This document outlines effective ways to build and retain young leaders. It discusses addressing stereotypes about youth and myths that they do not want leadership roles. The document proposes six ways to engage and retain young talent: 1) understand emerging leadership models favored by younger generations; 2) advocate for young leaders; 3) build a culture of change makers; 4) clearly define leadership opportunities; 5) build intergenerational mentor networks; and 6) enable employee-led initiatives. It emphasizes the importance of ceding control, embracing failure, and allowing youth to influence change.

1. Effective Ways to Build
and Retain Tomorrow’s
Leaders
Presented by:
Eric Meerkamper, President
DECODE
www.decode.net

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Eric Meerkamper
eric@decode.net

3. DECODE
powered by deeper knowledge of
young generations
© Decode 2011 Page 3

4. WHY IS ENGAGING AND
RETAINING YOUNG LEADERS
IMPORTANT TO YOU?
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5. Agenda
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1. Addressing youth stereotypes
2. What young employees think about leadership
3. Six ways to engage and retain the next generation
of leaders
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6. SO WHAT’S THE PROBLEM WITH
YOUTH?
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7. How Youth are often portrayed
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“Gen Y has been pampered, nurtured
and programmed with a slew of
activities since they were toddlers,
meaning they are both high-
performance and high-maintenance.”
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8. How Youth are often portrayed
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“They're young, smart, brash. They
may wear flip-flops to the office or
listen to iPods at their desk.”
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9. How Youth are often portrayed
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“Are Millennials Prone to Cheating
to Get Ahead?”
- W.P. Carey School of Business
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10. What you might be thinking…
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• Is our future safe in their hands?
• Are youth able and interested in leading?
• How do we make sure they work with us, and not
go around us?
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11. SOME MYTH-BUSTING
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12. Gen Y wants to be Loyal
I would like to find an employer where I could spend my whole career
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70%
64%
60% 58% 58%
50%
40% Gen Y
Gen X
30%
Boomers
20%
10%
0%

13. Youth want to lead
Click
I want to be the leader of an organization some day
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45%
40%
40%
35% 33%
30%
25% Gen Y
Gen X
20% 19%
Boomers
15%
10%
5%
0%
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14. Leadership and Lifestage
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60% I want to be the leader of an organization some day
Male
40%
Female
20%
0%
Current Student Current Student Young Singles Young Couples Young Familes
Secondary Post Secondary
School
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15. HOW TO ENGAGE AND RETAIN THE
NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS
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16. 1) Understand Emerging
Leadership Models
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17. WWII Generation
Command & Control
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18. 1940s/50s
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19. Boomer Generation
Rights & Rebellion
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20. 1960s/70s
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21. Nexus (Gen X)
Freedom
Diversity
Celebrity
Innovation
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22. 1980s/90s
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23. Who are Gen Y’s Model
Leaders?
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24. Question:
Who would you want to lead
your island?
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25. Boomers Gen Y
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26. Roget’s Thesaurus synonyms for
“Leadership”
administration, authority, command,
control, domination, foresight, guidance,
hegemony, influence, initiative,
management, power, preeminence,
primacy, skill, superiority, supremacy
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27. Gen Y
Leadership Model
Social
Networked
Interdependent
Shared Ownership
Collaborative
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28. Leaders
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29. Leaders
Followers
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30. Leaders
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31. Change-Makers
Leaders
Influencers
Followers
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32. Change-Makers
Leaders
Influencers
Followers
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33. 2) Become an Advocate for young
leaders in your organization
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34. 2) Become an Advocate: know
and believe WHY you want and
need young leaders
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• Why is developing young leaders important to your
organization?
• What is the opportunity?
• What is the risk?
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35. 3) Build a culture of change makers
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36. Build a leader / change maker
culture
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• Current leaders need to publicly embrace ceding
some control
• Step out and others will step up
• Give permission to fail and take initiative
• Allow people to be courageous
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37. 4) Clearly define the leadership
value proposition
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38. Clearly define what it means to
be a leader in your organization
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• Develop a clear leadership value proposition
– What does it mean to be a leader in your organization?
– What are the benefits?
– What are the trade-offs?
• Clearly outline the paths
– Create multiple leadership opportunities
– Communicate the benefits of leadership positions
– Provide flexibility in leadership paths
– Develop relevant identification processes for high potential
leaders
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39. 5) Build intergenerational mentor
networks
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40. Build intergenerational mentor
networks
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• Establish pathways for cross-learning / reverse-
mentoring to fully leverage knowledge base
• Demonstrate to Gen Y that they are valued and
trusted by teaming them with senior personnel
• Reinforce social bonds
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41. 6) Enable young employee built
and owned initiatives
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42. 6) Enable young employee built
and owned initiatives
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• Customer based innovation / co-development
• Enable and build relationships
• Allow them to actually influence change, succeed or
fail
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43. 3 Questions to Ask Your Younger
Team Members
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44. 3 Questions to Ask Your
Younger Team Members
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• What do they think it takes to be a leader in your
organization?
• What would stop them from becoming a leader in
your organization?
• What could you do to help them become a leader?
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45. CONTACT:
ERIC MEERKAMPER
PRESIDENT, DECODE
416-599-5400 (X30)
ERIC@DECODE.NET
JAY ROSALES
SENIOR MARKETING COORDINATOR
DRAKE INTERNATIONAL
416-216-1070
JROSALES@NA.DRAKEINTL.COM
WWW.DRAKE-WEBINARS.COM
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