CEO Corner: The importance of letting ourselves be inspired by youngsters

Author: Florentina Totth, Country President, Schneider Electric Romania

“Ask the young. They know everything,” said the French essayist Joseph Joubert, while the Irish writer Oscar Wilde added several years later, “I am not young enough to know everything.”

This is why I want to talk to you about the importance of letting ourselves be inspired by youngsters, as well as our duties to support them.

According to an old saying, “those who do not have an elder in their family should acquire or borrow one.” I would say the same thing about youngsters. They may lack experience and patience, but they abound in creativity and courage. They may not have wisdom, but they are confident and innovative. They may not know much about the world, but they have the ambition and courage to change it. These are qualities we all had once, but we have lost some of them with age. This is why we need young people among us to remind us of our dreams and to inspire us to achieve them.

At the same time, it is essential to ask ourselves what we can do for the next generation. If we want them to be our future, we should try to be their present. We should become part of their lives, get involved in their education, support them in their plans and celebrate their success. This is why I encourage companies, regardless of the industry in which they operate, to engage in various educational projects, to have close relationships with schools and universities, to develop internship programs and to offer real development opportunities.

A major challenge in this process is to select the best ways to get to students. If you want to bridge the gap that separates you from them, you must start building the bridge from your side; you must adapt yourselves to their expectations. Find the best channels to communicate: if they are so attracted by social media, start being present there and try to engage them with your messages.

Look closely to youngsters and see what talents lie in them. Think of ways you can support them. Find out what goals you share and team up! Innovate together, make a difference together! This is the best path towards sustainable success.