Friday 26 April 2019

Millennial Leaders - Two Books One Theme


As we prepare for Gen Z (those born after 2000) to enter the workplace the focus on the cohort before is shifting onto the way Gen Y (millennial's) are becoming leaders  and how we can encourage them in their leadership roles. Two recently published books which take this up in different ways are Leading the Millennial Way by Simon Barrington with Rachel Luetchford and Generation Y, Spirituality and SocialChange edited by Justine Afra Huxley. I would argue that anybody seriously interested in how this age group are emerging as leaders would find it useful to read both books.


The former is a dialogue between a Gen Xer and a Millennial where they explore report data they researched and produced at Forge Leadership. They dig behind the data for the trends that are emerging and what this can tell us about how millennial's feel about leadership, what they can learn about leadership and how those in older generations can adapt to develop the new ways of working which are emerging.

Whilst the make up of the sample used is not fully discussed, that would require a separate reading of the report which is available to download or buy in hard copy, it does reflect what other research and empirical evidence is showing and so I believe can be trusted. There is an implicit middle-class bias within this text, but that reflects the type of young adults who are being referred to in the book, on the whole, and the nature of British society at the moment.

The definitions used within the book are quite soft, but I believe that reflects the reality of the subject and the move into a world where influencers are now acting as leaders too. The move away from hierarchy to flatter ways of working is one of the changes highlighted in the book. I understand why this is, but I would suggest whilst we are moving to flatter ways of working hierarchies are still in place which is why, as the book says, this cohort is always looking to make sure they are progressing within their lives and within the work place.

Much of what is being said here will not be new to readers of writers such as Brene Brown, (who is quoted), for example. However, it is in places developed, for example when talking about knowing your own core values. Whilst the authors do have international experience they are writing from a very British standpoint which is refreshing as a lot of these types of business and leadership books come from the other side of the pond.

If you want to explore what the types of social projects that the millennial leaders being referred to in the book are involved in further I would suggest you turn to Justine Huxley’s book on Generation Y, Spirituality and Social Change. As with Leading the Millennial Way Huxley’s book is written by a Gen Xer ready to both engage and learn from the millennial's. Both books have the benefit of realising the importance of inter generational communication and learning.

Generation Y, Spirituality and Social Change is a book which shares interviews, stories and testimony from a range of different millennial leaders and change makers. They come a variety of spiritual backgrounds, reflecting the role Huxley has as Director of St. Ethelburga’s which is a centre working for reconciliation and peace, from an interfaith perspective.
The place of vulnerability in leadership was a core aspect of Leading the Millennial Way and is an important part of the discussion of leadership in part one of the book two. This part of the book includes an interview with James Adams who is of Methodist background and who has developed a range of social enterprise projects whilst training to be a doctor. This amazing young mans story can be seen to embody totally what the former book was talking about, as can many others within this book. The terms Huxley uses for the leadership being discussed is ‘natural leadership’ and for the spiritual ethical framework underpinning these stories she uses the term ‘sacred activism’.

The way that ancient teachings are reinterpreted or re-examined for the digital age or in light of the current digital, consumer age we find ourselves in is an aspect of the book I find particularly interesting too. There is a clear link between tradition and the present in much of what is being discussed as well as a firm rejection in many cases of practices that were seen to be lacking in integrity or were oppressive.

Both books bring identity into the discussion and are careful to reject the way that exclusion has occurred in the past because of gender or sexuality. However, this book deals with this more explicitly and includes the stories of LGBTQ people such as Orion Stephanie Johnstone in it too.

Another similarity between the two texts is the way in which they talk of the importance of inner and outer lives and the relationship between the two as people seek to have healthy and balanced lives.

As with the other book the one criticism you could make of this book is that it again has an implicit middle class bias. However, as these books are at the forefront of the genre I think others will come, and are coming – particularly as we look at how to grapple with the problems of youth violence many communities face with the Gen Z/ Gen Y hinge population.
I can highly recommend both books and than their authors for their work. I would recommend that people buy both and read them in tandem to get a clearer understanding of both the theory and what it looks like in practice and how it is changing our world.