On October 7th I attended the 3rd International HR Conference which took place in Barcelona with the leitmotiv “The Future of Work”. Speakers coming from all kinds of disciplines and many different countries presented their opinions and experiences about the generational clash, drones, new organizational systems and, in short, all the new workforce realities we will be seeing up to 2020, that new magical date.
I must confess I wasn’t in my best mood. Last year I was one of the speakers and, 365 days later, I was no longer attached to the company I represented and for which I had been working for the last 15 years. Some of the attendees at last year’s event recognized me and, when I told them I was no longer working for my former organization they looked quite shocked. In fact, when I left that company, I knew what I wanted to achieve, but, before attending the conference, I didn’t really know how to achieve it. I made myself comfortable in my seat, wondering if I would find inspiration for my new status in the words of this year’s wise speakers.
The talks began: HR directors, international business school professors and innovation strategy gurus. All perfectly good and interesting. But then, on stage appeared a young speaker, a 21-year-old CEO. His name was Pablo González and, with a powerfully convincing manner, he showcased the project of his organization, a platform devoted to unleash the talent of youth.
I’ve been working all these years in fast fashion. I feel more comfortable among people in their 20s than people in their 40s. I am not a person who lives in a world of senior professionals ignoring the opinion of young people. But, the words of this young entrepreneur hit me and made me think beyond the theories of the best reputed schools. His message was so clear and forceful (“CEOs – don’t bother looking for young talents to work in your companies. We are simply not interested! ”), that all the scientific data of the innovation gurus suddenly appeared very much like traditional organizations to me: perfectly good but bland.
My mindset radically changed after the fastest reverse mentoring session in history (the talk lasted 20 minutes). And I decided there and then that I would be a millennial at 42!
I’ve been very disciplined since I made my decision: I’ve worked hard to tear down all my generation x barriers (well, I’ve tried to keep some of the positive features of my generation!). I got out of my cocoon after years and years of being in the same working environment. Freelancing is the most interesting way of cooperative networking. I learn from realities I was totally unaware of in my previous life. I enjoy sharing the knowledge of my former professional experience with people who reach out to me through LinkedIn. And I realized that the companies whose ambassadors and collaborators (I do not say employees) have a strong personal branding (instead of individuals who blend in with the organization) will be the companies who will rock before we can say “2020”. Reverse Mentoring, what a wonderful invention.
