Blog

Sep 25 2020

Generation Z and Leadership

Generation Z and Leadership is an important topic to discuss, as Generation Z is the first generation to grow up in the Smart Phone era.

How will educators, managers, and leaders adapt their communication styles to connect with the younger generation?

I was interviewing Dr. Elizabeth Pogge while preparing for my upcoming virtual presentation for a national preceptors pharmacy conference. A preceptor is a teacher or an instructor.

Dr. Elizabeth Pogge is also a gen Xer, like me. She pointed out how being a preceptor has changed and how the new learner, Generation Z, and Leadership has changed.

Dr. Elizabeth Pogge stated:

“When I was a resident and a student, one of the learning methods was the no intimidation type of learning tactic. You would stand up and you give a presentation. Your preceptor then would grill you. They’ll ask you all these questions. Students today do not respond well to that. They will shut down, get very upset, even angry. They feel like they’re getting attacked. That kind of a learning tactic doesn’t work well for students now. Being harsh or abrasive is very difficult for students to handle now. They need to be nurtured right now.”

During my interview with her, she shed some light on what it’s like to be a preceptor. What I loved the most was that she compared her experience as a student to the students of today. When she was a student, you stood up in front of the room, gave a presentation and your preceptor peppered you with questions. She called it ‘an intimidation technique’. You didn’t want to fail for fear of the reprisal from the preceptor.

She made the point that the approach would not work with students today, because they would shut down, get angry, and disconnect.

Generation Z

When we talk about students of today, we’re really talking about the Generation Z. These are people born between 1997 and 2012. This generation is nothing like the millennials! It’s an entirely different generation.

The biggest difference is that Generation Z is the first generation to truly grow up in the smartphone era. Yes, millennials had smartphones too. In fact, they showed us how to use our smartphones. But millennials may also remember things like DVD players, dial-up, etc.

Generation Z grew up in the smartphone era. They may have never held a textbook. They had streaming services, so they never had to wait for a DVD at a Blockbuster. Many of them grew up with a smart home.

How Does This Impact You as a Leader or as a Manager?

When Generation Z comes on board, you no longer are the assumed expert. It’s no longer the assumption that just because you’re the manager, my preceptor, my teacher, my instructor, or my supervisor, that does not mean you are necessarily the expert.

Generation Z and Leadership has changed.

Who’s the expert?

The internet.

This is the first generation to truly perceive the internet as an expert. Does that mean you can’t tell a Generation Z what to do? Of course, you can. All of us need to be told what to do, especially when we’re doing something we’ve never done before. Millennials told us what to do when we were trying to figure out our smartphones.

How to Lead Generation Z

There are some situations where we do tell people what to do, especially if they have never done it before. But when it comes to moving beyond those basic skills, it becomes more of a coaching exercise with Generation Z, versus a telling exercise. This means that you’re going to put a priority over inquisitiveness and curiosity, versus telling someone.

The second thing you want to do is give timely feedback. For Generation Z that timely feedback is vital. so for example we’ll go back to the preceptor examples Dr. Pogge said: “My students know that as soon as our rounds are done, I’m going to give them feedback. I’ve told them that from the beginning, so they will be expecting it!“

Do You Have to Coddle Generation Z?

Not at all! It is the end goal that we help people develop to be the best that they can be. To come to work prepared and ready. If we have to change our approach to make that successful, why is that mad?

Next week, we’ll continue to investigate the incredible generations we work with, live with, interact with and talk to every day.

Sep 01 2020

Is Generation Z Partying Too Much During the Pandemic?

Is Generation Z partying during this pandemic, or is there something else going on?

Recently the New York Times reported that over 250 cases of the coronavirus could be traced directly back to parties held at fraternities, sororities, and off-campus parties.

The members of the fraternities and sororities and all the colleges and universities are mostly dominated by generation Z. This is the generation born after 1997. They are the youngest generation in the workforce. They account for 25% of the population.

Some of you might be thinking that I am picking on the fraternities and sororities. I’ll be honest with you, I learned a lot from the 1978 film ‘Animal House’, starring John Belushi. My parents took me to see it when I was eight years old.

All these reports in the news lately about the younger generation not social distancing and behaving poorly during this health care crisis may leave us with the impression that the younger generation, generation Z, does not care about COVID 19 and spreading into others. However, research shows that generation Z does care about COVID 19 and how it is impacting them and their family members.

