Designing a Blueprint for Future Leaders

Socially and culturally, it’s been a difficult period for younger people. A confluence of  different things, including the Covid pandemic, have contributed to what the Economist  called in its seminal 2019 article on Gen Z a more “stressed and depressed” generation.  There is also a general perception that opportunities for personal development and career  advancement for the young are less than for previous generations. This leads us to ask:  how can we design a working culture that empowers the young people within it?

Foremost, at Ikon we think that if the right kind of framework is in place, and younger staff  are given much greater responsibility, we will be able to foster a new generation of future  leaders. Here are some of the ways in which we hope to do that.

Firstly, younger staff need to gain a breadth of experience through the kind of tasks they  are briefed to work on. The more varied and complicated their tasks, the greater set of skills  and expertise they develop. This relies on both good management and mentoring, and  strong workplace systems that support good practice, rather than restrict it.

Good quality mentoring is perhaps the most important factor in youth development. At Ikon,  both Mike and I had very positive mentoring experiences early in our respective careers and  keenly understand the benefits. We are now fostering a working culture at Ikon that can  enable younger staff to both excel and also express themselves. We believe in the  importance of investing time, sharing good practice, and giving strong encouragement to  the younger staff. Especially to those who really want to reach the top.

Owning your mistakes is crucial to true personal development. The working culture at Ikon is one in which team members have the space to make mistakes and to share them. I always tell them we win or we learn. If you’re in a position where you’re never making mistakes, you’re not progressing, or you’re not reaching the levels you potentially could. It’s absolutely okay to make mistakes, but learning from them is important, because there is no  value in making the same mistake twice.

At Ikon, we want younger people to succeed and progress in their careers, and for those that want it, create a pathway to get right to the top. On this point, I have a particular view on how younger talent should behave. Back yourself, I think younger talents are often better than they think they are. What we do isn’t necessarily complicated and attitude very much beats ability.

With the right attitude and work ethic, young talent can and will rise through the ranks very quickly. To enable that progression, Ikon is growing a culture where we remove the fear of failure. Ikon is a workplace that understands the importance of shared learning, tailored training and strong mentors. We hope within this environment, youth development will flourish.