
www.aliciacur<s.com
21
Need help implemen-ng these ideas? Alicia Cur<s can help your organisa<on effec<vely implement the recommenda<ons in this report from facilita<ng focus groups to developing e-‐mags or videos for or with your young staff. As an example Alicia regularly provides the following services: 1. Emerging Leaders Programs Alicia can develop and facilitate a customised leadership development program for your young professionals. The basis is eight workshops, all of which have been developed from the unique challenges facing young professionals in the workplace, then the program can include other ac<vi<es such as excursions, showcases, speakers, prac<cal challenges and more. 2. Mee-ng of the Minds Bring together eight young professionals to foster and mentor at a monthly Mee<ng of the Minds. These sessions are unlike any normal workshop, they focus on the individual workplace challenges of par<cipants and provide monthly accountability on their professional goals in a safe environment. Mee<ng of the Minds are three hours long and run monthly. They challenge par<cipants to share their goals, overcome their workplace challenges and review their learning and development plans. 3. Management Presenta-ons Alicia can present the findings of this report to your senior management and facilitate a think tank session to gather the strategies to ignite the high poten<al employees in your organisa<on. 4. Join Emergen Alicia is the founder of Emergen, a collabora<ve online community for emerging leaders. Encourage your young professionals to register for Emergen -‐ www.emergen.com.au for a wide range of resources, events and opportuni<es. Alicia can provide all these AND MORE. Contact Alicia to start the conversa<on about how to engage your emerging leaders. Contact: Alicia Cur<s -‐ 0413 565 338 or alicia@aliciacur<s.com
aliciacurtis P.O Box 7273, Karawara WA 6152 + 61 8 9313 2880 alicia@aliciacur<s.com www.aliciacur<s.com www.emergen.com.au