Why Optimising Leadership Skills is Key to Multigenerational Team Success

Let’s take a look at an average team in 2025.

You’ve got the 60 something worker who remembers manual processes and the ancient art of using a fax machine (do these still exist in places other than the UK deed poll office?!). They worked for many years in a world pre internet, where people were patient about waiting for information and face to face communication was the way to get things done. They are maybe counting down the days to retirement, even though the date keeps moving due to when they can get their state pension.

You’ve then got the 20 something Gen Z who has only ever known life with the internet, who ‘googles it’ to get the answers and is used to instant gratification - which is ever increasing with the use of AI and technology. Who, as a generation, cares deeply about purpose and balance.

You’ve then got the millennials, who knew a world pre the internet but probably hadn’t worked in it. Who are maybe going through some big life changes with starting a family and perhaps pivoting careers. If you’d like to explore parental transition coaching to support these life changes then book a call.

And now imagine you are a 36 year old newly promoted leader of this team (36 is the average age of a first time manager according to Glassdoor in 2024, which surprised me - I led my first team at 24 years old).

How the heck are you meant to inspire, motivate and lead a team that spans 5 generations and 40+ years?

And this is the challenge that is being faced by every leader in every industry we work across.

With the rise of the ‘accidental manager’ where 75% of leaders have had no formal training (book a call to explore our leadership programmes with a 100% Net Promoter Score), we are seeing big gaps in skills and abilities of leaders to effectively create and sustain high performing teams which has a huge commercial impact:

• Commercial goals and targets not being met, meaning loss of revenue and market share

• Increased attrition (according to Gallup it costs 2x a salary to recruit)

• Loss of productivity and innovation

• Lack of employee engagement and company loyalty (employees ‘quiet quitting’)

• Strong teams outperform weak ones in every industry

  
  

High performing teams don’t just happen, they are cultivated by a strong leader. Organisations with successful leadership programmes are 3x more likely to have highly engaged teams and 21% profitability.

Supporting leaders to manage multi-generational teams, by understanding what motivates and inspires them and connecting with them as individuals in order to drive high performance behaviours, is a key bed rock of many bespoke leadership programmes that we develop and deliver to best in class organisations.

If you’d like to find out more about how we can support your organisation and the challenges your leaders are facing then let’s jump on a call.