Leadership Flagship

8 Key Differences between Gen Z and Millennials

June 20, 2018

By George Beall

A question I’ve been hearing a lot lately is “What is the difference between Millennials and Generation Z?” I am going to list 8 key differences between Gen Z and Millennials in this post, hopefully shedding some light here.

Generation Z, as they have been coined, consist of those born in 1995 or later. This generation makes up 25.9% of the United States population, the largest percentage, and contribute $44 billion to the American economy. By 2020, they will account for one-third of the U.S. population, certainly worth paying attention to.

Just so we’re clear:
A “Millennial” is a person reaching young adulthood around the year 2000.
Generation Z (also known as Post-Millennials, the iGeneration, Founders, Plurals, or the Homeland Generation) is the demographic cohort following the Millennials.

The difference between the two is important to know in order to prepare your business, shift marketing, adjust leadership, and adapt recruiting efforts to stay relevant for the future.

How Generation Z Differs from Millennials

1. Less Focused

Today relevant is constantly being refined and Gen Z lives in a world of continuous updates. Gen Z processes information faster than other generations thanks to apps like Snapchat and Vine. Thus their attention spans might be significantly lower than Millennials.

2. Better Multi-Taskers

Though Gen Z can be less focused than their Millennial counterparts, in school, they will create a document on their school computer, do research on their phone or tablet, while taking notes on a notepad, then finish in front of the TV with a laptop, while face-timing a friend. You get the picture.

Gen Z can quickly and efficiently shift between work and play, with multiple distractions going on in the background…working on multiple tasks at once. Talk about multi-multi-tasking. Just think about how this kind of flow might reshape the office.

3. Bargains

Millennials care more about prices than Gen Z. This is arguably because they came of age during the recession.

Sixty-seven percent of millennials surveyed said that they would go to the website to get a coupon, whereas only 46% of Gen Z polled said they would do the same.

Millennials also tend to click on more ads; 71% of Millennials in a recent poll said they followed an advertisement online before making a purchase, however only 59% of Gen Z’ers said the same.

4. Gen Z is Full of Early Starters

Many employers are predicting that more teens, between the ages of 16 and 18 will go straight into the workforce, opting out of the traditional route of higher education, and instead finishing school online, if at all. Would you make a major investment, possibly leading to years of debt to come—knowing there are new, more affordable (not to mention more convenient) online alternatives coming up every day?

As we’ll discuss later in this post, Gen Z knows the true value of independence, and knowledge is no exception here. If a Gen Z’er knows they are capable of learning something themselves, or through a more efficient, non-traditional route, you can bet they’ll take the opportunity.

5. Gen Z Is More Entrepreneurial

According to Gen Z marketing strategist Deep Patel, “the newly developing high tech and highly networked world has resulted in an entire generation thinking and acting more entrepreneurially.” Generation Z desires more independent work environments. As a matter of fact, 72% of teens say they want to start a business someday.

One apparent recurring factor you might notice throughout this post, is that many Gen Z identifying factors can be traced back to the recession in 2008, from their frugality, to their value of experiences, and increased likelihood to become entrepreneurs. This is an interesting note to take down.

6. Gen Z Has Higher Expectations Than Millennials

Millennials remember playing solitaire, coming home to dial-up internet and using AOL. Generation Z was born into a world overrun with technology. What was taken as amazing and inspiring inventions, are now taken as a given for teens.

“When it doesn’t get there that fast they think something’s wrong,” said Marcie Merriman, executive director of growth strategy at Ernst & Young. “They expect businesses, brands and retailers to be loyal to them. If they don’t feel appreciated, they’re going to move on. It’s not about them being loyal to the business.”

7. Gen Z Is Big On Individuality

Gen Z’ers were born social. In fact, nearly 92% of Gen Z has a digital footprint. Arguably as a result of the celebrities and media they follow, Gen Z seeks uniqueness in all walks of life primarily through the brands they do business with, future employers, etc.

8. Gen Z Is More Global

Millennials were considered the first “global” generation with the development of the internet, but as more of the world comes online — Generation Z will become more global in their thinking, interactions, and relatability. 58% of adults worldwide ages 35+ agree that “kids today have more in common with their global peers than they do with adults in their own country.” Diversity will be an expectation of Generation Z.

After asking people “Would you call yourself addicted to your digital devices? (computer, smartphone, etc.),” we found Gen Z’ers are 25% more likely than Millennials to say they are addicted to their digital devices. A full 40% of Gen Z are self-identified digital device addicts.

This generation grew up with technology, and for them, it’s probably hard to go without their devices. If this younger generation is constantly on their phones or devices and not watching as much live TV, we may experience a massive shift in advertising methods and marketing messages.
13 Action-Habits of Highly Self-Confident People

June 20, 2018
(c) Meg Selig, 2018. All rights reserved.

