To me, you are demonstrating what the path to leadership is right now–making your own way and your own opportunities. Rather than waiting for someone to develop you, you are developing yourself through blogging, seeking out mentors, etc. When the time comes, you’ll be ready–or as ready as you can be.

I’m not sure that anyone can say that they are “ready” to assume the mantle of leadership because until we’re there, we can never truly know what it’s like or how we’ll handle things. Until then, you prepare yourself by seeking out experiences and learning that will shape you into the leader and person you want to be. I personally think that what will ultimately happen is that new generations will simply create their own institutions to replace the old ways of doing business. And that’s real leadership in my book!

I enjoyed your post very much. Great use of Coming to America. I have watched that movie several times. Can’t say why I just have always liked it.

Generational differences in the workplace is an important issue as you clearly see. As an early gen X’r with baby boomer tendencies I can to a limited extent share your frustration and yet can understand where you are coming from. Many of my contemporaries and the generations before me demand that you earn your stripes through accomplishments AND time served in the organization before any promotions will come your way. These perspectives in today’s workplace seem outdated and in need of change. But with what do we replace them? How do we span the values gap between the generations?

This happens when leaders such as you and I step up and change the context. Sometimes an evolutionary approach is wisest other times a revolutionary approach is in order. It is contextual of course. Have you read Ron Heifitz’ book Leadership Without Easy Answers? While not exactly on point for the generational issue I love the way social change is presented through the metaphor of a pressure cooker.

In my Masters program I had the opportunity to participate in a number of generational research projects. There is certainly a vast quantity of relevant research, but the application is where we often fall short. People fail to realize that their own generational tendencies are no more important than those of the other generations. They are starting points for a discussion and the opportunity to build a bridge. Yes the generations have different priorities but we must start where there is common ground.

Ron Hurst
http://www.materialleadership.blogspot.com