Generation Z: Much better than its reputation!

Generation Z: Much Better Than Its Reputation!

August 7, 2023 – Members of Generation Z are not lazy. Instead, they simply have different needs compared to the Baby Boomers, for example. Influencers on social media can serve as inspiration for how leaders can best engage the younger generation.

“Members of Generation Z are not as performance-oriented as our older employees.” This complaint is often heard from managers and business owners about the young people born after 1995 who are entering the workforce after graduation. But is that really the case? My impression as an entrepreneur and management consultant is that there are just as many performance-oriented women and men in Generation Z as there were 50 years ago when the majority of the so-called Baby Boomers entered the job market.

However, the circumstances were different back then. In the past, many individuals applied for an open position. This allowed companies to choose the best candidates and largely dictate the terms of employment in their contracts.

Lower Standards Due to Fewer Applicants

Today, however, due to demographic changes, often only a couple of individuals apply for an open position, if at all. As a result, especially SMEs often have to make significant concessions regarding the requirements they place on their future employees. The consequence: In daily operations, they are increasingly confronted with employees who, for example, have lower self-motivation and need more guidance. Additionally, new employees often lack certain skills from the company's perspective, which necessitates retraining. This means companies must invest more resources than before in the leadership and development of new employees.

But the needs of high-performing young employees (not just those from Generation Z) have also changed. Many of them no longer want paid work to dominate their entire lives. Therefore, they increasingly demand part-time work, the ability to work remotely, or to take a longer break. The same goes for opportunities for career advancement. Young people are less likely than their parents to wait for opportunities for development and career progression; they actively demand these things. And if they do not receive them? Then they change employers more quickly.

For businesses, this means: They need to readjust their personnel policies. They must ask themselves to what extent their personnel policies still meet the expectations of their employees – similar to how they do this with their products when customer needs change.

And their leaders? They must demonstrate greater behavioral flexibility in daily operations and leadership because their employees often

• have a very different level of professional and personal maturity and

• articulate diverging individual needs.

Furthermore, collaboration is increasingly occurring in a hybrid or even purely virtual manner. Employees work sometimes at the office, sometimes at home, or elsewhere.

This heterogeneous current situation necessitates a leadership style in which leaders must adapt their behavior significantly to the individual they are dealing with and the particular situation and constellation. They must therefore

• sometimes praise their employees, sometimes question their behavior,

• sometimes actively support their employees in fulfilling their tasks, and other times consciously take a step back,

• sometimes strongly push for changes, and other times consciously take their foot off the gas.

Leading Employees Situationally and Developing Them Individually

The necessary behavioral flexibility can only be demonstrated by leaders when they are in a lively dialogue with their team and find out:

• What is important to my employees?

• Where are they struggling?

• What facilitates or hinders them in engaging for the desired goals?

• What do they need to work effectively and further develop their competencies?

Only if they are in a dialogue characterized by mutual acceptance and appreciation with their employees can a relationship built on trust emerge, allowing them to influence their employees' thinking and behavior effectively.

Leaders should – similar to influencers on social media – strive to create an environment in which other people

• voluntarily follow them and their ideas and

• independently question their own thinking and actions in terms of what contribution they make towards achieving common goals.

When it comes to creating such an environment, several success factors can be derived from the behavior of influencers online, who are often role models for members of Generation Z.

6 Success Factors in Dealing with Not Only Generation Z

1. BE VISIBLE AND EXPERIENCED

Influencers ensure they are visible – for example, by regularly posting on their social media channels and maintaining their virtual networks. For leaders, this means: They should not hide behind their desks. Instead, they should actively seek contact and communication with their team and be willing to invest time and energy in it.

2. REPRESENT VALUES CLEARLY

Almost all successful influencers have a clear message or represent recognizable values. This should also be the case for leaders: Otherwise, they become unpredictable for their employees. Therefore, they do not build trust with them. Hence, they are also not willing to follow them and their ideas.

3. STAGE YOUR OWN APPEARANCES

Successful influencers do not leave their appearances to chance. They stage their presence to achieve the desired effect. Leaders should do the same. For example, before reaching out to employees, they should ask themselves:

• Who is my counterpart and what is important to them?

• What goal do I want to achieve?

• What conditions are necessary for my messages to resonate?

• Which communication channel should I choose? For example: email, phone call, or personal conversation?

4. SHOW EMOTIONS SOMETIMES

Almost all influencers online give their followers well-measured insights into their private and emotional lives – primarily to be experienced as a person. Leaders should also do this in their communication with employees – for example, by occasionally sharing insights into their private lives during conversations. Or by mentioning how global economic turbulence, climate change, or artificial intelligence concerns unsettle them. Such statements often prompt employees to also give their leaders a glimpse into their emotional lives and reveal what matters to them.

5. RESPOND CALMLY TO CRITICISM

Like influencers, mistakes happen. They often receive harsh criticism, which can sometimes culminate in a shitstorm. Experienced individuals never respond with offense. Instead, they use critical feedback as an opportunity to enter into an even more intense dialogue with their followers and explain the reasons behind their actions. Similarly, leaders should respond to critical feedback, as this ultimately shows the involvement of employees and opens the chance to adjust if needed.

6. BE WILLING TO TAKE NEW PATHS

Influencers sometimes have to take new paths – for example, because the media consumption habits of their target audience have changed. These "strategic shifts" often meet resistance from their followers, and some even withdraw their support. Nevertheless, influencers consistently pursue these paths when overarching goals require it. Leaders must also have a corresponding backbone.

Despite all the empathy, willingness to compromise, and loyalty they display in contact with their employees, it must always remain clear: Certain goals, such as "Our company must generate profit," are non-negotiable.

Never Forget: The Future Belongs to Generation Z

At the same time, leaders should be open to proposals for improvement and change, which members of Generation Z often bring to the table because they are not yet blinded by business as usual; these young women and men are the future of the company. Therefore, it is essential to create a work environment with which they can identify.

Author: Barbara Liebermeister

About the Author:
Barbara Liebermeister is the founder and director of the Institute for Leadership Culture in the Digital Age (IFIDZ) – and a thought leader in modern leadership. With the concept she developed, Alpha Intelligence®, she encapsulates the essential intelligences of successful leaders in the digital transformation: human, effective, and future-proof.

As a long-time manager, consultant, and coach, she brings practical experience and supports companies in rethinking their leadership culture – scientifically grounded, individualized, and with a clear focus on what really works. Whether as an author of several specialist books, a speaker on stages, or a lecturer at renowned universities like RWTH Aachen, Hochschule Kempten, etc. – Barbara combines extensive knowledge with a great deal of personality.

She is a mentor at Hessian universities, has been nominated for the #digitalfemaleleader award, and her team received the Wolfgang Heilmann Prize for the digital leadership analytics tool LEADT. Her driving force: to make leadership more human and at the same time future-proof.