Make a practice of these 13 habits and watch your confidence level soar!
There are many definitions of “self-confidence,” but my favorite is “how you feel when you are being your best self,” a beautiful description from Caroline Webb, author of How to Have a Good Day. This blog will describe 13 key action steps you can take to build that kind of inner self-confidence. Since we are all different, use Webb’s definition to test out which of these actions work for you. Does a given behavior strengthen your feeling of being your best self? Then you might want to do more of it! However, if some of these actions are foreign to you, realize that you may go through an “awkward stage” as you develop new skills.

1. Pay attention.

Research reveals that our flighty minds wander about 50% of the time. (Wait a minute…what was I saying? Oh, right.) Whether you are with a friend, lover, or colleague, you can’t process information, listen to others, or argue for your own point of view if you are not “there” to do it. By one definition, confidence is “trusting yourself,” and you can’t trust yourself if you are off in space.

However, I doubt that anyone, except for maybe a Zen master, can be fully present 100% of the time. If you are highly introverted, you may need to make frequent retreats into your own inner world of ideas and impressions. So I suggest you use your values and goals as guides to decide what you will be mindful of. In a work meeting, for example, know what you find worth fighting for and pay attention to that, at the least. Where your attention goes, your actions are likely to follow, as Katty Kay and Claire Shipman note in their book, The Confidence Code.

2. Make decisions and keep your “why” in mind as you do.

Making your own decisions is an indispensable step toward developing self-confidence and a strong sense of self. But you can’t just make decisions willy-nilly. You must know WHY you are making a particular decision. Your rationale is important to express not just to colleagues and friends but also to yourself. A trivial example from my own life: I needed a new pair of black pants. I had to choose between a fashionable pair of skinny-leg pants without pockets and a less stylish pair of pants that had a small pocket at the waistline. Knowing myself, I knew I would feel best if I had a place for a chap stick and a tissue, so I chose the less stylish pants. Now, whenever I find myself looking enviously at women with skinny-leg pants, I remind myself WHY I made my choice. I feel better immediately!

It is easy to forget why we do the things we do. Reminding yourself of your own reasons for your decisions will bolster confidence in your own judgment, even if you have some regrets. And if you have lots of regrets and realize you should have chosen the other path…well, you’ve learned that piece of information for the next decision.

3. Learn job skills that enable you to earn a living.

Whether you are a barista or a barrister, if you have job skills that enable you to take care of yourself financially, you will feel a basic level of confidence. Knowing you can support yourself is priceless! Moreover, you will never be stuck in an abusive or unsatisfying relationship out of fear that you can’t earn a living. Even if you don’t love your job or if you are scraping by on minimum wage, you have a solid foundation for making a transition to something better or more lucrative. (Perspective: Realize that not being able to find the right job is not necessarily something to take personally. Economic cycles and structural changes in the economy play a huge role. Don’t blame yourself for what is not under your control.)

4. Learn skills of all sorts.

Sewing, carpentry, gardening, coding, cleaning, coaching, building birdhouses, making omelets, reading to a child, mentoring a teen…using specific skills, whatever they are, can be a source of confidence. Learn skills, use them, and feel a sense of pride at your competence! And it’s just possible that one of these skills could enable you to transition into a new job or career someday, if that’s your goal.

5. Set and reach goals, large and small.

Establishing, working toward, and achieving your goals for work, relationships, leisure time, and every other domain of life will give you a sense of self-efficacy as well as excitement and optimism about your own future. Knowing you can accomplish things that are important to you is a powerful confidence tool.

6. Work on your assertiveness skills.

Knowing how to stand up for yourself in a variety of situations, as well as when to let things go, is a self-confidence skill worth cultivating. Assertiveness requires an inner honesty about what you are feeling, what you want, what you value, and what your boundaries are, and then the courage to express one or more of those to someone in your world. The strength you gain from being assertive will build your confidence in who you are and what you stand for. (For details on “The Assertiveness Habit,” click here.)

7. Prepare some scripts to help you process negative feedback.

This idea is from fellow PT blogger Alice Boyes’ new book, The Healthy Mind Toolkit. Instead of feeling crushed by negative feedback or criticism, you can learn to welcome it as a stimulus to growth. However, in the moment, you could over-react and come across defensively. That’s why having a few “scripts” to pull out can help you. Try a few of these scripts or create your own:
- “I hadn’t thought of it that way before. Thanks for the feedback.”
- “I’m going to think over what you said. How about if I get back to you tomorrow?”
- “Although I didn’t care for the way you said it, I think you’ve got a point. I’m going to make a change.”
And, finally, the universal and simplest script of all for handling negative feedback:
- “Thank you for your comment.”
Notice the times when you handle negative feedback well and remember these “small” successes at the end of the day (You can find out how to do a “Daily Success Review” here.). “Small” is in quotation marks, because being able to handle and learn from negative feedback is actually a big deal.

