Six Best Practices In Strengthening Cross-Generational Leadership

While much has been written about what millennials want in the workplace, little has revealed what it is that really brings out their best performance. Now the largest component of our workforce, this is particularly true when it comes to the colleagues you put them alongside. While many might believe that fellow millennials are the optimal teammates, research proves that millennial leaders operate at their most effective when paired with seasoned Gen X and Boomer counterparts. The Millennial Dream Team is therefore cross-generational — it blends the energy of emerging ideas with the wisdom of experience. But bridging generational differences and needs doesn’t happen automatically, or easily. To build a powerhouse team that’s better together, you need to invest in the relationships that fuse the best of what the generational mix offers.

Fusing Legacy And Potential

Too often, the relationship between seasoned leaders and their millennial counterparts is viewed through the lens of conflict. After all, many incumbent leaders are fighting not only to establish a legacy, but also to stay relevant as the ground shifts under their feet. Considering these challenges, the presence of a young leader brimming with potential can seem like a threat. Meanwhile, younger leaders often feel threatened by older leaders’ attempts at control. But the truth is, the relationship is far more symbiotic. A millennial’s success adds luster to an incumbent leader’s legacy – and that legacy risks becoming obsolete without a new generation of leaders to carry it on. A thriving cross-generational relationship fuses legacy and potential, enabling the best performance from both.

Six Things That Bring Out A Millennial’s Best

So how do you open up a space that simultaneously nurtures potential and cultivates the power of legacy? In my research, I have found that the best multi-generational teams all practice these six behaviors:

1. Level the playing field.

Despite common clichés, not all incumbent leaders are dictators self-servingly presiding over others. And not all emerging leaders are recalcitrant rebels, intent on overthrowing their boss’ authority they feel is constraining free expression. Leaders need many others leading with them (not under, or for, them). While an organization’s hierarchy clarifies decision rights, too often it negatively implies a level of importance and privilege. Between millennials and those they lead with, rank can’t have privileges if you want to engage tomorrow’s leaders . Neutralize hierarchy and the trappings of status associated with it, and approach work on equal footing. Mutual respect will emerge from being equals, not because of the authority one has. It’s especially important when veteran employees find themselves reporting to younger, millennial leaders.

 2. Have deep and honest conversations.

Sadly, genuine conversation has become perceived as something dangerous in many organizations. People withhold the truth, especially in public settings, and only settle for the pleasantries of civil transactions. The depth of meaningful interaction is forfeited for a safe, plastic-coated image that exchanges pleasantries in public, and occasionally, truth in private. The amount of wasted energy and resource can be staggering. Emerging leaders are hungry for meaningful conversation, not just advice or inspiring “war stories.” Those help, but what’s needed to secure their future commitment are conversations about failures, worries, and hopes which go underneath the typical organizational veneer toward genuineness and authenticity. Millennial leaders want to know your humanity. The want to know those they work with understand their own limitations. Their natural hunger for feedback is fueled not by self-centeredness, but by a desire to get better . They expect the same hunger from those they lead with. 

3. Give each other a voice at the table.

For many years, the success of one’s climb up the corporate ladder was defined by having a seat at the table. Many became disillusioned because they quickly learned that it was nothing more than a seat – observer status without a voice. Today, most incumbent leaders I see are genuinely trying to break free of their “make it look like others had a say” conditioning. The problem they have is a lack of experience truly relinquishing control into the hands of others whose voices may well differ, but from whom great results might come.

In great relationships between leaders, there’s no faking it. They offer each other genuine invitations to have one another’s voice at the table, resulting in a passionate commitment to a shared direction. Despite the popular misconception, millennials don’t need to have their way. But they do want to be heard. Both generations need to be equally comfortable having their minds changed.

4. Dream big.

In contrast to many incumbent leaders, emerging leaders tend to dream big. Their disenfranchisement often propels them toward passionate desire for great change. Sometimes their desire creates delusions of grandeur and spawns arrogance. But their ability to conceive of an exciting future can be inspiring. In my research with emerging leaders, the most energizing, hopeful conversations were anchored in “dreaming.” Incumbent leaders need to temper their desire for predictable processes long enough to allow the freshness of new dreams to emerge – both from within themselves and within the emerging leaders they are inviting to the future. Concurrently, emerging leaders need to balance their unbridled capacity to imagine the future with an appreciation for the complexities of organizations that must adapt to a fast approaching future. Standardization is a good thing. It should liberate creativity, not neuter it. 

5. Make learning mutual.

I am repeatedly struck by the hunger evident in emerging leaders to have true contributing mentors – leaders with a deep understanding of their particular organization and who care about younger leaders’ futures. They are longing to be invested in by leaders they respect and regard, but terrified of losing their identities and being cloned into what they don’t value. If the next generation of leaders is going to be well prepared to lead in contexts of greater uncertainty and opportunity, both incumbent and emerging leaders are going to have to encounter and embrace their differences. In great leadership relationships, mere one-way advice is set aside and mutual participation and generous contribution in one another’s capability enables the pursuit of deep development. Years ago, “reverse-mentoring” was coined to depict millennials investing in the growth of more seasoned leaders. Learning is accelerated when both generations are deeply invested in one another’s development. 

6. Be grateful for one another.

Gratitude goes beyond a mere compliment; it involves explaining why you are thankful for the completed task or the persuasive presentation. People are always glad to have their work acknowledged. But to know that it matters to you is something more. Taking the time to tell of the personal impact a contribution had on you solidifies your acknowledgement as personal. Showing an interest in their contribution – regardless of how large or small – by asking how they did it, signals a deeper level of gratitude that any leader would appreciate hearing. Great relationships begin with gratitude, not just regarding what someone does, but also who they are as a person.

Millennials aren’t the enigma generation they once were. They’ve taught us much about how to elicit their greatest contributions. Building a cross-generational team of mutually invested leaders around them is a sure way to help them thrive.

Originally published at Forbes.