Toby Koh

Group MD, Ademco Security

Millennials have redefined what leadership means to them. They tend to rally those around them with a vision and cause, recognising that self-fulfilment is never only about financial rewards. Flexibility is a key incentive that millennial leaders offer their team, conscious that much value is placed on work-life balance. In contrast to traditional leadership styles that have more rigid structures and top-down directions, millennials provide openness and expect the team to contribute ideas and concepts. However, they tend to spend less time on coaching as compared to leaders of old who direct and mentor their team more closely. Traditional leaders pride themselves on their own vision and ability to galvanise the team through the sheer strength of their personality. Both leadership styles work and a true leader will be able to use the best of both styles for their team.

Frédéric Gillant

VP & MD - Asia-Pacific, ShoreTel

In Singapore, we’re currently undergoing a generational leadership transition, with millennials slowly climbing the ladder and installing their own unique core values further up in organisations. In turn this disentangles the values of the previous generation, transforming the concept of the organisation. In the eyes of millennials, the ideal organisation for them is one where they are more involved in decision-making, with more opportunities for feedback. Traditional leadership styles will likely follow less collaborative decision processes. The other crucial factor is that millennial leaders value work as a process and series of goals, not a place, much more than previous generations. They are much more receptive to, and will drive, initiatives such as remote working, and the convergence of work and home devices, and technology like mobility. Being more comfortable with new technology, millennials-led companies will happily implement new solutions to facilitate new working styles.

Eric Lew

Executive Director, Wong Fong Industries

Leadership styles are products of their environment. Traditional leadership styles, commonly seen as more autocratic and associated with a stricter set of policies and procedures, arose from periods with economic uncertainties like the post-war decades. The information technology revolution which occurred during the millennium has given rise to a better-informed generation who face more options and value personal choice more. Millennials prefer leaders who are able to inspire them with purpose and excitement, while creating an open and collaborative culture where ideas flow freely and people feel they can make a real difference to the organisation. As business and economic landscapes become increasingly complex and the workforce becomes more diverse with ‘millennials’ co-working with older workers, leaders need to find a balance between the different leadership extremes.

Jaren Ho

Founder, YACHT 21

Change is what makes millennial generation and traditional leadership styles different. I respect traditional leaders for their authenticity because many of them set the standards and built a system from scratch. They made mistakes and learnt valuable lessons the hard way. Unlike traditional leaders, leaders from the millennial generation are luckier. We enjoy the luxury of being born into a much better environment in terms of better technology and living standards. However, that does not necessarily mean it is easier for us to survive. Because we face the problem of continuity in a fast paced and highly competitive world. Today, we observe what traditional leaders did right, avoid their mistakes and innovate. We push the limits and dare to try new working styles but never forgetting the precious wisdom passed down from traditional leaders.

Parker Gundersen

CEO, ZALORA Group

It’s absolutely imperative that companies adapt their structure and processes to better support their millennial employees. Companies with complex hierarchies and slow decision making processes are a major turn off for a generation that has grown up in a world that is all about simplicity, speed and innovation. Leaders also need to be more open to listening and accepting input from all levels of the company. Organisations that understand this are working to revamp traditional career paths and communications channels to keep employees engaged and more involved in shaping company direction. At the same time, core leadership skills and technical capabilities take time to fully develop, so it’s essential to set the right expectations with millennials on career advancement to ensure a healthy balance between supporting career advancement and preparing young talent for larger leadership roles.

Compiled by Rumi Hardasmalani (rumih [at] mediacorp.com.sg)