As founders follow outdated leadership practices, younger generations demand autonomy, purpose, and meaningful work. This article uncovers the systemic issues in decision-making, the importance of fostering a culture of collaboration, and the need for leaders to adapt their approach to inspire and empower their teams in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
Great article, agree with it completely, and I am quite lucky as I think my organisation follows all of your suggestions quite well.
The one piece I would disagree with though is that "freedom and autonomy among younger employees is often at odds with the necessity for accountability and responsibility"
Putting the youth or generational question aside, to me and in my organisation, freedom and autonomy rather than being at odds with accountability and responsibility are directly linked. In organisations where you don't have freedom or autonomy, you can't be responsible or accountable for anything. You are just doing what you are told, and that is the end of the story.
Only when you have freedom and autonomy can you be held accountable for your work and be responsible for success. When I look around my organisation, I see exactly the opposite of what you describe. The more autonomy and freedom individuals have, the more responsible and accountable they are. I find it interesting that you have found the opposite in your workplace.
Thanks for your comment, Jonathan! I completely agree with your perspective, actually. People who are trusted and have more freedom take on more ownership and feel accountable for their work. And as you point out, we can only be accountable if we have freedom to decide.
My point I made here is more about the experience and capability that people of younger age might not have yet developed. At least, this is feedback I got from several leaders when suggesting to give people more freedom. To me, the solution to this is not "give less freedom" but rather coach/mentor people and role model what it means to be responsible and accountable.
Adding to that, an organization coming from a traditional top-down hierarchical approach might need to transition into the new model of freedom, as people need to learn/accept the new freedom and responsibility they were not used to anymore.
In a workplace like yours, it is very likely that juniors and new joiners see great role models around them and adopt the behavior automatically. This is great!
Great article, agree with it completely, and I am quite lucky as I think my organisation follows all of your suggestions quite well.
The one piece I would disagree with though is that "freedom and autonomy among younger employees is often at odds with the necessity for accountability and responsibility"
Putting the youth or generational question aside, to me and in my organisation, freedom and autonomy rather than being at odds with accountability and responsibility are directly linked. In organisations where you don't have freedom or autonomy, you can't be responsible or accountable for anything. You are just doing what you are told, and that is the end of the story.
Only when you have freedom and autonomy can you be held accountable for your work and be responsible for success. When I look around my organisation, I see exactly the opposite of what you describe. The more autonomy and freedom individuals have, the more responsible and accountable they are. I find it interesting that you have found the opposite in your workplace.
Thanks for your comment, Jonathan! I completely agree with your perspective, actually. People who are trusted and have more freedom take on more ownership and feel accountable for their work. And as you point out, we can only be accountable if we have freedom to decide.
My point I made here is more about the experience and capability that people of younger age might not have yet developed. At least, this is feedback I got from several leaders when suggesting to give people more freedom. To me, the solution to this is not "give less freedom" but rather coach/mentor people and role model what it means to be responsible and accountable.
Adding to that, an organization coming from a traditional top-down hierarchical approach might need to transition into the new model of freedom, as people need to learn/accept the new freedom and responsibility they were not used to anymore.
In a workplace like yours, it is very likely that juniors and new joiners see great role models around them and adopt the behavior automatically. This is great!