In a recent edition I introduced you to what has come to be known as Generation Z (those born from 1995 to the present). The only generation to have been born into a full technology connected world; a group who will never know a life without instant information and connectivity to their friends and the world.
I ended the article telling you of some of the negative, fear based, predictions about this generation. I also hinted that this negativity was a minority viewpoint. It’s realistically possible that this generation might be more inclined to consider a career in your industry than the last few. How could I predict such a thing? Well, first let’s consider the positive commentary.
In her article “Get Ready for Generation Z,” Anne Kingston of Macleans sums it up this way:
“We’ve seen more than a decade of hand-wringing over declining attention spans, eroding social skills, online bullying and sexting, along with the worry that communicating in short bursts and emotions deadens the brain’s ability to think in complex ways. There’s also the debate raging over the elimination of cursive writing from many schools, and charges that the decline in traditional forms of learning such as memorization and rote signals a drop in standards.”
But…
“Amy Bastian, a neuroscientist at Johns Hopkins University, contends that the greater the variety of things you do in the fine-motor domain, the more you improve dexterity, but refuses to declare cursive writing is better or more important for a child’s development than printing.
Where one skill is lost, another may be gained. If children are less likely to dig deep and find out the rationale behind something, or to memorize it, says pediatrician Michael Rich, executive director of Harvard’s Centre of Media and Child Health, it’s because “their brains are rewarded not for staying on task, but for jumping to the next thing”—a useful ability in the digital era. Tapscott sees the term “multi-tasking” as an old-fogey misnomer: “What we’re actually watching is adaptive reflexes—faster switching and more active working memories,” he says.
Ms. King’s article also includes comments from Mark McCrindle and Don Tapscott, both of whom have conducted research on Gen Z. Check out their comments.
Gen Z are bellwethers, says McCrindle: “Where Gen Z goes, our world goes.” What that portends is seismic social disruption and the commensurate anxiety.
“This is the first time in history kids know more than adults about something really important to society—maybe the most important thing,” says Tapscott. “[It’s] a formula for fear.”
Despite this tension—or perhaps because of it—expectations for a generation have never been higher. Forbes has dubbed Gen Z “Rebels with a cause.” The Financial Times posed the question: “Generation Z, the world’s saviors?” Tapscott says Gen Z doesn’t have a choice: “My generation is leaving them with a mess. These kids are going to have to save the world literally.”
What has set the expectations of this generation so high? And how would this fit into your industry? See if you can put the dots together after reading the following data.
New York based research and marketing firm Sparks and Honey found the following about the Z generation:
They make up one Quarter of our entire population and are growing daily.
They shop online more than any other generation.
They are eager to start working.
4 out of 5 believe they are more driven than their peers.
The rates of substance use and teenage birthrates among this group are drastically down (discipline and good judgment).
60% compared to 39% of Millennials intend to have an impact on the world.
73% of them were impacted by the recession at a young age.
A greater number lived in multigenerational households and have more respect for their elders.
They worry more about the economy and save more.
72% of them want to start their own business.
1 in 2 Gen Z’s will be university educated compared to 1 in 3 for Millennials.
44% spend over 3 hours per day on their computers in contrast to 22% a decade ago.
This is a very different generation. A majority have expressed the goal to start their own business. They are inventive and creative. They can’t wait to get started. This is one motivated bunch of worker bees. Entrepreneurial spirit and diligent work ethic fits perfectly into the skill set required to make good realtors.
But what will it take to recruit them?
I’ll give you two weeks to think about this material (I am going on vacation) and promise to summarize the findings by telling you how your recruiting strategies might need to change.
Editor’s Note: This article was written by Dr. David Mashburn. Dave is a Clinical and Consulting Psychologist, a Partner at Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle.
