This morning’s Business Leader Breakfast left me carrying thoughts that continue to echo through my heart, stirring something deeper than professional curiosity. These were not just leadership insights; they were invitations to look at generations coming behind us with compassion, accountability, and hope.

Elias spoke about the younger generation — not with criticism, but with deep concern and responsibility — a call to seasoned leaders to pause, understand their world, and shepherd them with grace. Many of today’s young adults never had the chance to develop relational maturity in the way previous generations did. COVID-19 shaped their schooling, their social worlds, and their emotional development. They are digital natives who can navigate screens effortlessly; however, asking them to pick up a phone and have a real conversation often triggers reluctance and anxiety.

Quite frankly, I know that angst all too well, having grown up in a house where parents were always working and when home, they were emotionally absent. To a child the neglect may feel like rejection, abandonment and betrayal. In my wounding I judged them as uncaring, cold and distant and vowed never to become like them. In my judgment, I dishonoured them and set myself up for sowing and reaping, resulting in becoming just like them and repeating the same patterns. Sound familiar?🤔

AI now handles the simple tasks that once helped build confidence in young workers. Those small stepping stones that once nurtured emotional resilience have been replaced by technological shortcuts. Elias asked a question that continues to sit with me: What are we, as mature Christian leaders, doing to guide this next generation in ways that honour our faith and their humanity? 🤔Business culture often prioritises results over relationships; however, Jesus calls us to make disciples, not machines. We are meant to be people who see, guide, nurture, and uplift.

Then there are the repercussions of the COVID-19 lockdowns. The ten or twelve-year-olds of today were young children when the world shut down. They couldn't learn to read faces hidden behind masks. They missed the natural social cues that shape emotional intelligence. Their development lagged through no fault of their own.

Yet, my opinion may not be received well by my generation. I believe that it reaches even deeper than the pandemic. We have raised these generations while carrying our own unhealed wounds. Many of us grew up without emotionally present adults, then entered parenthood or leadership unequipped. We were busy working, overwhelmed, or distracted by the digital world. Conversations became sparse. Family dinners disappeared. Emotional expression was often suppressed rather than guided. We did not consistently model communication, emotional regulation, conflict resolution, or healthy attachment — so our children learned what they lived.

If we never learned to have meaningful conversations with the adults in our world, how could we have naturally taught our children to have them?🤔 When conversation is unfamiliar, fear and avoidance grow. When connection lacks safety, anxiety takes root. Relational avoidance often springs from relational neglect. Much of the reluctance this young generation feels around phone calls or personal interactions is not a mystery, nor is it rebellion; it is a symptom. A mirror— reflecting back the places where we, as parents, caregivers, leaders, and communities, were absent, overwhelmed, distracted, or simply unequipped.

Children become emotionally mature when raised in emotionally mature environments.

Children become secure when raised by secure adults.

Children learn empathy from being empathised with.

Children learn courage when someone stands beside them long enough to show them how.

If we never learned meaningful conversation in our own childhood, how could we have taught it to the children entrusted to us? 🤔

Children become emotionally mature when raised by emotionally mature adults. They become secure when surrounded by those who model security. They learn empathy from being empathised with. They learn courage when supported long enough to try.

There is good news: we have an opportunity to undo so much of the damage. Generational trauma is not permanent; it can be interrupted.. Emotional disconnect is not destiny; it can be healed. The tide can turn — and it can begin with us.

It starts with ownership.

We must take ownership of our part in what we see around us. We must acknowledge where we have contributed to the fragmentation we see among younger generations. We must repent where necessary, ask for forgiveness where relationships have been strained, and choose intentionally to model something better. Connection is always learned from someone who offers it first. We must repent where our lack of presence created gaps, seek forgiveness where relationships have been strained, and choose intentionally to model connection again. Healing begins with humility. Restoration begins with responsibility.

If we want to empower younger generations to rise above their anxieties and cultivate meaningful relationships, it starts with us — with rebuilding the dinner tables, restoring conversations, and choosing presence over productivity. It begins with slowing down long enough for their hearts to feel seen. 

The buck can stop with us, and the blessing can begin with us.

We have the privilege — and responsibility — to be the turning point.

💡 Reflection:

• Where have I unintentionally modelled disconnection, and how can I begin restoring connection today? 🤔

• Who in the younger generation is God inviting me to invest in with patience and presence? 🤔

• What conversations, rhythms, or family practices need to be restored or rebuilt in my own world? 🤔

• What fear or avoidance in myself have I passed down, and how can healing begin with me? 🤔

🎺 Affirmation:

I am a restorer of connection, a carrier of compassion, and a bridge for generations. Healing flows through me as I choose presence, grace, and intentional love. The buck stops with me, and the blessing begins with me.

🙌 Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank You for entrusting me with influence, leadership, and the privilege of shaping lives around me. Please heal the places in me that did not receive connection, so that I may offer connection freely. Restore what has been lost in our families, our communities, and our younger generations. Teach me to be present, patient, and courageous as I guide others toward emotional and spiritual maturity. May my life carry Your compassion, and may my leadership reflect Your heart.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.