The Great Place to Work® CXO Forum 2023 themed ‘Leaders of the Future’, brought to light the challenges and possibilities involved in creating a more favorable environment for the upcoming generations and featured insightful discussions from industry leaders.
The event commenced with an address by Kshanika Ratnayaka, Director/CEO of Great Place to Work® Sri Lanka. She highlighted a key dilemma faced by organizations today – the tendency of millennials to climb the corporate ladder swiftly, only to leave their organizations behind. Kshanika pondered, “Why is that? There must be something in the nature of current leadership roles that is not clicking with millennial expectations.” This sentiment underscores the imperative for organizations to adapt their leadership styles to meet the evolving needs of younger employees to evolve as Leaders of the Future.
Ashdin Doctor, renowned Habit Coach and Founder of Awesome180, delivered the keynote speech on the topic ‘Leaders of the Future’, and highlighted the existence of a “habit gap” between generations, from boomers to Gen X, millennials, and Gen Z and underscored that millennials possess clear intentions revolving around purpose, freedom, and fairness and urged organizations to focus on harnessing the potential of these young talents through intentional habit-building.
The highlight of the event was the announcement of the Best Workplaces for Millennials in 2023,celebrated for their commitment to creating exceptional workplace experiences for younger employees. The recognized companies included 99X, AIA Insurance Lanka Limited, AmSafe Bridport (Pvt) Ltd, BISTEC Global Services, EFL 3PL, Gamma Pizzakraft Lanka (Pvt) Ltd, Hellmann MAS Supply Chain (Private) Limited, John Keells Logistics, Mahindra Ideal Finance, Roar Global, Star Garments, SYNERGEN Health (Pvt) Ltd, SYNERGEN Technology Labs (Pvt) Ltd, Uzabase Inc, and Virtusa Corporation.
Kaneru Godagama, Head of Consulting Business at Great Place to Work® Sri Lanka, delved into the importance of creating an engaging multigenerational workplace emphasizing, “We have to change the way we go about things, and there is a lot of disruption happening. In a rapidly evolving business landscape, adaptability and inclusivity are key to success.
A panel discussion moderated by Mahesha Hathurusinghe, Senior Project Manager at Great Place to Work® Sri Lanka, featured prominent industry leaders who shared their insights on Millennials as Leaders.
Kavitha Gunasekara, Associate Vice President of Talent Development & Culture at Fortude, emphasized the significance of learning and culture stating how Fortude had elevated culture and diversity as pillars of their organization, recognizing their importance in attracting and retaining younger talent.
Mustafa Kasim, Founder/ CEO of Roar Global, highlighted the unique perspective millennial leaders bring to the table emphasizing that flexibility is the number one factor in meeting millennials’ expectations, aligning work with the dynamic lifestyles of this generation.
Thilan Sampath, Country Head at Uzabase Sri Lanka, shared insights from the company’s success in nurturing millennial traits and approach in the importance of fostering a culture that values well-being and work-life balance.’
The 2023 CXO Forum provided valuable insights into the evolving dynamics of workplace expectations and served as a platform to explore innovative strategies for building a better place for the younger generations.