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21^st Century Leaders are Life Long Learners and Developers of Human Capital – Bridging the Generation Gap

By Shanika Taylor

According to Knowles, Holton and Swanson (1998), adult learners, particularly leaders, must be “highly skilled learners so they can learn new technologies and adapt to changing market demands … [because their] job security is increasingly dependent on an ability to grow and learn… [Hence] those who do not have strong learning skills” could encounter professional extinction (p. 169). Over the last twenty years, the notion of company loyalty and the concept of a “life-long employee” have drastically diminished with the aging and reduction of Baby Boomers in the workforce, as well as market changes. According to the USDA, in 1997 the Baby Boomer generation consisted of approximately 78 million people who were born between 1946 and 1964 (Radner, 1999). These individuals, who are currently between the ages of 38 and 56, are in the prime or nearing the end of their professional careers, and for many the concept of employee and company loyalty is a mere memory which has been quickly replaced by the new realities of downsizing, rightsizing, reorganizing, restructuring, and other flowery euphemisms for unemployment (Rothwell, Hohne, & King, 2000). Accordingly, the Baby Boomers have had to learn to acquire knowledge and skills that are transferable from one employer to another, which was atypical of this generation prior to the downsizing trends of the 1980s and 1990s. Consequently, baby boomers have begun to acknowledge the importance of life-long learning and have begun to take “greater responsibility for their own development” (Rothwell, Hohne, & King, 2000, p. 186).

As a result of “witness[ing] their parents’ dedication to a company rewarded with downsizing…[Generation Xers, which are workers born between 1965 and 1976] feel less loyalty and commitment to their employers” (Rothwell, Hohne, & King, 2000, p. 186). Leaders must acknowledge that this group has different values and learning needs; thus different methods for sharing and acquiring knowledge, and organizational development strategies must be used with this generation. According to Bogdanowicz and Bailey (2001), Generation Xers are the neophyte and aspiring leaders of the twenty first century who pose a trait which makes them “gold-collar workers” and quite different from their parents – they are life-long learners. Generation X leaders are constantly acquiring new knowledge, skills, and data in order remain ahead of the highly information and technologically driven global economy, which is almost devoid of territorial boundaries. For this reason, exemplary leaders of the twenty first century are continuously learning about their organizational and human capital needs and remaining abreast of forces, both within and outside of the organization that may create barriers or opportunities for the organization in which they currently “reside”. Some common forces include economical, employment, immigration, education, and political trends. As a result of this life long learning, they are able to quickly realign their organizations and particularly their human capital to take advantage of opportunities because they too are life long learners who possess the ability to think independently and quickly access information to make informed decisions, regardless of the organization in which they are employed. Furthermore, by modeling ongoing learning and self-development, leaders create an organizational culture in which learning, growth, and development is engrained. In these learning organizations, “every learner [is] a teacher and every teacher [is] a learner” (Covey, 2000. p. 20); hence, learning is as natural as breathing for the organization’s human capital. Thus, the likelihood that employees will be prepared for change or readily able to acquire new skills and knowledge to capitalize upon opportunities that require change is increased.

President Herbert Hoover, a life long learner himself, echoed the sentiment “not all readers become leaders, but all leaders must be avid readers” (“Importance of Reading”, 2001, p. A10). As such, life long learners are avid readers who daily sample various mediums; such as, business and economic reports, professional journals, newspapers, conference reports, government reports, and needs assessment summaries in order to acquire the knowledge necessary to effectively chart the course of the organization. In essence, when opportunities present themselves or the leader creates opportunities, life long learners and developers of human capital are able to draw upon their knowledge of the market, the organization, as well as the results of a needs assessment instrument to identify skills and knowledge deficiencies within the organization’s human capital. The results are then analyzed with other experts, both internally and externally, as well as employees to determine the most effective and efficient method for closing the performance gap so that the organization can continue to grow, gain market share, and increase its competitiveness. Throughout this process, life long learners are translating this information into meaningful language which the employees can understand and relate to their roles in the organization.

On the other hand, as life long learners and developers of human capital, leaders also know that without employee input and commitment, new initiatives, training, and development activities will “quickly fizzle out”. In other words, these activities will be destined for failure long before implementation (Hannaford, Fouraker & Dickerson, 2000). Hence, leaders who are life long learners realize position, reward and coercion are often ineffective motivators (Bulach, Pickett & Boothe, 1998). Thus, life long learners remain abreast of employees’ intrinsic motivators, changes in adult learning theory, instructional design, and Human Resources Development trends. This knowledge is then used to persuade the organization’s employees to participate in change for “self-actualiz[ation which is] inherently good for the person”, as well as the organization (Swanson & Holton, 2001, p. 133). Moreover, Swanson and Holton (2001) support Dewey’s philosophy that learning is a means to solving everyday problems. This philosophy of learning is essentially the premise for Deming’s Total Quality Management approach, in which the workers are equipped with the knowledge and power to solve problems and modify the method in which work is done to maximize the organizational effectiveness and capitalize upon opportunities with minimal input from those furthest away from the work, upper management. Hence, through the usage of shared decision making, learning, self-actualization, and persuasiveness, the leader is able to translate employees’ actions into performance improvement, organizational improvement, vision obtainment, and ultimately profits, except in the case of non-profit organizations. In essence, in an organizational climate where people are lifted “from unconscious competence to conscious competence, [life long learners] become aware of why people and things succeed or fail and what principles are operating” (Covey, 2000, p.20).

Leaders who are life long learners are also Human Performance Improvement (HPI) practitioners who develop the organization’s intellectual capital and develop knowledge management systems. According to Rothwell, Hohne, and King (2000) “[i]ntellectual capital is the knowledge and experience possessed by an organization’s workforce [and k]nowledge management is the process by which an organization creates and leverages intellectual capital” (p. 179). Approximately 79% of managers who participated in a survey conducted by the American Management Association “agreed that knowledge management is vital to their company’s future success, but only 21% claimed to have an effective knowledge management system in place” (Rothwell, Hohne, & King, 2000, p.179). Life long learners are continuously developing the intellectual capital in their organizations by creating a learning community in which knowledge, information and ideas are shared freely. According to Covey (2000) this not only increases the organization’s ability to respond quickly to environmental changes, but “[i]n effect, the culture says to people, ‘[i]f you join us, you make a decision to be constantly engaged in teaching, learning, and improvement’” (p. 20). Additionally, as life long learners, leaders capitalize upon opportunities to learn and teach informally in the employees’ real work environment, because according to Montgomery and Lau (1996), this reduces employee barriers to learning and helps employees immediately realize the applicability. Lastly, Covey (1995) stresses leaders should provide employees with small but effective skill and information updates daily given the fact knowledge becomes obsolete so quickly.

In conclusion, life long learners live by the credo “it’s up to me to create my own well-being”, by continuously seeking opportunities to develop themselves and the organization’s human capital. (Rothwell, Hohne, & King, 2000, p. 187). Moreover, they “create culture[s] where people are learning, growing, and developing” so change is not feared, but welcomed as opportunities to improve their organizations, as well as themselves (Covey, 2000, p. 20). Lastly, these leaders are constantly evaluating themselves and the members of their organizations to determine if life long learning translating into performance improvement and returns on investment.

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About the author:

Shanika Taylor has taught science at the middle school level, in Miami-Dade County Public Schools for five years. She has also taught Introduction to Education at Miami-Dade Community College. She is presently certified in Educational Leadership, Middle Grades Science, and Business Education. During the past five years, she has served as the science club chairperson, published the school newspaper, and mentored new teachers. She has earned a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University and a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Florida International University. Currently, she is working on a doctorate degree in Educational Leadership, with a concentration in Organizational Leadership, at Nova Southeastern University. In 1997, she was nominated for the Sallie Mae Beginning Teacher of the Year Award. Upon completing her doctoral degree, Shanika plans to teach at the university level, conduct research and consult.

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