According to Morning Consult, generation Z views the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement as the two most impactful events in their lifetime. Every generation is impacted by the generational signposts. It shapes a generation, and the coronavirus is definitely shaping generation Z!

Every generation has been impacted by this virus. The difference is that generation Z, the youngest generation of the workforce is going to be impacted by it, and living with the effects of it much longer than the other generation.

According to Gen Z Identity Lab, 57% of Gen Z reported that if infected, they were willing to share their location through the use of apps to help track the disease and prevent it from spreading. This was the highest set of all the generations when asked this question. Also in the same study reported that generation Z was taking actions to be careful during the pandemic not just to protect themselves, but also to protect their loved ones.

According to Business Wire, 60% of Gen Z report wearing a face mask at all times while in public, followed closely by millennials at 55%. So while the virus has forced generation Z, just like it’s done to all of us, to delay plans, postpone travel, and miss out on some of life’s big moments, not all of generation Z is going out to party.

In fact, many of them are doing some incredible things to lift us up during this unprecedented time. Zoomers to Boomers began in Los Angeles, California after the pandemic. Teenagers shopped for elderly people or people who had compromised immune systems and it was not safe for them to shop for themselves. Zoomers to Boomers have now spread to several states across the country. It’s a volunteer group helping senior citizens fight social isolation through the use of technology during this crisis.

Remember that from Baby boomers, gen Xers, millennials… Gen Z, out of all the generations, Gen Z is going to live with the fallout from the pandemic the longest and it’s going to be interesting to watch them shape the new world.

Next week, we will talk about the multiple generations and explore the ways we can communicate and connect across generational lines.

Aug 21 2020

Multi-Generational Tips for Working From Home

Learn some tips for working from home. Each generation is approaching the new “working situation” a bit differently.

My first job out of college back in 1993 was a little company called Quaker Oats. I was really excited to get this job but I was more excited to see the office space. I thought it’s going to be a big shiny building downtown. I’ll drive to work every day, maybe find someone to carpool with. I’ll wear professional clothes every day and my co-workers and I will go out for lunch.

Then… the hiring manager told me that in this job I’ll be working from home. In fact, the entire team worked from home! I thought “Who does that? I mean this is the early 90’s! Working from home was considered voodoo science.”

Now 25 plus years later, I still work from home! I love it and I don’t work for Quaker Oats anymore. But I love working from home.

Even today, some people are essential workers and are leaving their homes to go to work, but the majority of us are now working from home. According to White Pulse, greater than 60 percent of millennials are working from home.

Which Generation Likes Working from Home the Most?

Babyboomers? Gen Xers? Millennials? Gen z?

Generation X!

That’s my generation. People born between 1965 and 1980. We’re built for this! We were the latchkey kid generation. We’ve been working from home since day one. 50 percent of Gen Z and Millennials report they find it harder to avoid distractions while working from home.

This was true for me, especially when I first started working from home and started my business as a speaker. I would often allow myself to become distracted with personal projects like reorganizing my closet, emptying the dishwasher, cleaning out the laundry room… etc, because I felt a sense of satisfaction i got from getting something done.

The problem was I just avoided work projects that needed to be completed. I learned to ask myself if I worked a traditional job in an office, is this a task that I’d be doing during working hours? If the answer was NO, that meant I needed to stop what I was doing and get back on the projects that needed to be completed.

Tips on How to Make Working from Home Work

I have conducted a non-scientific multi-generational survey and asked for some tips on how to make working from home work, especially if this is a new experience for you.

So, the number one suggestion was to set up a designated space to work. I totally agree. For many years, I sort of worked from the dining room table. And sometimes I worked at a desk in my bedroom. I found myself becoming much more productive, once I had a designated space to work.

The second suggestion was to shower and get dressed for work, just like you’d get dressed to go into the office. I don’t relate to that one at all, as the benefit of working from home is that you don’t have to get dressed professionally. Everybody’s a little bit different. Do what works best for you.

The third suggestion is that you have to allow yourself some time for breaks. Get up and move around. Force yourself out of your workspace. My dogs do this for me. They let me know when it’s time for me to take a break.

Give Yourself Some Slack

If you don’t have dogs, make sure you are getting up and moving around. Take a walk with a friend. Give yourself some slack if you woke up at three in the morning because you couldn’t sleep. You opened up your computer and got some work done. Allow yourself a longer lunch hour. Allow yourself to quit work early during this uncertain time.

You don’t want work to take over your life. Remember your friends, your family, they are still out there waiting for the day they can connect with you. Even though we are still all wearing masks, keep on smiling because people see it in your eyes and they feel it in your heart.

