The perception of leaders varies from generation to generation particularly in the realm of politics. To be an effective leader regardless of one’s generation, one needs to be aware of social trends. One cannot be persuasive without meeting the minds of the audience to whom ideas must be presented. One cannot receive the ideas of another generation without understanding and open-mindedness. Leadership requires study and receptivity.

This point is highlighted by a recent Brookings’s report that aims to discover what will motivate the next generation of leaders. It begins:

“The Millennials are the generational cohort born from roughly 1980 to 2005, in an ‘echo’ of the Boomer generation. But as with other generations, it’s not the exact date of birth that matters as much as their mindset and transformative experiences…But what do we actually know about the views and values of this rising generation of leaders? The answer is very little. Most studies ignore them and indeed, most polling tends to focus on overall population surveys, not delineating the next generation. Young leaders in specific garner even less attention.”