Answering the difficult question - A break from the planned edition.

Hello, and welcome to the first newsletter of July! I say first as I'm going to try and do two of these a month 🤞

This edition was supposed to be bringing you 'Leading Gen Z - The Solution - Part 2'. I haven't forgotten and that will be coming shortly.

I decided to tackle another topic today as I keep being asked the same question at every workshop I run.

For context the workshops are for leadership teams and for those in leadership development programs to understand how to unleash the potential of Gen Z. The content of which covers many of the areas highlighted in the last few newsletters.

So, the number one question?

Why can't Gen Z just adapt to us?

Shorthand for, why can't Gen Z; work harder, ask fewer questions, do as they're told, be more robust, etc.

This comes from those who have worked very hard to get to where they are today, continue to work very hard, and quite understandably resent having to change their approach for a generation they see as acting in a lazy and/or selfish way.

I get it, from that perspective it is very frustrating, but... (and here is why we can't just expect them to adapt to us...)

1) They are adapting, they are adapting to the context they are in, not the one we grew up in.

They are also adapting to, and preparing for, the future they see ahead of them. One in which the corporate ladder we have climbed as a knowledge worker almost certainly will not exist in the same form.

2) We are in a competitive world.

Where companies are offering; 4 day weeks, work from home, generous holidays, plus paid mental health days. Where Gen Z are given a voice, allowed to ask questions, allowed to challenge leadership and feel heard, they are going to choose that rather than the company that is trying to push them into being more like we used to be.

Now admittedly this might not last, graduates looking for a job now are finding it increasingly hard, however the point stands that if you are offering something less appealing than the 'norm' you will find it harder to recruit and retain talent.

3) Gen Z do not see us role modelling outcomes they like or believe in.

From their perspective the systems, economic, political, social etc. do not appear to work. Bear in mind that the eldest Gen Z was 11 or 12 when the financial crisis struck, and you consider the context since that point in time, you can see why they feel our systems don't work very well.

They see older generations with terrible statistics around divorce, burn out, illness etc. They also expect to earn less and not be able to afford a house.

The most important statistic?

Most people in developed economies do not like their work, and would rather be doing something else or are hanging on for retirement, why would Gen Z aspire to that?

So, they need some convincing that adapting to our approach would be in their best interests.

4) As I've argued in previous content, entitlement, lack of work ethic, lack of understanding of consequence etc are often misinterpreted, especially the highly charged entitlement word.

However, for some, these behaviours are real, but as an employer you cannot change twenty plus years of parenting and educational contextual programming which has created this.

To attempt to would be very unproductive for both parties.

There are other reasons, but I think those four most clearly articulate why we can't work on the basis that Gen Z should adapt to us.

To have multigenerational teams that thrive, we have to go some way at least in adapting to the reality we all find ourselves in today and the one that is very quickly evolving around us.

As I often say we have to lead the world that is, not the one we wish it was.

This does not mean that Gen Z are 'right' or have all the answers. They, like us, are simply reacting to the reality they find themselves in.

There are many great lessons Gen Z can learn from older generations, and vice versa, but for those lessons to be exchanged we need to create understanding and then open communication.

As older generations I think our best approach is to role model a healthy, motivated, purposeful and fulfilled life, one that others can aspire to, one that Gen Z will naturally come looking to learn from.