As we come to the end of the year, it’s traditionally a time of reflection.
We like to look back, think about what we’ve done and consider what has happened in the world. But for me it’s very different this year.
Every waking moment, it seems I am thinking about the future and what it will bring. Our world in every sense of the word is changing so rapidly, it is hard to imagine what we will all be doing and experiencing in 12 months’ time. And it intrigues me.
Something that sparked my interest particularly was the talk Baroness Susan Greenfield, the neuroscientist, gave at our Annual Conference in May. She explained how the brain develops and how in fact minds are being rewired as I write, due to the technologies surrounding us, which are causing them to adapt.
I think about my 14-year-old son and the time he spends on computer games, like many of his age, and can see – now pointed out – that certain skills and attributes are being developed over others, and in a different balance from that of the past.
This development could mean that in five or 10 years’ time, those entering the workforce will have very different minds from their managers and leaders.
And what will that then mean for those managers and leaders, especially if they cannot really accept that people are thinking and reacting very differently, dependent on their generation?
It seems that today’s young minds can digest huge amounts of information, while we of an older generation assume by their behaviours that they are not paying enough attention, not digesting things and not taking things seriously enough.
We were shocked that communication even had a cap of 140 characters at one stage, and of course a lot of it is now simply through images. Young people are not taking notes, but will suddenly regurgitate a load of information they have indeed absorbed, unbeknown to the worried parent.
So my next question to myself is: what kind of leaders will the 14-year-olds of today make?
Certainly, they will be very values-based, and want to work for organisations they can feel aligned to and proud of. They will be thinking about ‘how’ they want to work as opposed to ‘what’.
Their workday will be shorter and more varied in terms of location, with potentially a lot of work done virtually from home.
They will make time for activities outside of work. Won’t they? They will have more time, as machines will be doing more for them, at work and at home, and their work will be less mundane and repetitive. Surely?
But how will they learn to be great leaders in this environment, as leadership has to involve the followership of others?
If they communicate virtually most of the time (look now at how many people are walking down the street, bumping into others as they are looking at their smartphone), when is the time that they will learn to look someone else in the eye and build a relationship?
When will they start to understand nonverbal signals, and build rapport and trust?
Well, I guess this is a perfect example of the limitations of my own generation.
We’d already worked hard to accept, for example, that trust and relationships can be built in many different ways, but being faced with the concept of a differently wired mind is entirely new territory (perhaps). It’s the classic situation of failing to understand something we have not experienced ourselves.
So I can’t wait until that year when I do look back and say: ‘Aha! I get it now!’
Caroline Stockmann is chief executive of The Association of Corporate Treasurers
This article was taken from the December 2019/January 2020 issue of The Treasurer magazine. For more great insights, log in to view the full issue or sign up for eAffiliate membership