Over the past several weeks, we’ve been discussing key insights that have emerged from the AIHM Employer Forum and related research. If you’re an employer who will be recruiting new graduates and you want to know how to capture star students and the highest-potential future leaders, these insights are an invaluable way to get to know them better. Perhaps you’re a manager or business owner who will be directing and collaborating with the next generation. In that case, understanding the differences (and similarities) in worldviews and expectations can be vital to your success.
We’ve talked about how the next generation values Individuality. Far from being a form of selfish individualism, this generation values—to an unprecedented degree—the individuality of others as well as themselves. They recognise both the practical merits and ethics of embracing diversity, knowing that each individual has their own background, experiences, perspectives, challenges, talents and aspirations. Importantly, they desire employers who share this value and who understand that allowing individual team members to leverage their own individuality is key to employee loyalty, motivation, career growth and business growth.
We then discussed a trending focus on Value Alignment. More than ever before, today’s young people are investigating the corporate values of potential employers and seeking out companies who share their priorities. Some of these values are widely shared—sustainability, environmental and social responsibility, and the valuing of each person’s unique individuality as mentioned above. Other values are of course specific to each person and vary widely.
Moving on to the third post in our series, we discussed a prominent focus on Work-Life Balance. Why is this more pronounced than ever before? Key reasons include the next generation’s advanced and thorough technical proficiencies as well as their experiences during the Covid-19 pandemic. They have studied and worked in environments and conditions that made use of technology, online collaborations, asynchronous learning and knowledge production, flexible schedules and an overall greater prioritising of health and wellbeing. Yes, there were challenges in the initial shifts during the pandemic, but the next generation were also able to see the immense advantages and benefits that arose.
While there are numerous insights to be found in the AIHM Employer Forum sessions and the research projects associated with it, this series will conclude for now with a fourth key insight: a strong generational desire to join a fast-growing company. Providing and communicating major growth opportunities and the chance for robust advancement are critical to attracting the next generation of leaders and benefitting from their talents.
Understanding the Next Generation’s Desire for Rapid Growth
Over and over again during the AIHM Employer Forum, students have mentioned their desire to work for fast-growing companies. Why? The next generation is ambitious, ready to explore and ready to achieve. They want companies that allow them to do this.
Win Myatt Myatt (Bea) Phyo
Professionals entering the job force now have a high desire for rapid advancement. They’ve grown up in a world of swift change and technological progress, a lifestyle where things are always at your fingertips. If an individual has the drive and ability to progress rapidly, they strongly believe it’s fair—and even expected—that they can climb the ladder quickly based on merit.
Many students participating in the Forum also expressed a desire for international travel and experiences, remarking on the vast amounts of travel content that flood the social media feeds of most young people; they are constantly surrounded by this aspiration. They understand that a fast-growing company with a multi-national footprint can provide ambitious young professionals with the chance to grow and relocate for new experiences.
Another benefit of a fast-growing company? It offers professionals the chance to explore various interests and talents as they find their most ideal niche…or niches. The next generation is particularly keen on exploring multiple paths at the same time and finding ways to unite personal passions with career opportunities.
Navigating the ‘Need for Speed’
During the interactive portion of our AIHM Employer Forum, in a session using technology to visualise real-time responses to questions, we asked students about the highest position they aspire to hold.
As you can see, “General Manager” was one of the most common answers, along with a number of high-level executive and entrepreneurial roles. For a snapshot of hospitality management student responses, this is far from surprising. What is remarkable though is the students’ desire to rise to these roles rapidly.
While there’s a clearly evident trend amongst this next generation of wanting to proceed very quickly up the ranks, our student representatives were not uncritical or overly idealistic in respect to this desire. In fact, they discussed ways employers can allow leadership-track individuals to feel fulfilled and empowered as they make their way up the ladder, understanding that racing to the top isn’t always the most viable or advisable tactic.
AIHM Student Committee President Khemkhaeng Andrew Rohrbach thoughtfully considered the allure that becoming a hotel general manager holds for many hospitality management students. As he summed up succinctly but also a bit tongue-in-cheek, “You have your own kingdom.” Anyone who has worked in the hotel industry for a while is familiar with this trope. Many individuals who aspire to a position as a GM find career fulfilment in a sense of ownership over the business’s success. The level of responsibility and the ability to make a personal impact is high.
