Targeting Gen-Z Board Members
No doubt you’ve heard the adage, “if you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you always got.” As the word “adage” means “a short statement expressing a general truth,” this applies to advertising and marketing, product or service development and using numbers that nobody outside Destination Marketing circles understands in the attempt to explain the power and importance of our sector.
It also applies to Board succession planning.
During the painful summer of 2020, Searchwide’s Mike Gamble and I authored a position paper, sponsored by Destination International, that encouraged Board Leaders to be more intentional about diversifying their Boards (you can find the paper in the Vault at BillGeist.com). Admittedly, the position paper skews toward ethnic diversity, as we were composing our thoughts while Minneapolis burned after the murder of George Floyd. But, our recommendations apply to all types of diversity.
And while my experiences with DMO Boards over the past five years leads me to believe that DMOs have been somewhat more intentional with succession planning than they previously were…I’m certainly not seeing it in the age category. And, we’re not alone. A recent study of Board composition in America (not limited to DMOs) places the average age of Board members at 63. And, according to the Russell index of the 3,000 largest public companies, only 11 Board seats are currently held by 20-somethings.
My experience with DMO Boards is that we’re doing better in diversity of age…but not by a lot. To be sure, there are some elders around the table but, likely because many Board members are in hospitality, I’m seeing more Gen X than Boomers around the Board tables with which I work.
A recent article in The Future Party suggests that corporate Boards are beginning to reach out to 20-somethings for their fluency with new technology and cultural awareness. While the last thing DMOs need are hotshot AI-savvy Board members attempting to direct sales and marketing staff, there is something to be said about cultural awareness. And, Board recruiting organization BoardAssist says fully half of its clients are now looking for 20-something candidates. That’s big.
Beyond that, such an initiative can also be about cultivating the next generation to be the leaders we want them to be in their 40s and 50s. How will they know how to assume their critical role in community development if we force them to sit on the bench until they’re 45?
By not engaging Gen Z, we also forfeit their social and business networks. I remember debating a DMO pro on the advantages of adding 20-somethings to our Boards. They said that Gen Z lacked the years of life and business experience necessary to be a value-add on a DMO Board. I countered that they may not run in the same social and business circles as their Gen X, Millennial and Boomer cohorts…but they may have significant influence within their generation.
It reminds me of a Destination Brand launch that went sideways a number of years ago when a Gen Z blogger took issue with the process and the resulting work product. When the DMO CEO asked who this upstart thought he was, his response was: I’m a 24 year old with over 20,000 followers. Touche.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not suggesting that engaging Gen Z on your Board as a way to play Defense is an appropriate rationale. But, if we are building our communities for the future, shouldn’t those who will be living in what we create have a voice in what should be built?
With the addition of one or two twenty-somethings to your Board, you diversify the voices around the table. You now have a liaison to the newest adult members of your community…and, through them, a communication pathway to their peers. And, you begin to build the next generation of leaders your community needs and deserves.
I honestly cannot see a down-side here. But, if you can identify one, I’d love to hear it. Reach out…or catch me in Portland.
Til Next Time,
Bill
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