How younger generations are inspiring new ways of leadership

There is a phrase sociologists use to describe a state where past successes and ingrained habits can blind leaders to new realities. It’s called trained incapacity and right now, the world’s political, multilateral and corporate institutions are caught in this incapacity doom-loop.

How have we got here? Many leaders apply old formulas to new realities in the hope that their experience will see us through, failing to see where their perspectives alone are no longer sufficient.

We are navigating an era where generative AI has restructured the labour market in the space of a couple of months – rather than generations. Simultaneously, the social contract of the modern world is at risk of collapsing: real wages have stagnated against soaring living costs and housing has transformed from a reasonable expectation to a luxury that is out of reach for many. The traditional roadmap, where hard work yields predictable security, is at risk of dissolving.

This is a failure of leadership not driven by ignorance or cruelty, but by a lack of perspective. With our political and corporate systems overwhelmingly dominated by older people, there is an absence of focus on and genuine empathy for young leaders.

The result is that decisions on AI governance, housing reform and economic policy are being made by people who will never have to deal with the long-term consequences, let alone the immediate pressures facing those who are at the start of their professional life.

Unfortunately, these older leaders are moving very, very slowly.

For years, the prevailing narrative has been that younger generations lack resilience or commitment – that they are less willing to follow established paths. But this overlooks a more fundamental shift: the structure of opportunity itself has changed. What we have seen over the past decade is that when it comes to dealing with some of humanity’s greatest challenges – from conflict to the climate – young leaders are at the forefront of change.

Through my work with One Young World, which I co-founded with David Jones, the global network of more than 20,000 effective young leaders, I meet inspirational young people every day who are leading teams, shaping organizations and driving change in their communities. Far from the myth of this being the ‘snowflake’ generation, these young leaders are tackling failures head on. What they lack is not motivation ability, but proximity to power and influence. There is y no doubt in my mind that they have the understanding of current realities to drive the changes they want to see. Even when they lack obvious resources they get on and lead the work anyway. Increasingly, one can see that, across nations, they share common values.

Many older leaders (my generation) undervalue the contributions that younger people can make because they view today’s realities through the prism of their own experience. This results in relying on old models of youth advisory boards, listening exercises and panels that prioritize visibility and ‘giving the young a voice’ but not influence. This is youth-washing.

At One Young World we’ve learned that our brilliant young cohorts think for themselves; that what we have to do is meet their needs and expectations in every way we can; that performative exercises in inclusion are not enough. ‘Seats at the table’ are not an end in themselves. The assumption that older leaders possess expertise and wisdom that’s beyond the youth may be valid, but their experience of some current challenges is far more tangible (such as in technology or economics). We’ve learned at One Young World that we are not only ‘for’ young leaders but that our thinking and actions are ‘by’ and ‘of’ young leaders.

Today, forward-thinking global giants like One Young World’s partners at L’Oreal, BMW, EY, Siemens, HSBC, AstraZeneca, Novartis and Deloitte take a different approach. They are embedding younger perspectives into their core leadership thinking through deliberate intergenerational governance.

Through reverse mentoring and deliberate intergenerational collaboration, senior executives are being challenged to engage with ideas and shifts that might otherwise remain peripheral. They understand the value of opinions and perspectives often found outside the boardroom.

Where taken seriously, these approaches do more than signal inclusion. They change how decisions are made – introducing different perspectives, identifying emerging risks earlier and strengthening the ability to anticipate rather than react.

But these efforts remain the exception, not the rule. In most institutions, decision-making power is still heavily concentrated at the top. Meaningful inclusion requires a shift from consultation to co-creation, integrating younger leaders into governance, strategy and leadership pipelines earlier in their careers.

Without this, there will continue to be a systemic imbalance where public and private organizations kick long-term risks down the road, storing up economic fragility and technological liabilities in the process, all without facing immediate accountability from the boardroom or the ballot box.

This is not a sentimental debate about youth vs. experience. Nor is it about replacing one group with another. It is about broadening the range of perspectives that inform decision-making in an increasingly complex and more volatile world.

An economy that excludes a significant share of its talent from positions of influence is not operating at full capacity. It is limited in its ability to adapt and plan for the future. Over time, that becomes a structural weakness.

Applying the tried solutions of the past to the problems of today is the very definition of trained incapacity. Repeating this process over and over again and each time, expecting a different result, is the definition of something else entirely!

To survive the coming decades, our institutions must realise that generational diversity is an important part of addressing the growing headwinds we face. We need to get comfortable making uncomfortable decisions if we are serious about making the right choices.

Visit One Young World to find out more about these and other initiatives.