How to Find the Gifts in Generation Z
It was 150 years ago that the California “gold rush” was launched. Gold had been spotted randomly in 1848, and word spread like wildfire. Americans quickly traveled west to join the crowd who was trying to get rich. Within a couple of years, tens of thousands of folks had relocated to California, both “gold rushers” and spectators.
There is a story that’s become legendary from that gold rush. A group of people watched one particular man panning for gold and noticed he was discovering a lot of it. In fact, far more than those who were standing just several feet away. Repeatedly, he’d stick his pan into the dirt or mud, bring it up and began sifting through his pan, to find those nuggets. An onlooker peered at his pan, but all he saw was a pile of dirt clods. He remarked, “It looks like just a bunch of dirt. How do you have the patience to sift through it all? And how are you able to spot the gold in such a big lump of dirt?”
The gold rusher replied: “Because I’m not looking at the dirt. I’m looking for the gold.”
What Do You See in Generation Z?
This simple story serves as an analogy for us. Millions of leaders across the U.S. see young people as a problem. In fact, all that some of us can see is “dirt.” Bad attitudes, poor communication, disrespect for authorities, apparent laziness, scrolling on their phones, addicted to TikTok, you name it. Just like the gold rush—it’s easy to see the dirt.
But—it’s all about what you’re looking at or what you’re looking for.
We tend to find what we look for; what we focus on. And what we focus on expands. If I asked you to look for Toyota Camrys while you’re out in traffic—do you know what you’d find? A bunch of Toyota Camrys. They were there all the time, but you may not have seen them, because you weren’t looking for them. You didn’t focus on them. When it comes to Gen Zers, I’m not asking you to conjure up something that’s not there, but to open your eyes to spot what our stereotypes may have blinded us from seeing. We often endure what psychologists called “Fundamental Attribution Error.” This is a cognitive bias where people overestimate the role of a person's character (dispositional factors) and underestimate the role of circumstances (situational factors) when explaining their behavior. For example, when your Gen Zer leaves work right at 5 pm, you may assume they just don’t like to work, not realizing they are dashing off to a second job just to pay their bills.
How Do We See the Gold?
How do we look for the gold instead of looking at the dirt? (There is clearly both in all of us.) First, we must begin with belief when it comes to Generation Z. We must adopt a positive narrative about them. What if we looked for gold? What if we possessed high expectations for them? (They often want to live up to them when we voice them.) What we see is almost always what we get. Do you recall the story of the shoe company that chose to expand their sales worldwide? The CEO sent two of his salesmen to a developing nation in Africa. After a week, both called their boss. The first said, “Bring me home. Nobody wears shoes here.” The second one said, “Send me more shoes fast! No one has any here! They’re gonna sell like hotcakes!”
It's all in how you see it. It’s all in what we look for. We must sift passed the dirt.
It’s finally here!
You can order it now ⤵︎
The Future Begins with Z:
Nine Strategies to Lead Generation Z as They Disrupt the Workplace.
Now available at TheFutureBeginsWithZ.com
or you can grab your copy wherever books are sold!
Subscribe to future articles from Tim.
Book Tim for an event.