Listen to the young
5 October 2018 News from the Company
Stefan Duerr, president of EkoNiva Group
The young are our future, there is no denying it. They share their inexhaustible positive energy with the world, which is great. Yet, I believe that the key to efficient operation for any successful company is the balance of two essential components: dynamic young employees and experienced specialists.
I am convinced that we should pay more attention to what the young say and maintain an open and trustful relationship with them, even though it can be hard at times. They can openly tell you the things, which you would probably not hear from anybody else. Unfortunately, I often observe that top managers and high-rank officials of my age are dismissive of young people’s opinion. That is bad. We must bridge the generation gap because the vision of young people is extremely important.
Of course, the demands and the lifestyle of young people today differ from ours — the world keeps moving on. My life is completely different from my parents’ lifestyle, not to mention my grandparents’ way of life. Our children are not the same, they say. That is the way it should be because life is constantly speeding up.
If we want young people to come and work in the rural areas, we must provide them with the same benefits as the ones available to their peers in the city. First of all, they must have two days off per week. One would say that in the Soviet time farm workers had no days off at all. To be honest, I do not think that this approach is right. It should not be like that.
Close communication is another important factor in working with young people. What is the right way to build relationships in a team? Any proactive young person aspires to self-fulfilment. Enthusiastic people are eager to take responsibility. They might make mistakes, but they will work towards their goal and eventually achieve it. Some mistakes can be forgiven. We all know that the one who does not make mistakes makes nothing.
Young people today have a strikingly different mentality. Unless the government realises it as soon as possible, there might be serious problems. The main issue in Russia nowadays is that a lot of talented high-potential young people want to leave the country. Why? We must give it serious thought.
Very often, young people are dissatisfied with the social environment and living conditions. Another reason is that they sometimes cannot find an opportunity to fulfil themselves in their country. They believe that they will be able to achieve their goals abroad. Unfortunately, in many cases, it does not work out but when young people realise they have made a mistake, it is too late to change anything. It is our task to let them know that their country needs them and provide everything necessary for them to succeed.
Translation from Russian
This article was also published in the latest issue (No. 61) of Ekoniva News - News and Analysis on Agriculture in Russia and the EkoNiva Group: