Washington : A new
study has suggested that fault-finding adult co-workers could make a big
difference in young workers’ leadership development by developing relationships
with them, modelling the behaviours they wish to see, and providing leadership
growth opportunities, says ANI.
University of Illinois’
Jill Bowers said that young adults in the study had learned a lot from mentors
who modelled initiative, drive, and persistence; demonstrated how to
communicate with confidence and engage in active listening; and displayed
reliability, tolerance, respect, and a positive attitude.
As per Bowers, most of the
literature on leadership development is written from an adult point of view. In
this small qualitative study, however, young adults describe their leadership
growth as students and on the job as they moved from adolescence into young
adulthood.
The study shows that role
models were profoundly influential during the transition to adulthood, and the
article describes a role model-driven framework for leadership development, she
said. Adults who are complaining about the new generation of ‘slackers’ should
build relationships with students and young colleagues and actively model a
professional work ethic for them, Bowers said.
In the study, when a
mentoring relationship was established and role models demonstrated the
behaviours they wished to see in young participants, mentees described a
process in which they listened to the knowledge their mentors shared, engaged
in opportunities to grow as leaders and believed in their own potential, she
said.
When adults prepare to take
on a mentoring role, it’s important that they evaluate their own work ethic and
professional skills. They should modify their behaviour and personal qualities
that they wouldn’t want to see replicated in the adolescents or young adults
they are working with, she said.
Source
| Free Press Journal | 10 June 2015
No comments:
Post a Comment