In a world that is becoming ever more connected, we are living in interesting times. Companies will soon begin to experience a wave of diverse workers thanks to the web.

We are just at the beginning of where technology could start taking our businesses. Within the last year alone, we have seen the ability to work from home productively thanks to it.

That is not to say that human interactions will disappear. But we have to admit that we can do a good job thanks to the tools and resources we have from home.

Nevertheless, the world is changing fast, and leaders need to navigate it. With so many possibilities, it almost feels like having a plan may be a waste of time. After all, things will probably change again with the next year or two.

Leaders today are faced with a unique set of problems. If anything, their problems are harder to solve and requires much more patience as the answers are not straightforward.

One problem leaders have to face is the increase of diversity in organisations. Before I show the complexities involved, I would like to praise the leaders that came before me.

Thanks to their courage, we now have great tools to help us communicate with others. There is now tonnes of information out there for people to educate themselves on diversity and inclusivity.

We now know that diversity helps boost ideation and can lead to better-performing businesses. However, with more unique characters and cultures at work, leaders are left to handle complexity.

There are now more women in the workforce and more people from ethnic minorities. We also live in a time where there are different generations in the workforce as the retirement age is increasing.

So, with all of this being said, the best organisations will learn how to navigate these ever-increasing complexities. The question is, how will they do it?

Changing the Way They Attract Talent

I have been interviewing Gen-Z over this summer to find out what they feel about 9–5. After all, the majority of their jobs will take this format, and they are all entering the workforce.

I spoke to about 15 of these individuals, and not one of them said they enjoy it. All of them had a plan to start their own business and only work for a small amount of time.

Gen-Z all want to be entrepreneurs, and do you blame them? They have grown up in a world of creators where they have seen people make it. Youtubers, TikTokers and even writers now have many ways to build a business and make a living.

They would rather follow the work they want to do and build something for themselves. They are also not as resilient as past generations due to growing up in an instantly gratifying world. Things like easy access to entertainment and the delivery of items have made the world even easier.

Then you come to millennials who want comfortable workspaces and flexible timing. They want to work on their own time and do purposeful work.

Then you come to Gen X and Xennials, who are results and status-driven. They love promotions and work hard to meet deadlines. These are the individuals who are at the top of our organisations due to age and experience.

However, can you see a slight problem? I just listed four different generations who are all working together. They all have different cultures, ways of looking at things and are driven in different ways.

What talent looks like to Gen X is completely different to millennials. Also, with the increase of Gen-Z wanting to leave big organisations, companies are finding it hard to hang onto great young talent.

Organisations who survive in the future will be agile enough to compensate for different views of talent. Also, they will be able to support different styles of working.

Strong organisations will be able to create spaces that allow for all of these differences. They will also create visions that are attractive to the younger generations.

One way companies are doing this already is through intrapreneurship. Companies are giving employees the chance to create within their space with a good business case. From this, regular employees can turn into entrepreneurs thanks to the companies support.

Schemes like the one above will be necessary to keep young talent engaged. Companies will need to use the optimistic minds of millennials to start seeking talent and forming visions. They are closest to the next generation and hold similar values to them.

As for the leaders, they will need to be taught to appreciate other views. It is no longer what they say goes. As the world is changing, leaders will need to be humble enough to learn from those with less experience. It is the only way they can keep up with the fast-changing world.

Changing Their Reward System

With new cultures joining the workforce, everyone wants different things from their organisation. However, this makes the problem even trickier for leaders.

Applying a one size fits all solution may have been okay back in the day. Many people were working to provide for their families. Also, it was often married men carrying the workforce.

Now, it is not like this. So, things like shopping vouchers, bonuses and a good pension will not cut it. People now want to be rewarded BY the work they do, not FOR the work they do.

The drastic change in the reward system has left many businesses and leaders stunned. A lot of the work people do today is not rewarding, but it is needed for the job to get done.

People were happy to do these roles as long as they got their paycheck and bonus at the end of the year. But now, it is not enough, and with different views in the organisations, leaders have a lot to manage.

Again, this is where valuing diversity is key. Being able to listen to what people want and turning that into a product or a set of products is vital. If leaders are not taught to value diversity in this way, companies will fail at keeping talent.

Closing Thoughts

Businesses will need to find a way to navigate these complex times. Most importantly, they will need to teach their leaders to value diversity above all else.

A lot of people assume that diversity is only to do with ethnicity. However, this article highlights that diversity goes beyond that.

So, as our workforce gets more complex to deal with, the best businesses will learn how to manage. And they will do this by training their leaders to value diversity.