Is it a "Youth" eat Youth World

Transitioning management of companies from old youthful horses to young people across all sectors 

The first lesson of getting into management is that no one is irreplaceable, so you have come into a job what is left is your move out. This should not be a bad thing. Movement in companies reflects growth and progress. If there is personal stagnation there is generally loss of potential institutional growth. So why do people fear movement, leaving a job, seeking higher posting or going into new areas. 

Zimbabwean institutional challenges may be narrated in historical terms. Skilled specialists in low level areas held a culture of mythical stagnation. In the 1960 tradition, submission and obedience were key words. Things would be done in the old ways. The teacher in handcraft/practical jobs would never teach the student everything for fear of becoming ill relevant. The student would be discouraged to try innovation for innovation means failure and thus death of a career. This thought process is a result of world views that are in direct conflict with the technological western liked global mindset. 

The traditional culture in precolonial times held a idolisation of habit and culture that resulted in Bantu culture (according to historical records by western missionaries and explorers) maiming children who dared redesign a simple animal trap. Fear of rebellion against the norm led to mass abuse of youthful skills, rejection of innovators and rejection of youthful ideas. 

It’s important that one recognize that this culture and its world view is part of the battle of the youth today in Africa in general and Zimbabwe in particular.  Traditionally youthful passion ended up in leaving the home or tribe to develop ones identity in a new place but with the ambition to return home and prove themselves. Be it the Zulu King Shaka in South Africa or  Changamire-Dombo  in Zimbabwe. Resistance to youth led to separation and return initiated for violence. Resistance to allowing the youth access to power has led to rebellion and domination with high costs of potential development, future relationship and increase in corruption. 

It is important that in view to a generation with access to new information and the capacity to reformulate the norm, that proactive plans and policy be in place in all institutions to allow youth capacitation into the corridors of power. Having youths’ enter into the corridors of power in politics, institution and academia while mentored and trained up to understand leadership, rights and protocol aligned to the value of community, institution and the  management team. Is the only assurance of success.   

The greatest hurdles of institutional power transfer to the youth include: 

• Lack of life planning by institution, leaders, managers and executives. 
• Ego of ‘former youth’ for eternal relevance in todays job market. 
• Fear of loss of identity, money and economic relevance in those in authority. 

“Failure to develop new leaders like yourself is failure in purpose and leadership” If senior executives including founders of companies followed an esteemed teacher of leadership Myles Monroe’s teaching. The current stagnation in management access would be reduced, and potential errors by untaught youthful leadership avoided. It's heartening to see companies like Delta in Zimbabwe offering management training opportunities to the youth. Like all rights issue one trust that through lobbying national institutional policy for progressive intentional leadership training programs and capacitation will be followed. It is necessary for government, quasi government, non governmental organizations and the private sector to set up leadership accesses structures for the benefit of the nation. The youth are here to stay, and with global percentages favouring the number of young people in the development world more will join the number and will mature.

It would be a national waste to miss out the opportunity to aid in the development of humanity by hindering the access, understanding and use of power by the youth. One must having the grace of wise counsel to in turn humbly learn from the youth.  Teaching with love and with the intention build up rather than to clone the next generation. 

The youth is more than a great voting ratio, its more than the high energy group to be send around, nor is the youth solely made up of masses of ignorance, they are part of humanity, the very future of society who must be mentored and involved in all social spheres of influence for the world being created is for then and the ones to come. 

Failure to  go beyond accommodating the youth with abstract tolerance towards assimilating the youth and thus creating a greater national/organisational/institutional/social identity will lead to rebellion, missed opportunity, repeated mistakes of the elders when the opportunity of success was there through capacitating Youth in key areas.