Tim Elmore, Founder and CEO“We help companies, organizations, and schools better understand the emerging generation and offer best practices to better connect with them and lead them,” says Tim Elmore, founder and CEO of Growing Leaders. This nonprofit organization specializes in providing leadership training and development programs to equip an emerging generation of leaders.
Growing Leaders recognizes that the different traits of every new generation in the workforce often result in frustration rather than a fascination with each other. For instance, the young generation—accustomed to smart devices—can better hold authority on specific subjects than the older generation, regardless of their limited work experience. This will make them approach new tasks and roles assertively. Further, Generation Z likes to communicate through concise messages, while Boomers and Generation X prefer face-to-face communication.
Growing Leaders offers practical strategies to bridge this generation gap and facilitate collaboration and productivity. “Don’t get furious. Get curious about each other,” says Elmore.
They firmly believe that ‘context explains conduct,’ which asserts that understanding an individual’s background provides insights into their behavior.
“This new generation is EPIC in nature,” says Elmore. “‘E’ means they’re experiential. They’re not looking for a sage on the stage with a speech but a guide on the side with experience. ‘P’ is participatory - they want to participate in the outcomes of where this meeting or this new product is going. ‘I’ means they’re image-rich. They grew up with images on a screen more than words in a book. ‘C’ is they’re connected with each other on a screen almost all the time.”
Growing Leaders considers these characteristics and leverages visuals and virtual connections to align with their strengths. They address the challenges in collaboration by providing leaders and employers with strategies and ideas for effective communication between different age groups. Their resources also assist them in providing relevant feedback, resolving conflicts and supporting them in effectively managing change.
Its primary differentiator is the Habitudes® tool, an image-based learning model designed to instill powerful leadership habits and principles rooted in real life. Millions of young leaders have used the tool, initiating conversations and experiences that contribute to their leadership development. Because pictures are worth a thousand words, the Habitudes® spark discussion, and because pictures stick in our minds, they can be remembered and shared quickly.
At events, Growing Leaders outlines each generation’s perspectives on technology, authority and communication by displaying a generational chart, which helps compare and contrast generational cohorts. Historical data is also leveraged to explain the existence of a generation gap for better clarity.
Growing Leaders also provides follow-up materials, books and an online platform to continue the conversation after events. Its dedicated research coordinator manages focus groups across multiple generations, conducting research to gather qualitative and quantitative data on various concerns. The company also encourages coaching and reverse mentoring, where the young mentor the old and vice versa.
We help companies, organizations, and schools better understand the emerging generation and offer best practices to better connect with them and lead them.
In one instance, Growing Leaders assisted a multibillion-dollar restaurant chain in addressing challenges stemming from four generations working together. The varying communication styles had created frustration within the staff. The team presented practical tips on leading Generation Z to the owner-operators. The positive response led to a transformative shift that brought a noticeable reduction in turnover, stressing improved understanding and collaboration between supervisors and employees.
The success of Growing Leaders is rooted in the experience of Elmore, an accomplished author with multiple bestselling books and a spot in Inc. Magazine’s top 100 leadership speakers in America. Since founding the company, he has addressed 500,000 leaders across businesses, nonprofits, and universities including Coca-Cola, San Francisco Giants, and Stanford University.
Growing Leaders’ strategies provide a positive roadmap for harmonization in the workplace, creating a united and empowered environment. These approaches ensure seamless collaboration, bringing out the best in everyone. It all begins with belief.
