Best Models of Leadership for the Next Generation

by Mary Beth Matteo, Founding Director of the S. Dale High Center

Who best models leadership for the next generation? Not (usually) another family member. Leadership is something best learned from others.

There are many options for young successors.

1. Work in another businesses: working outside the family business can be a tremendous opportunity, especially the experience of watching a leader who is not Mom or Dad. Even when the employment has not been entirely positive, we learn from negative examples as well as positive ones. Knowing what NOT to do can be just as useful as knowing WHAT to do.

2. Find a mentor: nothing is better than the tutelage of a seasoned pro. Shadowing and coaching reap tremendous benefits. Louis Whitehead has a good article on finding a mentor.
3. Seek volunteer leadership opportunities: chairing committees, serving on volunteer boards, and organizing special activities provide great opportunities for leadership. These are particularly useful for the next generation, because they’re away from the “spotlight” shone on family members. Kent Blumberg has a great article outlining the benefits of volunteer leadership, which includes finding opportunities that help you define your leadership style and getting things accomplished with few resources. Take a look.

Sum  and Substance: A final thought: identifying opportunities to learn leadership is the responsibility of both generations. The founding generation needs to think strategically about leadership training for the next generation and often knows, for instance, great mentors who are peers, or managers in the family business. But the younger generation is often very creative in developing their own leadership training ideas—only they know their passion and what will sustain it!