THE year is 2023. You wake up and prepare to go to work. On the way to the office, you stop at a well-established shop for a cup of coffee. At the counter, a 19-year-old barista asks for your order. A 28-year-old makes your coffee, a 45-year-old manages the establishment, a 60-year-old owns the franchise, and an 80-year-old is the active founder who still keeps tabs on operations even past retirement. Much like a complex clockwork mechanism, each individual is recognized as an important asset that works with others to form a very capable unit.

Businesses such as this are handled effectively because their leaders understand the importance everyone brings with their vastly different personal experiences, insights, etc., which in turn creates a deeply diverse pool of knowledge from different generations — and managing all of them is a serious skill that requires much dedication and patience to properly effectuate. This ability is known as intergenerational leadership, a significant skill in today's globalized society that often gets overlooked.