FGPs Make Loyal, Talented Leaders; Don’t Let Them Languish
Up to now, we’ve been defining who First-Generation Professionals (FGPs) are and identifying some of the barriers they face in entering and navigating the white-collar workplace. As a society, we most often associate a “first-generation” identity to a nationality or enrollment at a postsecondary institution. Thus, we at Baem Leadership realize that the term First-Generation Professional is newer to the lexicon, and that the value of these individuals as an employee group is understudied. This month, we’re focusing on why FGPs are worth company investment and how we’re working with companies to determine what those investments could look like.
FGPs are often diamonds in the rough. They have tremendous untapped potential and will activate that potential on behalf of the organizations for which they work.
A study conducted by BCG states that FGPs, when compared with their continuing-generation counterparts, are 32 percent more likely to be more loyal to their employers and 40 percent more likely to be intrinsically motivated.1 That same study cites FGPs are 48 percent likelier to pursue management positions later in their career if they are intrinsically motivated. But because FGPs are less likely to have access to a network at the beginning of their careers and have trouble building one as their careers progress; are less likely to feel they can be themselves at work; and have a 50 percent chance of their manager not knowing what challenges they face as an FGP, they stay hidden, are underutilized, and proceed through their careers without maximizing their potential. This is not only a personal loss to them as individuals but also a source of unrealized value for the companies that employ them.
What would happen if companies prioritized identifying FGPs and developing their talents? We hypothesize that applying FGP-centered talent strategies would help companies address two major, perennial corporate challenges: talent retention and a homogeneous leadership pipeline.
The number of FGPs entering the workforce year over year indicates that this group of employees will continue to represent an increasing percentage of the talent pool. In the 2020-21 academic year, upon graduation, 990,000 first-generation college students were in position to become First-Generation Professionals.2, 3 According to our research, FGPs enter the workforce without sufficient networking skills, mentors, or sponsors, and the professional preparation, such as internships and studying abroad, that would put them on par with their continuing-generation counterparts. FGPs begin their careers at a position of disadvantage – and can stay there without intervention. That leaves a lot of talent unrealized and many would-be leaders – who BCG reports are more willing to step up to the plate – languishing.
Companies would be wise to identify and invest in FGPs. They’re likely to have many of them in their ranks already; they just don’t associate those employees with the FGP identity and therefore are unaware of the unique challenges they face in the white-collar world.
There is little demographic information collected on FGPs since the term has only recently entered our vocabularies. Our best sense for understanding who FGPs are can be inferred from first-generation college student data:
"Fact Sheet 1: Demographic Characteristics and Postsecondary Enrollment, Center for First-Generation Student Success"
https://firstgen.naspa.org/files/dmfile/15405_NASPA_FactSheet-01.pdf
What would companies' retention statistics, succession plans, and leadership pipelines look like if we gave FGPs the tools they needed to grow and ascend within their organizations? Our bet is that they would be much more diverse with talent represented from historically excluded groups.
We’re proud to be among the first in leadership development to shine a light on FGPs and share how their determination and grit translate into value-adding workplace behaviors. While their identity is still new, their growing numbers and tremendous potential make clear that companies would do well to center them in their talent strategies soon.
Curious to learn more about this high-potential group? Comment below or reach out to hello@baemleadership.com.
Resources
1
"Hiding in Plain Sight: First-Generation Professionals," BCG. https://web-assets.bcg.com/49/9c/184a60f14ed9b17f8fabfd7c9d6c/hiding-in-plain-sight-first-generation-professionals-bcg-study.pdf2
"First-Generation College Students Face Unique Challenges, April 5, 2022." https://www.brookings.edu/articles/first-generation-college-students-face-unique-challenges/3
National Center for Education Statistics. https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=37#:~:text=Response%3A,were%20conferred%20to%20female%20students