Over the last few years, several noted leadership practices have captured my attention, as I seek to learn and grow my own capacity to lead others. Here are three to pass along in the hopes that you, too, will learn and grow into a better leader:
Learn to consider talent in older workers.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and NPR, people are living longer and retiring later, and workers 65 years of age and older are America’s fastest-growing cohort.
This means that a growing number of Baby Boomers are re-entering the workforce while even more are staying in their current positions long into their golden years.
Plain and simple, this large, untapped demographic group is significantly being underutilized in our workforce and they face higher rates of unemployment as a result.
There are several reasons you should learn to consider hiring older workers. For starters, they bring a level of experience, critical thinking, and sheer knowledge that is hard to teach younger generations.
Learn and practice the powerhouse of curiosity.
Albert Einstein famously said, “I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.”
Harvard Business Review reports that people with a higher “curiosity quotient” (CQ) are more inquisitive and generate more original ideas, and this “thinking style” leads to higher levels of knowledge acquisition over time.
Learn from reverse mentors.
It’s no secret that many companies struggle to retain younger talent. In response to these challenges, large companies around the world are trying out reverse-mentoring programs to great success.
Historically, mentoring has been reserved for more senior and more experienced professionals teaching the ropes for their younger, less experienced mentees.