Mythbusters: Challenging the Common Myths About Generation Z
For centuries, dating back to Socrates, older generations have complained about the young people in their era. We’ve always assumed they’re lazy, entitled and may never be ready for adulthood. At times, we buy into “myths” about youth. When Growing Leaders surveyed more than 2,000 adults in 2019, we found that 66 percent of them experienced a negative not a positive emotion when reflecting on Gen Z.
Helping Generation Z Out of the Comparison Trap
People moved from connecting on social media to performing. We perform in pursuit of more views, clicks, likes, shares and reposts. But, like any performance, competing and comparing soon raised their ugly heads, the most vulnerable being Gen Zers.
Why Generation Z is Quiet Cracking and What You Can Do
These start as invisible fractures, but the cracks are real, and if leaders don’t spot them or begin to explore and talk about how their teams are doing, the cracks just get bigger and bigger.
A Life Hack That’s Transformed My Attitude
I tend to be a positive person by nature. I got my mother’s optimistic DNA. I miss her to this day. She was a very happy, fulfilled person all her life. I’ve noticed, however, that as I age, my brain tends to swing the other direction. I can be cynical or negative. I recently discovered the science behind this.
4 Facts About Gen Z You Didn’t Know and How They Impact Your Business
Across the globe, young graduates from Generation Z are already disrupting the workplace. Some employers are taking advantage of these “new kids on the block” and how they think, while others are furious because they don’t understand them. My advice? Don’t get furious. Get curious. Below are four trends Gen Z brings to our world and how they impact us as leaders, teammates and family members.
The Sinister Consequence to Taking Shortcuts
The more I take shortcuts, the more unwilling I may become to do the work necessary to genuinely succeed in any given endeavor.
Nine Moments to Stay Silent as a Leader
There have been several times over my career I had to learn to be silent. Situations at home, at work or on the road required me—a teacher at heart—to not share an insight but to remain quiet. I recognized silence would achieve more than words. Are you like me?
How to Offer Feedback in a Fragile World
Offering hard feedback has never been easy but today it is tougher than ever.
Four Rules That Could Reverse the Anxious Epidemic in Young People
After more than ten years of stability or even improvement, the mental health of teens plunged in the early 2010s. Rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm and even suicide increased sharply, more than doubling on most measures.
A Fresh Way to Look at Multiple Generations on Your Team
When I read a great book, I pull out five different colored highlighters to keep track of what I gain from the content. One color is for important ideas, another is for good stories, another is for statistics or data, another for great quotes and another for action steps. That way, when I return to the book later, I can quickly find helpful takeaways.
The Difference Between Amateurs and Professionals
Those who rise above the fray cultivate a different mindset in themselves; they stop expecting the world to give them what they want and they earn it.
Seven Leadership Lessons From Shackleton’s Voyage
In March of 2022, an underwater drone was used to discover the ship, Endurance, down on the ocean floor. It had been there a century. The lead expeditioner was Ernest Shackleton, famous for voyaging to the South Pole a century ago on this ship.
Why the Generation Gap is Real and What to Do to Bridge That Gap
The generation gap has widened due to increased exposure through technology, media, mobility, and longer life spans. These factors shape different worldviews and experiences even between people only one generation apart.
Having Peter Pan on Staff Isn’t All Bad
In my recent book, The Future Begins with Z, I talk about leading Generation Z in the workplace. They’re so different than older generations that they often present a challenge to their managers. I just wonder—what if our greatest challenge could become our greatest solution to future challenges?