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A New York Times “Jobs” column (Dec. 28, 2008) titled “Creative Plan B” brought to my mind some good news/bad news thoughts on leadership by the Generation Xers. The good news is that people – even people who have been very driven to make a lot of money in business careers – are taking the opportunity in times of economic turmoil to pursue their creative bent. Some of them are feeling they have nothing to lose taking a risk on a new, personally appealing direction. A growing creative work force and more recognition that it is our human creativity that brings the most progress in the long run is a good thing.

The bad news is that an exodus from the corporate and professional worlds by creative Gen Xers may result in a widening leadership gap in the generation that needs to step into the Boomer shoes as they retire or transition out themselves. All the individuals interviewed for the article ranged from age 33 to 38 and had held executive positions in financial services companies. Of course, some of them had no choice but to leave their current post. They were laid off and so were pushed to turn to their creative muse. Others are volunteering to leave, taking a severance package to finance their writing, performing or other creative pursuit.

Of course, not everything is a generational issue. Sometimes it’s more of a lifecycle issue. Interestingly, in the same Business section of the December 28, 2008 New York Times\ was an article in the “Preoccupations” column, “Dire Times Offer a Chance to Reconsider Choices” by David J, Rosen, about the increasingly common “thrisis,” that is “a crisis in your 30s, doubting what you’ve been doing with your life.”

Speaking with and mentoring college students and recent grads, I know how they agonize over their first choices, not wanting to make a mistake and wanting to have their careers and lives flow seamlessly. When the result of a choice is less than perfect – as it almost always is – they have become quick to want to jump to the next thing. Decisions, the “seconds,” in one’s 30s are harder, generally with more at stake when there are family and financial responsibilities with consequences for impulsive decisions that fail.

Rosen writes, “The ‘seconds’ are literally about seconds – the clock is ticking, the stakes are higher, and if we want to find the life that makes us happy, it may be now or never...Do we suck it up and make the best of the situation, or do we chuck it all, upset the apple carts we’ve spent years filling with shiny fruit, and go for something new?”.

The potential Gen X leadership gap has two or three sources: first, the generation itself is only about 57% as large as the Boomer generation it succeeds; second, a significant number of members of the generation are not interested in taking leadership responsibility, preferring to attend to their personal lives and interests (work/life flexibility); and third, some Gen Xers are discouraged from sticking around, afraid they will miss their chance at running things because the Boomers are slow to leave. This is an issue that business and all walks of life will have to contend with. While the next generation (Y or Millennials) is generally ambitious and eager to move up quickly, they will be too inexperienced for senior leadership in most instances for a while.

How can we retain enough of “the creative class” in organizations of all types to prevent a serious leadership gap in the next 10 years?

Will this be a significant problem, or will it be resolved with a combination of Boomers staying on, Gen Y preparing and moving up at record speed, and paradigm changes emerging from the current economic crisis and government leadership committed to leading change? Your thoughts?

Please continue to send your thoughts, questions, comments and stories my way. I love hearing from you

Phyllis

© Phyllis Weiss Haserot, 2010. All rights reserved.