LeaderX: 5 steps for GenerationX to step up, take control and lead with impact

By Lucy Barkas

The 2020s is the decade of LeaderX. As Baby Boomers start to retire, they make way for a new type of leader. A leader who puts people, teams and culture at the heart of their organisation. A values-driven leader who believes in empowering and engaging others to deliver their best work by focusing on the vision and then working together to achiev

• Language: English
• Publisher: Known Publishing
• Release date: Mar 26, 2020
• ISBN: 9781913036027

Book preview

PART 1

THE POWER OF LEADERX

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCING X-GEN

‘Are we like you? I can’t be sure,

Of the scene, as she turns, we are strange,

in our worlds.’

—Supergrass

In this chapter, I will be taking a closer look at the forgotten generation, so we can understand who they are and how they were influenced by the world around them as they grew up. I find that a typical LeaderX was born between the early 1970s and early 80s, as their environment shaped them and their values in a very specific way. They reached adulthood in the late 90s and the new millennium and now, in 2020, they are ready to take on the big leadership roles. Everyone still forgets about them, and not much is written or spoken. I am about to change that! The emphasis has always been placed on the Baby Boomers and Millennials and now GenZ, but X-Gen is used to being ignored. But not anymore – now is their time to stand in the spotlight and shine. Before I celebrate you, I just want to share a little about the Boomers, as we grew up in their world and were shaped, partly, by it.

THE BABY BOOMERS

The Baby Boomers (born 1946-1965) were named because of the huge population rise in the post-war years. This generation took a broken post-war world and rebuilt it to reflect their own values. When they reached a certain life stage, the economy magically grew. Boomers might think that they had the golden touch, as they grew our economies, but not everything was due to their genius. Due to their sheer numbers, when they reached certain life stages, the markets grew. Car sales peaked when they learned to drive in the late-60s and 70s, home-ownership was boosted in the 80s and the expansion of DIY shops and garden centres soon followed. By the 90s, everyone seemed to have a second home by the sea or in some countryside paradise in Tuscany.

Their own childhoods made them tough and resilient. For many, their parents still lived with the trauma of war: scarcity. This had a direct effect on the way they developed. I hate to generalise, but I do experience many Boomers who are focused on doing, achievement and external measures of success, yet are unable to name the emotion they are feeling or the reason why they do what they do. I was once told that in the post-war years, everyone was healing their own personal pain so there was no point moping about, much better to get on with life, and this attitude is prevalent still. The Boomers were tasked with rebuilding a nation with little room for sentimentality or emotion. Their results and growth-orientated mindset enabled the Western world to dominate world economies and, for the most part, increase living