The Silent Language of Leaders: How Body Language Can Help—or Hurt—How You Lead

9

THE NONVERBAL FUTURE OF LEADERSHIP

New Generations and New Technology

Kendra is majoring in corporate strategic planning in the Business Finance Department of one of the top U.S. universities. With one semester of schooling to complete, Kendra spent the summer as an intern in one of the leading high-tech companies in Silicon Valley. That company just made her an offer for full-time employment after graduation, which Kendra will accept—unless she gets the counteroffer she's hoping for, from one of the world's most prestigious management consulting firms.

Kendra is an example of top talent—one of the best and the brightest of a new generation of workers who are the future of your organization. Your ability to attract, retain, and engage the Kendras (and Kenneths) of this generation will, in a large part, determine whether your organization will continue to thrive or must struggle to stay competitive in the years ahead.

Your organization will change this group of workers—building their capabilities, molding their talents, guiding them from the theoretical base of their educations to the practical realities of your business. In turn, your new workforce will change the structure and spirit of your organization with its creativity, energy, adaptability, and enthusiasm.

In previous chapters, we've looked at the increasingly global and multicultural makeup of the workforce, seen how leading-edge communication technologies are changing business practices, and noted the fact that, in the ...