hr practice
Welcoming Gen Z
to the Workforce
ATTRACT AND RETAIN THE NEXT GENERATION OF RISING STARS
By Eric Beaudan and Mary Barroll
What makes a potential leader? It is the number one
question that most organizations grapple with
today. While there is no one predictor that wins
out above all, research has revealed that there are
specific personality traits that tend to be more present in high-potentials.
Despite the emphatic hype, it seems that the younger
generation of leaders possesses plenty of high potential talent.
As part of its CEOx1Day program – which matches top
post-secondary students with leading Canadian CEOs for a day
– global executive search firm Odgers Berndtson has learned a lot
about the qualities that make up future leaders. Together with its
partner Hogan Assessments, the recruitment firm compiled psy-chometric
data examining the key traits of today’s CEOs versus
their much younger, Generation Z (Gen Z) – those born between
1995 and 2005 – counterparts. The result?
Despite the 30-40-year experience gap, the key qualities that
make up a leader today are essentially the same traits that define
the leaders of tomorrow – cultivating a growth mindset, a passion
for learning, strong interpersonal skills and a desire to affect pos-itive
change.
Does this mean that organizations can use the same recruit-ment
and retention strategies to attract and engage these young
rising stars? According to the research, the answer is no.
THE “WAR FOR TALENT” AND
THE GROWING TALENT GAP
Over the past five years, as the war for talent has intensified,
attracting and retaining great talent has become noticeably more
difficult for Canadian organizations. As 9.8 million Baby Boomers
approach retirement and widen the employee talent gap across the
country, things will only get more competitive.
To attract and retain the best talent, organizations need to
be focused on “big S” succession at the C-suite level, while also
thinking about the “small S” succession: Strategic sourcing and
development of strong entry- and mid-level people capable of
driving the business forward.
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HRPROFESSIONALNOW.CA ❚ FEBRUARY 2019 ❚ 21
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