Cementing relationships with a wide variety of people is the most potent way for young people to prepare for leadership, executives say, but high-performing leaders must also think about social justice and innovation in an increasingly complex business landscape.

Leaders across a range industries met at the Financial Review BOSS Young Executives Summit in Sydney on Tuesday to discuss how young leaders must grapple with a new wave of values-based consumer demand, which has spilled over into the types of jobs younger generations want and changed recruitment practices.