As far as I recall, my mother was always the one teaching me the ways of living. She used to teach me how to chew with my mouth closed or why I should give my grandmother a hug whenever we go to visit. I mean don’t get me wrong my father loved me just as much as my mother, but he would usually arrive from work pretty late at night. It’s funny, I remember as a 10-year-old kid, I was acting all grown up and trying to exchange information with my father over dinner as if my homework was as important as his job at the bank. He would always recognize my afford and play along with it. My older brother and I shared everything with each other, he would answer all my questions, for example how to open up a conversation with the girl I like or when is the best time to ask my father for some extra cash. These were my childhood and teenage years which I enjoyed every second of it.
As a Gen Z, I was living under the same roof with a Baby Boomer, a Gen X, and a Millennial. My family has told me many of their stories and experiences which they had throughout their lives. Each one of them believed that their experiences and lessons are more important than the other’s experiences and lessons. So, on purpose or not, they would influence me with their unique perspectives of life. At the same time as I was taking in all the information given to me as a child and a teenager by my family, I would be spending time in school or outside the school with other Gen Zs. We would adapt to new environments surrounding us and experience new aspects of our lives every day. We were and still are writing our own stories.
Members of Generation Z Have been in such situations with families and friends while being surrounded by the every-second developing world. This observation raises the question: Are Gen Zs smarter than the generations before them?
To answer this question, we need better insight into Generation Z’s behaviour in different situations. Well, let’s talk about the workplace. As a Gen Z, I enjoy doing what I love and if the job offered to me is not meeting my values and interests, I wouldn’t consider taking it. I will be stating that for the managers out there who in few years will be in charge of leading a workforce of Gen Z, don’t put limits on them. This means ask for them to think freely and outside the box. You can explain to them your point of view on a subject and ask them for their point of view. A lot of people think that Generation Z is closed to advice, this assumption is completely wrong they are against a piece of advice that would prevent them to be free. They grew up hearing stories from past lives and they never said, “we don’t like it” as long as there was no limitation to the story. Another attribute of Generation Z’s behaviour is that they love to be recognized either by their family and friends or by their supervisors. An excellent example of this assumption is social media. A type of media that we are so very attached to. A place that we satisfy our need for recognition by gaining followers, likes, and comments. So, the future manager just appreciate their good qualities because if you do, they will be more than happy to open up to you.
To conclude and answer the main question asked, Generation Z is not necessarily smarter than the other generations at least in my opinion however, they are most likely to be more knowledgeable. They have been adapting to the fast-changing world around them. A world that consists of their loved ones’ legacy and a legacy that awaits them.
As the current and future leaders, it is your time to consider valuing your Gen Z workfare and try to look at their backgrounds to gain better insight into their behaviour.
Thank you for the time you took to read this blog. I hope that the knowledge shared has been useful. If there are any ideas which you would like to share about the blog, feel free to comment below.
Author: Mr Mahan Negimi, Hospitality Bachelor Student at Hotel Institute Montreux, from Iran.