Am I Quiet Leading?
Last week I played an exhibition pickleball match at London's Excel Centre. For a few moments my partner was a big banana (pic below).
It looked like a player, even swung like a player, but of course (given the sheer weight of yellow) it struggled to move like a player. We lost quite a few points.
My development economist friend Lant Pritchett has developed a fancy word for this phenomenon - isomorphic mimicry.
Something that looks like the real deal on paper (or nowadays on ppt or in an LLM). But in spirit and substance, is far less convincing.
If I’m being honest, that’s a good frame for how I (until pretty recently) have been thinking about the generational transition. Of course I had provided some mentoring and advice, but my energy was largely focused on the current generation in leadership. I was convinced that they held the keys to shaping the better world we all desperately need.
Yesterday I co-hosted a dinner with Matt Nichols with a group of parents of young adult children. The wine flowed, but the discussion was sobering. Their kids had gone to good schools and top universities, but were now struggling to find work. Those with jobs were struggling to find meaningful work that really developed them, and gave them financial security. The prospect of being able to buy a home felt really remote; many were living with parents even in their late 20s.
It felt like lots of banana skins put on the path of this next generation succeeding, let alone flourishing.
We’re all familiar with the post pandemic phenomenon on Quiet Quitting. And yes, I have done my fair share of Gen Z jokes around this in my stand-up comedy. (So far I haven’t yet had to resort to banana skins to get laughs, but hey, who knows?).
If I’m honest with myself, though, I have been Quiet Leading. Like many in my Generation, I have the expertise, networks and confidence to do what I want to do now - largely because I didn’t have to slip on any of those banana skins myself.
I really want to redress that. For me, that means going all-in on this topic of Generational Success, Transition and Flourishing.
The Generational Success Lab I have built at Oxford University’s Said Business School has been so exciting in terms of the insights it’s brought on cross-generational dialogue and collaboration, between the student body and visiting leaders. But I want to go even deeper now. As the father of two teenage boys, I feel the need very deeply - and deeply personally.
I have been lucky to have helped over 30 Generational Disruptors futureproof direction and strategy - organisations that are reimagining ways for the next generational to flourish. These have ranged from scale-ups to established non-profits, foundations, universities and purpose-driven companies. I want to continue that work but build a much more explicit Generational Disruptor Network (GDN) for learning and collaboration.
Secondly, I want to play a role in re-imagining what leadership development for next gen leaders and current leaders looks like. The world is so different from when most of these models were developed, from generative AI to geopolitical volatility. It feels like a good time for a reset.
Thirdly, I want to deepen my work on Futureproofing organisational culture, adding a much more explicit Generational Lens. I want to help organisations of all types truly involve the next generation in how they set direction, and also create cultures where all generations can respect each other, thrive and feel a shared sense of purpose, belonging and intrinsic motivation.
Finally, I hope to play a wider role in helping my generation think about legacy. But to do it humbly and lightly. The novel and comedy show I am developing are two of the ways I want to do this.
So, yes, I admit it. I have been Quiet Leading.
For me at least, it’s time to amp up the volume, and get those banana skins out of our next generation’s path.
I’m curious. What about you?
PS - if you see any ways to support or collaborate on any of these areas, or if you have insights or ideas, please just drop me a line
Great post and I share you desire to do something about this issue. My daughter is a little older and I’ve seen her journey.
I’ve also helped recent graduates from my old University and it’s made me realise we need this inter generational effort.
We also need to educate the HR and senior executives of the recruiting companies.
For me this is about empowering people, it’s about their ability to access agency and ownership so they have a sense that things are achievable.
In terms of ownership , without this turning into an essay, I believe that there are grounds for hope . We are about to witness the ‘silver tsunami’ as older business owners look to exit , leave a legacy and manage the succession . In effect it applying the principles of regeneration to business ownership.
My view is we can develop the idea of a search fund to facilitate this transition of wealth and ownership.
I think it’s perfectly possible to educate business school students ( any student) to acquire an existing business in a smart way. We may even include employee ownership .
I call it Mutual Equity and I’d like to see it bigger than Private Equity. KKR have taken very small steps in this direction so I see a bright future.
I look forward to our conversations 🙏
Love this reflection, and your writing in general Sharath. As a parent of twin 20-year-olds, third year in college, I think a lot about their future. And even though I have great hope and trust that things will work out for them, I do have fears and worries. Like you, I have a massive desire and interest in all things leadership development and I really adore Gen Z in many ways, and also see where they need massive support. Always game for a creative and curious conversation or continued collab with you if ever a chance - especially since we were largely robbed of our chance to execute on our visions!