We’ve all seen it coming. We’ve heard about it for years. It certainly shouldn’t be a surprise, yet companies everywhere seem ill prepared. The baby boomers are retiring. How wonderful for them. What a company shakeup for you! 

Company cornerstones

The departing employees are from an era we all know and love. They grew up with Ozzie & Harriet, Leave it to Beaver, and Father Knows Best. They lived by the value of having a good work ethic. They operated within the company hierarchy and a new job simply meant getting a promotion to that next level in the organizational chart. These employees worked their way up the ranks, gathering years of knowledge and experience along the way, and became critical cornerstones in the company’s operation. 

Obviously, this is a generalization; but as a workforce generation, these departing employees are from a very different time than the up-and-coming replacement pool. The younger workers of today have grown up in the fast-paced, high-energy, ever-changing world of technology and mega-media. They are creative, energetic and some may say perhaps a bit “selfish.” They have seen their parents devote their lives to a company, only to experience layoffs, downsizing, and company restructurings, closures or mergers. They have also seen firsthand how the devotion to the company has jeopardized time with the family. And they want more. They want better. They deserve better—and thus, the perception of selfishness. The younger workforce thrives on individual contribution to a team and the relationship that develops. They are devoted to the team, not necessarily the organization. They are quick to move and will search for creative ways to balance work and family.  

How does the new energy fill the experience void?

This is a challenging time for those left behind. Today, virtually every organization faces a profound leadership crisis. Departing long-term employees are leaving leadership voids that must be filled by a drastically different skill set.  The age-old solution of “promote from within” is often still the best strategy, but unfortunately yesterday’s succession systems are too rigid and static to meet the needs of tomorrow’s fast-paced marketplace. 

Today’s business reality is to not only identify the high potential employees, but also to establish systems to train, develop and retain these leaders of tomorrow. In addition, companies are faced with the reality that many of the departing leaders are taking with them a wealth of knowledge and expertise that only comes from years of experience, not to mention the biological maturity that comes from life itself. This void is only magnified by the volume of simultaneously departing leaders. In the past, individual departures, and the resulting transitions, could be easily supported by the remaining leadership. Today, many organizations are faced with losing several key leaders over short time frames and need to find strategies to support and develop the newly promoted associates.

It is often said that an organization’s success is defined by one major factor: the quality of its leaders. But developing these great leaders has never been tougher. Simply promoting from the front line is not enough. Technical skills and knowledge of the job aren’t enough to ensure an easy transition into management. Good leaders need to be able to delegate, motivate, manage, coach and counsel. In addition, promoted leaders face the challenge of directing and managing those that may have been former peers. This can create a challenge for an organization to ensure these skills are developed, in addition to the aforementioned company challenge of moving from the experienced leadership to the new age attitude. 

Strategically successful companies are recognizing the benefits of this new workforce and are capitalizing on the new ideas and energy that they bring to the organization.  However, these companies are also recognizing that strong leadership does not just “happen” when an employee is promoted. Training is a necessity to ensure that these new leaders are properly prepared for their new responsibilities.  Organizations are making the investment to implement training and development programs into their corporate strategy, and are aligning these programs to support their strategic objectives. The speed of business and keeping pace with the high-energy behaviors and needs of the new workforce create an era of strategic organizational challenges.  It is becoming increasingly evident that companies that don’t recognize the necessity of investing in the training and development of their new leaders will undoubtedly be lost in the shadows of those who do.  

When the future arrives at your company, will you be ready? 

		Elaine DeVlieger is the area manager for Manpower of Lansing. Her professional background includes experience in human resources, operations, purchasing, management and sales.