Leading questions: what sets Gen-Z apart? In a rapidly changing world, what leadership strategies can be employed to effectively collaborate with them?
The world is shrinking and people are increasingly becoming interconnected. Everyone seems to have their own understanding of “how the world works”. Every day, we strive to elevate our living standards by becoming financially healthier, developing new habits, and seeking knowledge from others around us. In our pursuit of changing the way we live; we usually resort to innovation!
While we try to innovate and revolutionize, some of us champion causes that bring about positive change in society. You may have heard about Black Lives Matter, Stop Asian Hate, MeToo, and the words “diversity and inclusion” which have become a mantra echoing through different cities around the world. Today, these all reinforce the need for a more equitable way of living and are snowballing through society.
What is the buzz about the younger generation at the heart of this change, Gen-Z? Why are they the talk of the town and placed on a generational pedestal?
Why we have hope in Gen-Z
Imagine a world where a 3-year-old can operate an iPad with ease, a middle-schooler can create a medical device using a 3D printer, and a teenager in Nairobi is figuring out how to tackle the overdose crisis. Meanwhile, hundreds of twenty-somethings are out there founding their own businesses and shaking up the investor world.
This is the world of Gen-Z, and it is nothing short of revolutionary
Gen-Z is hyperconnected to the wider library knowledge made available by years of technological advancement. They are not just learning how things work, they already know how to operate most devices. They’re using technology to innovate and change the game while the older generations are figuring out “how it works”. From social media to artificial intelligence and virtual reality, Gen-Z is sending shock waves through business and society.
Millennials grew into tech, Gen-Z was born with it
What sets Gen-Z apart is not just technological prowess — it’s their unwavering commitment to honesty and the truth. With information readily available at their fingertips, they sift through the noise and question everything. No one can get away with unrealistic expectations, lies, and fake news anymore. Gen-Z is watching and they’re not afraid to call people out.
The generation that will shape the world
Gen-Z are unified and very rarely take no for an answer. Growing up in a diverse world where many of their neighbors were second-generation immigrants, they do not long for the “good old days”. This is a generation more activist-minded than any before it!
As more dark histories and atrocities are being uncovered in the news, Gen-Z is passionately determined to not forget the sins of the past. They are committed to changing things for the better.
As they gain a deeper understanding of what is happening in the world, Gen-Z will be the first generation to try to successfully connect every individual to the globalized system. There are multiple organizations promoting better education and quality of life in the most underfunded of areas. Gen-Z is at the forefront of this movement. They will not stop until every person and child has access to the resources they need to have a fair start at life, and they are not afraid to fight for it.
Generational mash-up in the workforce
Gen-Z is about to take the workforce by storm. Forecasts indicate that Gen-Z will make up 27% of the workforce by 2025! It is the first time in history that at least four generations will be working together.
Innovation and decision-making will never be the same again. Different perspectives will collide and new ideas will emerge.
If Gen-Z is given a seat at the table, the impact of cross-generational conversations will accelerate all trends from growth to inclusion.
But what’s truly important about Gen-Z is that they do not see growth and inclusion as mutually exclusive. They understand that the two go hand in hand. They will be sure to make both the forefront of all decision-making.
Most importantly: Gen-Z has hope
The days of “it’s just the way things are” are numbered. Gen-Z has grown up in a connected world where they can access information from every corner of the globe. As a result, their hopes, dreams, and aspirations are on a much larger scale than the previous generations. They do not see themselves as small players in the grand story of humanity. Rather, they are bold adventurers ready to go anywhere and do anything.
For Gen-Z, the question is not about how to build a ship — it’s about where that ship can take them. They follow the tasks, but dream about exploring the immensity of the sea.
And as Gen-Z comes into its own, there will be no safe harbor for complacency. The idea of doing things the way “they’ve always been done” will be swept away by an innovative generation that’s ready to chart its own bold course for the future.
Call to action: collaborate!
To truly accelerate all trends of progress, growth, and inclusion, a conversation needs to happen between generations. The older population needs to take Gen-Z seriously and invite them to the table. On the other hand, Gen-Z (to be effective) has to approach collaboration with its peers as openly and inclusively as possible.
Final thoughts: In a world where the experience and wisdom of older generations are combined with the innovation and creativity of Gen-Z, the future is brighter than we ever thought possible.
