Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER MARCH 2019 8 NEWS ipm Institute of Professional Management 2210-1081 Ambleside Drive, Ottawa, ON, K2B 8C8 Tel: (613) 721-5957 Toll Free: 1-888-441-0000 valid until April 15, 2019 Corporate Group Subscription O er IPM's Online Management Encyclopedia & Workplace Today™ Details at : www.workplace.ca/HR-Reporter.html $240 regular $800 ... save $560! Order a 12-month corporate multi-user online subscription to Workplace Today™ Online Journal and IPM's Online Management Encyclopedia by April 15, 2019 and pay only $240 (70% o !) This o er includes unlimited users from the same organization. Workplace Today™ Journal – Bene t monthly from well- researched legal information, detailed case studies on timely issues and concise reporting on today's labour trends. IPM's Management Encyclopedia – Canada's rst and only online management reference tool. It provides step-by- step How To's for routine management tasks. Put the power of these skill-based How To's directly into the hands of your management team. Getting to know generation Z Executives share offi ces with future leaders in CEOx1Day program BY MARCEL VANDER WIER AISLIN ROTH experienced a whirlwind day in a CEO's shoes in February. The 21-year-old commerce student at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont., worked alongside Caroline Riseboro, president and CEO of Plan International Can- ada, a children's rights advocate organization in Toronto. The partnership was part of CEOx1Day, a program organized by executive search fi rm Odgers Berndtson Canada that paired 18 CEOs with students from uni- versities and colleges across the country. The value of the experience comes as the CEO earns an op- portunity to pass strategy by the next generation, while the student has access to the process of run- ning a major organization, said Jacqueline Foley, chief market- ing offi cer at Odgers Berndtson Canada in Toronto. " e connections that happen between the students and the CEOs are quite signifi cant and some stay in touch," she said. " e CEOs just really enjoy that opportunity to spend a day with these really bright, motivated stu- dents and, of course, the students get all kinds of benefi ts out of the day, as well." " ey've got lots of skills and lots of potential and lots of ambi- tion, but that day with the CEO allows them to really see what leadership is all about." One-on-one time Roth's day included one-on-one time with Riseboro, an opportu- nity to participate in an executive management team meeting, and a local event called "Equal Voice" promoting the election of more female politicians. e executive meeting was a highlight for Roth. "It was great to get to see — at such a high level — how they're thinking about the organization's strategic objectives three years out, fi ve years out, what the long- term vision is, and how at a high level, the strategy all fi ts together," she said. Plan International's youth en- gagement and marketing teams solicited Roth's opinions in terms of her typical interactions with non-profi t organizations. "I tried to bring a fresh, outsid- er's perspective of someone who doesn't necessarily know a lot about Plan International," she said. Real-life experience as a young female in male-dominated work- places fuelled her contribution to the discussions, said Roth. "It's been an incredible experi- ence," she said. "It's given me a lot more respect for some of the chal- lenges leaders face, and the things that motivate them to come into work every day." Riseboro shared advice on managing diff ering opinions, the importance of showing concern for personal well-being and work- life balance, as well as strategies to better prioritize work objectives. "A key takeaway has been 'How do you make sure you're spend- ing your time on the things that help the organization the most?'" said Roth. "As a CEO, you have so many people asking for your time." Insights for leaders Now in its sixth year, the CEOx- 1Day program is meant to provide insights into current business en- vironments for both current and future leaders, said Foley. "Companies today are really looking to engage their employ- ees more, and connect to the fu- ture — the high potentials, the next generation — and keep them engaged." Knowing Roth wanted to con- nect the dots between learned theory and real-life business ac- tivity, Plan International worked hard to create opportunities where she could meaningfully en- gage in discussion, said Riseboro. "We were really purposeful to have Aislin be part of our execu- tive management team and feed into the discussion and give us advice on some of the topics that we were covering." Riseboro appreciated getting a sense of where the next genera- tion of leaders fi nd value. "We are trying to solve century- old problems of poverty and gen- der inequality, and we want to at- tract the best and brightest minds like Aislin and others," she said. "Plan's mission is really trying to advance children's rights and equality for girls. It's so important to expose young women to CEO roles and leadership roles. Be- cause often what we fi nd is that young girls actually perceive that they have fewer opportunities be- cause of their gender." While her eventual career re- mains unknown, a leadership position is on the radar, said Roth. Ideally, she'd like to join a team with international scope that is intellectually curious and in- cludes participants from diverse backgrounds. Gen Z arrives For the rst time, participating organizations in CEOx1Day welcomed gen Z participants — age 21 and under. The motivations of gen Z students differ from previous generations, according to Mary Barroll, president of TalentEgg, an employment agency in Toronto that supports CEOx1Day. "The priorities of generation Z are unlike those of its predecessors," she said. "It has a great deal to do with the fact that they were raised in the shadow of a recession — a very different time than when many millennials were raised... growing up in a booming economy where there was endless opportunities." Gen Z workers respond best to employers that care less about the bottom line and more about making a positive impact on society via meaningful employee experiences, said Barroll. Thy are expected to stay in their rst job longer, looking for skills development over and above compensation. Unlike millennials, it's less about extime and more about experience, skills development and direct contact with supervisors, she said. "Their attitudes towards work are quite different in terms of job security," said Barroll. "Allowing them an opportunity to see how they could progress, and giving them guidance about what steps to take in order to succeed... is really important." Alongside consistent stimulation and learning, an inclusive culture with a focus on corporate social responsibility is very important to gen Z workers, she said. Employers may need to revamp recruitment and bene t practices to adapt to the in ux of these workers, said Barroll. "Organizations should highlight their commitment to their core values — as re ected by their corporate social responsibility initiatives — and develop volunteer programs that build deeper relationships with young talent." "A lot of that has been addressed in some big organizations," she said. "Many others have not… adapted to the new reality and are still utilizing things that used to work in the past. And they're really challenged when they're in a competitive environment for top talent — positioning themselves in the best light possible — because they haven't understood that the values of young people today are quite different than those were 20 years ago." Differing motivations or not, ambition, curiosity, resilience and the ability to inspire will continue to be core leadership skills — both today and tomorrow, said Jacqueline Foley, chief marketing of cer at Odgers Berndtson Canada, the organization behind CEOx1Day. "The skills that make leaders successful today are still very much the skills that we see in these future leaders." Plan International Canada CEO Caroline Riseboro (left) shared her office with Queen's University student Aislin Roth as part of the CEOx1Day program. Credit: Plan International Canada

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