Jan Owen: How Leaders Should Respond to the Rise of Generation Next

The huge uplift in remote and flexible working, as well as the expectations of Gen Y and Gen Z, are shaping the future of how we work – and leaders need to pay attention.

“People want some fundamental things: not to be yelled at, bullied or gaslit,” says Jan Owen AM, the former CEO of the Foundation for Young Australians and current co-chair of Learning Creates Australia, which fights for equitable education. “They want decent and meaningful work, to work in teams and build a community.”

Owen, who is also principal of boutique strategic advisory service AdaptabilityQ, spoke at Qantas magazine’s final Think. event for 2023, a dinner at Cutler & Co. where the panel discussion centred on driving motivation, innovation and success in a hybrid workplace. Owen commented on the generational shift and how changing attitudes to work can be confusing for leaders.

“All the recent research says that about 60 to 70 per cent of young people say, ‘I like my workplace, but I’m looking elsewhere’ – they’ve got one foot out the door.”

Young staff are making it clear that they’re not interested in following the often gendered working patterns of the Baby Boomers and Gen X before them.

“Gen Y has changed work life forever,” says Owen. “They have very clearly said, ‘I am going to have my work-from-home days’. I’ve particularly noticed a difference in the men: fathers are stepping into being there for school pick-ups and drop-offs. It’s a real generational shift that organisations are seeing.”

To navigate this, leaders must also change their approach. For some, it will require a major recalibration.“They’re required to be much more self-aware than they’ve ever been,” says Owen. “Many leaders grew into a set-and-forget way of working and being, but how they’ve done it for decades doesn’t work anymore, for lots of reasons. Social norms are changing so fast and there is an expectation that there will be a conscious decision from leaders to invest in their people.”

Owen suggests leaders should also pay attention to their own learning curves and lean into what they don’t know. Those open to learning from their juniors will fare best.

“Young people are your best teachers – I call them the ‘early warning system’ as they will tell you what’s coming. If you know what’s coming, then you can do things differently for your customers, your clients and your partners.”

Owen advocates for reverse mentoring to help close the skills gap for both generations. “Anybody over 40 should have a mentor who’s under 30. If you don’t have that and you think you know what’s going on, then you’re dreaming. The idea is to actively learn from someone younger. They’ve got technical and digital skills and huge self-awareness. They know a lot about mental health and wellbeing, are the most educated generation ever in this country and the most connected globally. Why wouldn’t you want to invest in them?”

Reverse mentoring helps build connections with colleagues, too, especially for those entering the workforce at a time when many teams are remote or hybrid. “If young people don’t have colleagues to show the way and mentor them, it’s going to be extremely difficult for them to progress and become the leaders we need.”

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