What a revelation it was to meet a group of 16 years olds at the recent MBA Refresher at Ashridge Business School. These kids are the product of Arrival Education who believe that some of our greatest talent lies in our most deprived communities.
Here were kids who in spite of having very little, were articulate, purposeful and hungry for more.
Between these half dozen teenagers they identified the attributes they look for from leaders, and engaged confidently with a large roomful of MBA graduates. Here is a snapshot of the effective leader attributes they consider key:
1. Help others achieve their goals, challenge others to develop themselves
2. Have compassion and empathy for the team
3. Respect the team and know their strengths and weaknesses
4. Motivate others and adapt motivation methods to suit different people
5. See the potential in everyone
6. Never give up
7. Be courageous and responsible when the team makes mistakes
8. Be someone people want to work with
9. Generate enthusiasm
10. Be open with employees
11. Keep your word
12. Share your own experience
13. Celebrate everyone's success
14. Leave no one behind
They want success, enjoy working in an office, and have a strong preference for firms who have open plan layouts where leaders sit alongside teams in hot-desk configuration, reflecting strong internal communication and teamwork values. They see business as community, aspire to become future leaders, to better themselves and positively impact others, and they see opportunity everywhere.
They are our future, and their wants and value system will be reflected by organisations competing to engage with them, to participate in their network, to have them as customers, and to satisfy them.
At no point did I hear the messages so often reported in the media about disengagement, a lack of direction, a suspicion of business.
Perhaps surveys should focus less on those young people who want for nothing, for whom material possessions have come easily, and focus on that part of a generation who desperately want a better life, thanks to people like Emily Shenton at Arrival Education.
