The YPN Perspective: Demographics and Leadership

Today’s workplace is as dynamic as it has ever been. As time passes and the Baby Boomers depart from the workforce, Generation X, Y, and Z will be left to fill their respective capacities left in the wake of the corresponding demographic shifts. Each shift offers its own unique set of challenges to overcome and its own unique set of opportunities to capture. The common thread is the ability to lead.

While there are many definitions of leadership, the common themes involve the ability to enlist the support of others, the completion a common task, and the utilization of the available resources. The intricacies of each nuance of leadership are only exacerbated by the generational complications. Just to name a few, picture a baby boomer not readily embracing technology or a potential age gap in organizational hierarchy. As the leader of an organization, team, or group, it is your responsibility to identify the common threads that would bring a group together to desired affect or goal.

These are some of the fundamental leadership principles addressed in the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Institute. The Leadership Institute is a compilation of workshop sessions that are designed to facilitate the teaching of these underlying leadership principles, the coaching of their implementation, and case studies depicting situations where the principles can be applied. Each session also allows a medium of introduction to some of the influential people of the Naperville community through the panel discussions; where the panelists share their respective leadership stories, complications, and achievements.

Throughout the Leadership Institute experience, it enabled me to identify the components of leadership, to initiate the respective principles, and to implement them into practice. Or, in the proverbial wisdom of Yogi Berra, “In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is.”

Andrew M. Lohse, CPA/PFS, CRPS®
Chicago Oakbrook Financial Group
YPN Advisory Board Member

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Category: News, Young Professionals of the Naperville Chamber