In the rapidly evolving corporate landscape, adapting to the expectations of millennials and Gen Z has become a paramount concern for organizations striving to create great workplaces. 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 a thought-provoking welcome address by Kshanika Ratnayaka, the 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’, proclaiming, "I am not a motivational speaker. I believe in intention setting. So anytime you want to make a change, if there's a clear intention as to why you want to make that change, it's going to happen. It’s about your habits."

He went on to highlight 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. He noted, "This generation is doing far more than we did at 25; what they lack is experience." This acknowledgment urges 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 made a conscious decision to elevate 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 that millennial leaders bring to the table emphasized 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 Uzabase's approach in highlighting the importance of fostering a culture that values well-being and work-life balance.’

The 2023 CXO Forum overall provided valuable insights into the evolving dynamics of workplace expectations, particularly from the leaders of the future and served as a platform for leaders to explore innovative strategies for building a better place for the younger generations and in being better poised to thrive in an ever-changing corporate landscape while attracting and retaining the best and brightest talents of the future.