This past Friday, UEL’s marketing team had the pleasure of attending the ABSA Ladies Future Leadership Talk where we were given a fresh perspective on business, moving into the next generation.
This past Friday, we at UEL’s marketing team had the pleasure of attending the ABSA Ladies Future Leadership Talk where we were given a fresh perspective on business, moving into the next generation.
Guest Speaker Dion Chang, a trend analyst at fluxtrends.co.za, spoke on how the world of business is evolving. He explained how, in order for their companies to remain competitive, leaders and managers need to be ahead of the trend. Specifically, Chang spoke about the dreaded new “millennial” generation, and their distinct new view on being part of the labour force. He stressed that in order to effectively manage this new generation flooding into the job market, leaders can no longer simply lead their teams as a collective “pack”. Instead, leaders must be conscientious of needs of each unique individual, allowing them the freedom to learn and grow in their roles while maintaining a healthy life outside of the day-job. Chang pointed out that the key to retaining this individual talent, is to take the focus off being entirely bottom-line driven, and rather to base one’s business around core values which employees can embrace and believe in. These values can then be used to mentor the employee in a mutually beneficial partnership where the employee contributes as much as they receive.
The talk struck a significant cord with the “millennials” in the room, but all women in the room did seem to recognise a facet of themselves, also raring to embrace change, in the talk. With gifts and games added to the morning’s events, the breakfast was both fun and enlightening for all involved.