Leadership Insights
How Smart Leaders are Leveraging Age Equity and Reaping the Rewards
6 min read
Leaders now sit across five generations, but can they leverage this untapped powerhouse?
Leadership is, for the first time, being reshaped by five generations in the same room. It’s no longer unusual to find a 27-year-old data analyst presenting to a 45-year-old Operations Chief seated across from a 65-year-old Adviser.
But what should be a strategic advantage fuelling innovation is, according to some experts, often treated as a risk.
A 2024 Deloitte study found that just 6% of organisations believe their leaders are equipped to manage intergenerational teams effectively.
To unpack and explore this topic, we spoke to Thato Mafanti, Chief Digital Officer at Intercare and Candice Thomas, Head of Marketing at STBB.
Generational difference isn't the issue. Misunderstanding is.
When experts talk about generational conflict, says Mafanti, what we’re really talking about are assumptions. That Gen Z are disloyal. That Millennials are entitled. That Gen X are winding down. That Boomers won’t change.
Mafanti believes too many executive committees default to generational stereotypes and miss the opportunity to use age diversity as a strategic edge.
Stereotypes don’t stand up to scrutiny or experience.
“Generation Z employees are loyal to the leader who genuinely cares for their success - not just the organisation and brand,” states Mafanti. When it’s absent, Gen Z moves on, not because they’re disloyal, but because they feel unheard, she adds. Similarly, Thomas dismisses the idea that younger leaders bring entitlement to the table.
“Fighting imposter syndrome was a big deal for me. I was a young female, and the only person of colour when I was appointed to ExCo as the Marketing Executive,” she explains. She further adds that what might be misread as sensitivity is often the cost of navigating exclusion - the emotional tax of operating in systems not built for you. Meanwhile, with people living longer amid a cost-of-living crisis, the notion of retirement at 65 is increasingly outdated. Many Gen X are gearing up and upskilling for boardroom longevity, not cruising to an early retirement.
Beyond the labels: what the data actually shows
According to research, while it's true that generational differences in work style exist from communication preferences and flexibility, to expectations around hierarchy, they are less rigid than we think.
Research from Deloitte, KPMG (2025), and CEPAR (2024) shows a growing convergence in employee expectations.
Across all age groups, people want four things:
- Flexibility in how, when and where they work
- Meaningful work aligned to purpose
- Job security in volatile economies
- Opportunities for growth, both vertical and lateral
The research outlines that what varies is not what people want, but how they express it.
Culture is built, not inherited
If values are converging, what’s stopping leaders from bridging the gap?
In a word: “culture”, states Mafanti. “You have to create space for all says Mafanti. “The imperative is on company culture to allow both traditional and innovative thinkers.”
According to Mafanti, reverse mentoring, cross-generational strategy groups and performance conversations focused on contribution (not age) are key enablers, it’s also about disrupting the hidden norms that shape how power flows.
“The culture must allow both old-school discipline and wild new thinking to coexist,” says Mafanti. “That’s where the magic happens.”
Thomas warns against over-reliance on generational categories to explain behaviour. In high-pressure situations, she notes differences fade in favour of problem-solving.
Unconscious bias isn’t just about gender or race: age counts, too.
According to research, most leadership teams now run unconscious bias training, but age bias rarely gets the same scrutiny.
The experts mention that age bias is subtler, often unspoken - yet it shapes who is (or who is not) in the room.
Research cited by Emberton (2021) highlights how these biases can subtly influence decision-making, often without awareness.
The research further states that age bias sounds like:
“We need someone with more energy.”
“She’s too young to lead a division.”
“He’s been around too long to adapt.”
But in practice, state Mafanti and Thomas, these beliefs shape who gets promoted, who’s invited into strategic conversations and who’s been written off before they’ve even started. They emphasise that overcoming such biases requires intentional cultural shifts within organisations.
Leadership reflection: age bias self-check
Ask yourself:
- Have I overlooked a Gen X employee for a Gen Z based on perceived digital fluency, not actual capability?
- Did I assume an older leader wouldn’t want to adapt to new tools, without asking them?
- Have I equated age with either wisdom or irrelevance, without evidence?
- Did I pass over a younger team member for a high-visibility project because I thought they “weren’t ready” or because they made me uncomfortable?
- When I look at my top team, do they reflect a mix of generations, or does one dominate?
These moments, seemingly innocuous, shape culture over time.
What progressive leaders are doing differently
In high-performing teams, age diversity is a design principle, not a box-ticking exercise.
Research indicates that inclusive leaders are intentionally creating feedback mechanisms that span generations. They’re using mixed-age project teams to increase cognitive diversity. They are also running bias audits to ensure age isn’t silently skewing hiring or succession. They are further aligning on shared outcomes, rather than personal styles.
Leaders understand that innovation requires psychological safety and the right tension between experience and disruption.
Interestingly, many organisations – including Odgers in the UK- are establishing what’s known as a next generation council or shadow board. This provides younger leaders with a voice in shaping business direction and strategy, while giving senior teams valuable insight into emerging priorities and perspectives.
What this means for your leadership teams
Generational difference isn't going away. The challenge isn’t just to manage age differences; it is about harnessing the friction as a strategic asset.
Odgers suggests you:
- Examine power dynamics in relation to age. Who gets decision rights? Who’s interrupted most often?
- Pilot a reverse mentoring programme. Tie it to a real business challenge, not a symbolic pairing.
- Redesign feedback frameworks. Ensure rewards are not biased towards one generational style.
- Review your last three leadership hires. Were they culturally and cognitively diverse or just older versions of the same profile?
- Shift from generational awareness to generational fluency. This isn’t about knowing Gen Z trends. It’s about listening deeply, leading with curiosity, being flexible and anchoring in purpose.
As the experts suggest, the ultimate challenge is not managing generations. It's building cultures where generations challenge, stretch, applaud, query and sharpen one another - deliberately.
Let us help you
Do you need to optimise your leadership team’s generational dynamics? Contact Odgers for tailored strategies to a future-ready leadership team.