Jun 11 2020

The Generational Divide – Boomers, Gen X, Millennials

Is the generational divide even as wide as we sometimes think it is?

Age is one of the primary ways by which our society is divided and with this division comes certain stereotypes about each generation.

I was interviewed on the podcast by Zale Mednick to help his audience better understand the context that shapes certain generational perspectives and to assist us in bridging the existing gaps.

May 20 2020

Gen Z and the Impact of COVID 19

Gen Z, Baby Boomers, Gen Xers, and Millennials…

The impact of Covid-19 has spread across all the generations. The Impact on Generation Z (people born between 1997-2012), however, is a double-edged sword, both good and bad. Being younger, they will have a greater chance to survive the virus if they catch it than their older cohorts. On the other hand, because their careers are just beginning, they will suffer the fallout from the pandemic much longer.

The majority of Gen Z is finishing school now or in the first years of building their career. We often think of Millennials as the neophytes in the professional world but we would be mistaken. Many Millennials are in their 30’s, with families and multiple years in the working world under their belt.

Gen Z however, is just getting started. This means the freshman years of their professional lives will be plagued with record unemployment, layoffs and job attrition. Gen Z is getting hit with a double-whammy situation, downturn of the economy and a fast spreading virus with no play book to fall back on.

Gen Z’s lack of experience in situations like these makes companies’ behavior during this uncertain time even more vital. It would be easy to discount Gen Z’s perceptions during this time. They are new to the workforce and may be perceived as not having a voice in the “adult” world. With the current level of uncertainty in the corporate arena, it would be easy to dismiss their viewpoint.

That would be a mistake. It may seem hard to imagine now, but there will come a time when the economy changes and the skill set Generation Z brings to the marketplace will be in high demand. Just look at the Millennials, who, as young employees, faced terrible job prospects during the Great Recession of 2008 only to find their expertise in high demand less than 10 years later.

Additionally, Generation Z has already demonstrated they are a proactive generation. According to Girls With Impact Report, 65% of Gen Z rank “making a difference to a cause they care about” as a major priority. For example, frustrated by the older generation’s lack of attention to climate change, the combative political climate and the high cost of education and health-care, Gen Z popularized the meme OKBoomer. The meme was a call out to the older generations and to their ignorance to the causes Gen Z supported.

What does this mean for organizations during this challenging time period?

Generation Z may not be working for you now but they are watching what you do and what you do matters. Generation Z wants to see leadership in the organizations they support. Just like Gen Z’s response to OK Boomer, Gen Z will not abide by an organization that does not respond appropriately during this health-care crisis.

Here are some examples of companies doing small things to make a big impact during the pandemic that Generation Z respects:

Landsharks https://shoptheshark.com/ an independent clothing store in Saugatuck MI, hosts happy hour on Facebook Live. TitledHappy Hour with the Sharks, the husband and wife owners play a drinking game while giving away gift cards, promoting other Michigan independent stores and celebrating high school graduates who will not be able to have a traditional ceremony. The Happy Hours are highly interactive and hilarious to watch. You do not have to be a Michigan resident to love what owner David Lokker is trying to do for his community.

Arizona restaurant’s Beckett’s Table, https://beckettstable.com/ and sister restaurant Southern Rail https://southernrailaz.com/ launched AZ Wines for AZ Frontlines. The program not only promotes small AZ wineries, it also recognizes an AZ Frontline Hero with a complimentary bottle of AZ wine.

When the Claremont Club, http://www.claremontclub.com/, a Southern Californian fitness center, closed during shelter-in-place order, the CEO Mike Alpert asked the members if they would be willing to continue to pay their dues while the club was closed. With the members continuing to pay, employees could continue to receive their paycheck and healthcare benefits. Ninety percent of the members chose to continue to pay their dues. According to Alpert, it is about the people not the money.

Gen Z is not content to give their time and dedication to a company who is conscientious “light.” Gen Z however, wants to go deeper. They want to witness organizations take positive action during challenging times. They want employers to protect what matters and take care of the community. Gen Z will stand behind and support those organizations that excel at this during our time of chaos and crisis.

Resources:

2019/2020, Girls With Impact Report, https://drive.google.com/file/d/1l1sA333bB406n0Grw4W7Mc6jGrErnOsm/view

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/california-business-owner-mike-alpert-fights-to-keep-employees-on-payroll-claremont-club/