It is obvious that the older generation of leaders has failed Ghana miserably, and the evidence is there for all to see. Now that the younger generation known as the Generation Y are emerging into position of leadership; the sixty million dollar question is can they do a better job of leading the country than the generation before them? I believe they can. However, they need training and mentoring, and should they be mentored and trained by those who have failed us? What can we do to enable them to embrace new way of thinking in order to make a difference? Every effort must be made to teach and equip them to lead us in the right direction.

By the way who are the generation Y? And why is it possible that they could be the generation to save Ghana? Generation Y are those born in 1980 and later. This group brings a unique perspective that will help set the direction for Ghana’s future. Tribalism and nepotism has been part of the older generation’s method of doing business. It is my hope that the Generation Y leaders will not engage in these practices. Thomas Edison had a unique way of hiring engineers. He’d give the applicant a light bulb and ask, “How much water will it hold?”
There were two ways to find the answer. The first was to use gauges to measure all the angles of the bulb. Then with the measurement in hand, the engineer would calculate the surface area. This approach could take as long as 20 minutes. The second choice was to fill the bulb with water and then pour the contents into a measuring cup. Total elapsed time: about a minute. Engineers who took the first route, and performed their measurements by the book were thanked politely for their time and sent on their way. If you took the second route, you heard Edison say, “ You’re hired” The point I am trying to make here is that only the best and the brightest with creative minds should be hired and elected to public office irrespective of tribe and family connection.

Google, Apple, Dell, and Facebook are four of the most successful companies in the world, and were started by employees in their twenties who were looking for the right place to offer their talent. The truth is the good ones tend to leave organizations in search of higher grounds. It’s in their blood; they know what they can do and how much they have to offer. This generation have embraced the philosophy of whatever your life’s work is, do it well. A man should do his job so well that the living, the dead, and the unborn could do it no better.
Generation Ys are sometimes perceived as lazy, demanding, and inexperienced wasters, but what they really need is mentoring. They come in with this tremendous technological skills set that the workforce hasn’t seen before, but they need a lot of mentoring in order to take advantage of their valuable skills. With that mentoring, I think Ghana is going to see what a plus this generation can be. Part of mentoring is making sure Generation Ys feel they are constantly learning and growing their tool box of experience; then they will be less likely to leave for overseas. In terms of growth and development, this could be as simple as proper business etiquette, and how to write professional report, memos or business plan. There are a lot of skills that these young employees don’t have, and I am not sure whether the current incompetent and corrupt leaders are the right people to teach them.
Shadowing a competent higher official is a great way to be mentored. It helps the Gen Ys see what they need to learn, because most of the time they want to move forward fast and get promoted quickly into a role that they might not be so familiar with. Shadowing helps them to see directly what they need to know. By the same token, Gen Ys need to feel they are doing meaningful work. This means putting what they are doing into context. They really need to know where the company is going, what the position is, and how they fit into the plan. Whatever work they do, they want to make a difference. That’s a strong core value of most of Gen Ys, and I hope that the Generation Ys of Ghana have this core value to want to make a difference in moving Ghana forward.
Generation Ys bring in a different set of technological skills that often are way ahead of the companies that are hiring them. This has never happened before, and it is turning the workplace upside down in many ways. In the past, younger workers were really treated as stick soldiers, and there was a firewall that separated the managers or the seniors from the new hires. But that has really changed now with the high technological skill level that the Generation Ys bring in. They can begin contributing to the company fairly early on, if they are recognized and they are given the opportunity to do that.
The Generation Ys are much more likely to give their employers early warning of innovation or new things in the personal technology world that can affect their business. And this generation grew up with that. They’ve used it for years, and they can help an organization use this personal technology in their business and for their customers. Discoveries are often made by not following instructions, by going off the main road, by trying the untried.
This is an opportunity for our leaders and companies to rethink work – what is work and where it is done? Technology has made things possible that were otherwise not, even ten years ago, and living to work is a thing of the past. Flexibility is no longer a favor that businesses hand out. It’s a compelling business strategy. A number of studies show that when companies give employees freedom to work, they become more engaged and their productivity goes up.
It is my hope that the few good experienced competent business and political leaders that are in Ghana will take the leaders of the Generation Ys under their wings and mentor and encourage them to excel and propel Ghana to prosperity. You never know it may well be that Generation Ys will save us from economic deserter and poverty thereby creating a brighter future for Ghana.

It has been said that; “You are in charge of your own attitude – whatever others do or circumstances you face. The only person you can control is yourself. It is my hope and prayer that the younger generation of leaders will control their attitudes and not give into the temptation of getting rich quick, corruption, tribalism and nepotism, and will put Ghana first.
God Bless Ghana and long live Ghana.

Komla – The Peace Broker (U.S.A.)