While Andrew suggested to his generation that they should have patience on their journeys, it is also important for employers to understand how to collaborate with and guide this generation and their ‘need for speed’ in career advancement. Companies must allow GM-track and other high-potential team members to have a sense of ownership in their roles. As they progress in their journey to develop the leadership skills to direct an entire hotel or resort, you can empower them and build job satisfaction; consider ways to allow these valuable individuals to work within a framework that allows them ownership of their projects or their division’s successes.
Advice for Recruiting and Retaining Rising Stars
Companies seeking to recruit the next generation should highlight their growth opportunities, options for international travel and relocation within an expanding portfolio of properties or an umbrella of brands, and an ability for aspiring leaders to carve out their own success within the company. To keep the best of the new generation, companies need to make good on these promises. By doing so, they’ll find themselves with loyal team members embracing their passions and bringing about newfound successes.
Their Futures, Your Futures
I’m constantly inspired by the next generation of leaders at AIHM. Our students’ innovation, drive, dynamic adaptability and ambition, not to mention their talents, are exceptional. The next generation is ready to achieve great things. The AIHM Employer Forum helps us bridge the gaps between their expectations and those of employers. Through mutual understanding and uncovering insights about these generational differences, we hope to build a platform for shared success.
While I’m concluding this blog post series for now, the work is ongoing. We’re continuing to hold AIHM Employer Forum events with new audiences. Would you like to be a part of this continuing discussion? Let’s connect!
AIHM expert and facilitator of learning, Dr. Yuth Thongcharoen is continuing to build his research in this topic with data and analysis from the previous sessions and from those in the future. If you want to know more, I encourage you to follow either one of us, as well as AIHM, on LinkedIn. We are always on the lookout for ways to build bridges between our educational institution and industry leaders.
I’d like to conclude with a heartfelt thank-you to all the students who have participated in the project to date. You and your dreams are amazing! I look forward to continuing to stay up to date with your successes in the months and years to come.
AIHM Employer Forum 2024: Student Panel
Do you have 20 minutes to hear from some of the industry’s rising stars? Watch the AIHM Employer Forum 2024 video on YouTube to learn from leaders of the next generation.
Academic Perspectives
Want to know more about the next generation’s desire for clear growth opportunities? The research of AIHM’s Dr. Yuth Thongcharoen centres on the next generation’s motivations and how we can bridge these generational differences as new young professionals emerge into the workplace. He provides a few suggested readings on this post’s topic below.
Henstra, D., & McGowan, R. A. (2016). Millennials and public service: An exploratory analysis of graduate student career motivations and expectations. Public Administration Quarterly, 40(3), 490-516. http://www.dmrg.org/papers/Henstra.McGowan.2016- Millennials_and_public_service.pdf
Meng, J., Reber, B. H., & Rogers, H. (2017). Managing millennial communication professionals: Connecting generation attributes, leadership development, and 147 employee engagement. Acta Prosperitatis, 8, 68-83, 119. https://www.turiba.lv/storage/files/8-acta.pdf#page=69
Oh, J. (2020).Three rules for engaging millennial and generation Z talents in the workplace. The World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/01/millennial-gen-z-talent-workplace- leadership/
Sanner-Stiehr, E., & Vandermause, R. K. (2017). Can't we all just get along? A dual- theory approach to understanding and managing the multigenerational workplace. Journal of Organizational Psychology, 17(2), 103-110. https://articlegateway.com/index.php/JOP/article/view/1687/1601
Valenti, A. (2019). Leadership preferences of the millennial generation. The Journal of Business Diversity, 19(1), 75-84. https://doi.org/10.33423/jbd.v19i1.1357
Be A Part of the Change
Would you like to be a part of a future AIHM Employer Forum event? Let’s connect to discuss the opportunities we have for likeminded leaders both in the hospitality industry and beyond to participate and collaborate on future initiatives and events like these.
Director of Global Partnerships
AIHM & Minor Education