Time to Build Bridges Between the Generations

...but it may take a different leadership style

Let’s challenge a few accepted perceptions. The first is the value of many leadership development courses. Our argument is that leadership is more about a person’s character than any strategy, training program, or intellect.

There is so much attention given to leadership development, yet much of it is wrong. Most organisations give surprisingly little thought to a person’s real character, focusing instead on intellect, insights, and achievements. However, some of the brightest people possess an arrogance that prevents them from being good leaders.

Leadership should be about people and culture—not alpha behaviours, the drive to become a CEO, or the need to direct others. The best leaders naturally have care and compassion for their people, which allows them to build successfully. Hospitality demonstrates this more than most industries, and its leadership talent is something the industry should rightly be proud of.

For any company, it is important to hire based on character as much as skill. One report noted that companies led by people of good character—those rated highly by employees on integrity, responsibility, forgiveness, and compassion—had nearly five times the return on assets compared to those with low-character leaders.

This is truer than ever today. Young, emerging generations seek more from their leaders and expect a caring, compassionate culture—a sharp contrast to the often-traditional command-and-control methodologies.

It makes the negative comments about Gen Z not just counterproductive but also concerning. This is especially true given that each generation is better educated than the previous one.

But it goes deeper. Too often, leadership boards have put themselves first, creating a growing gap between the C-suite and their people. The facts are well-reported: high levels of employee disengagement and mistrust of leaders, as well as declining productivity. It is time to build bridges and start addressing these issues—though this will require compassionate leadership.

A few thoughts:

• In the 2008 crash, only 1% of directors lost their jobs, while many thousands lost theirs.
• The same argument can be made for the COVID era.
• The average age of a CEO has increased by nearly twenty years since 2000, as many organisations believe experience is the most important attribute.

Is it? We argue that character is more important.

Why is this aspect of leadership and organisational culture so often overlooked? Why do so many leadership courses focus on strategy and business processes?

The simple answer is that many underestimate and misunderstand the concept of character. They often patronise it as being about ethics rather than recognising it as the foundation of all judgment and decision-making. They generally assess their own character as “good enough.” They view it as a fixed trait rather than a quality that can be developed and scaled across organisations and cultures. Simply put, they fail to see that competence and character go hand in hand.

Consider the concept of risk. Many organisations say they want risk-takers, but internal processes often hinder risk-taking. Many people are afraid to take risks due to the well-known fear of failure—yet it is failure that teaches us how to improve.

Think for a moment:

• How many people are willing to accept blame and responsibility when things go wrong?
• How many will accept failure?
• Moreover, how many will accept it and learn from it?
• How many will forgive those who took a risk and failed?

The answer: not many.

Many point to how well the hospitality industry has performed through adversity. Could the reason for this lie in its focus on people? Could hospitality be a role model for other industries?

It is now time to build those bridges.

Written by Chris Sheppardson, EP Business in Hospitality