Where Will We Find Tomorrow’s Leaders?
I mentioned this Harvard Business Review article (in the January 2008 issue) during the Y-Talk Radio roundtable last night, and I think it’s worth a read — “Where Will We Find Tomorrow’s Leaders? A Conversation with Linda A. Hill.” Prof. Hill of Harvard Business School has been researching new forms of leadership, looking closely at emerging nations and “invisible” groups here at home to see what U.S. companies can learn from leadership models other than the standard Western styles of leading. She has some fascinating observations for us, and she explores two ideas in depth in this conversation: leading from behind, and leadership as collective genius. It’s clear that these trends in leadership thinking apply directly to the kind of leadership that will appeal to Gen Y — they will naturally gravitate toward leaders who operate in these ways. Also of interest is Prof. Hill’s contention that we should cast our nets more broadly when we search for emerging leaders to be developed; if we let people volunteer for leadership development experiences, we’ll expand the pool of potential leadership talent and capture a greater diversity of leadership styles — something else that appeals to Gen Y.
