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Successfully leading across generations requires relinquishing the idea of controlling outcomes, and committing to "co-creating the future", an executive coach says.

Leaders should therefore avoid trying to get team members to be and work like them, and instead consider, "How can I help them work at their best and how can I evolve alongside them?", Nancy Dewar writes in her chapter of the new book, Lead for Growth.

When a leader listens deeply, remains curious instead of judgmental, and invites shared ownership, they create a culture where every generation can thrive together, Dewar says.

In making her case for a "co-active" approach to coaching across generations, she tells the story of a frustrated older leader who complained to a CEO that his younger counterparts wanted flexible hours, frequent time off, and conversations about purpose and wellbeing, when "at their age" he regularly worked 80 hours a week...