8. Prepare some scripts to help you shrug off failure.

You know those people who hover like vultures waiting to pounce when you fail? Well, sometimes “those people” are YOU when you are being your own worst enemy. At other times, colleagues and even friends and intimates will challenge your decisions after the fact…and not always with tact and delicacy.

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Here are a few things you could say to yourself or others if someone points out what a “disaster” you have created:
- “You’ve got to try new things, or you’ll never know how you might have benefited.”
- “It was an experiment. At least we know now what doesn’t work!”
If your actions hurt someone else, apologize. You’ll feel better and so will they.

9. Listen well to others.

Unfortunately, we sometimes think of self-confident people as the ones who are doing all the talking. The ability to respect the thoughts, feelings, and ideas of others is a quality of the truly self-confident person. Unlike the extreme narcissist, who always has to be right, the self-confident person can learn from others and be flexible enough to adapt to their needs and ideas. (I’ll be discussing the difference between narcissists and self-confident people in a future blog.) But of course, it’s equally important to…

10. Talk about your successes.

Talking about your successes, especially in the workplace, will pave the way for new challenges and perhaps promotions. Sharing successes at home will let your family know what is important to you and give your children a positive perspective on who you are as a person, not just as a parent.

11. Help others.

As with #9 above, we don’t usually think of “helping others” as an action-habit of confident people, perhaps because we think of self-confident people as “winners” in the great game of Life rather than as mentors, helpers, and role models. Nonetheless offering and giving a hand is a huge confidence booster. Helping others often reveals the skills you possess, and kindness increases your inner strength.

12. Prepare and practice, keeping your purpose in mind.

Knowing you have done as much as you can humanly do to ensure your success at a particular endeavor will lift your confidence. As Kay and Shipman summarize it, “Preparation and practice melded with a sense of purpose–the zone of confidence.”

13. Get physical.

Becoming physically strong through regular exercise and activity translates into mental strength for many people. At minimum, you will reap the healthbenefits of exercise. In addition, the sense of vitality and well-being that come from physical exercise will lift your energy level and spirits.

In a Nutshell

The 13 actions above can become good habits that get easier and easier the more you do them. Yes, it takes courage to “put yourself out there.” Sometimes you take a risk and things go wrong. But if you adopt an attitude of “I can learn from this,” you will be able to put your mistakes (and those of others) in perspective and launch into your next actions with a reasonable amount of optimism and assurance.
6 Ways To Get Time Back In Your Day, Every Day

June 20, 2018

JUN 13, 2018 @ 07:34 AM Kris Putnam-Walkerly , CONTRIBUTOR

Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

Smart philanthropy starts with an effective approach to our work.

In philanthropy, we seem to be perpetually rushing from one thing to the next. There’s always a new technology to learn or more grant applications to evaluate. Yet while everyone is feeling busy and moving quickly, the real change we seek comes along at the pace of snails. Instead of spending all of our valuable time working harder, we should also evaluate how we can work smarter.

We all get into daily work patterns—some of them healthy, some not. How often do you find yourself so focused on your to-do list that you’ve lost track of why you’re doing the work? Everyone can improve their work habits, and even if the changes are simply tactical, they can add up to a clear, focused approach to the job rather than an exercise in constantly putting out fires. To start focusing on impact instead of deadlines, we need to change the work patterns that hold us back and keep us from working at top efficiency. Here are six ways you can take charge of your schedule and capture more of your own time:

1. Don’t check email first thing in the morning. For many of us, this is a hard habit to break! You’re worried you might miss something important, so you start your day by clicking through endless emails. In reality, you’re giving control of your time and mental energy to others instead of starting your day focused on something you know want to accomplish.

2. Set your top three priorities for the day right at the start. Make these priorities manageable, but not so tactical that you’ve finished them in the first hour. They are meant to help keep you focused and on track, not simply to be items you can tick off of a to-do list that you’ve created.

3. Spend the first hour of your day doing something creative or tackling something that’s been causing you stress. Creative doesn’t mean you have to do something artistic—it means doing something that generates ideas or gives you energy. It might be taking the time to brainstorm your next funding initiative, thinking about how to reorganize your team or contemplating what professional development experiences can help you move forward. An equally effective alternative is to eliminate a stressor, whether that means installing better lighting in a dim office or figuring out how to terminate an ineffective professional partnership.

4. Prevent technology from taking over—no beeps or notifications. Ever. Go through your phone and computer and remove all the notifications (e.g., for new emails, breaking news stories and social media posts). Make this change permanent. It will help clear your head and eliminate constant distractions. Ruthlessly unsubscribe from unnecessary emails that are a drain on your time and offer you little substance. Send certain types of emails automatically into folders so you can peruse them at a point in the day that you’ve set aside specifically for reading. Finally, check your email three times a day—not all day long.

5. Pick up the phone instead of sending multiple emails. It’s often true that email can be more efficient than a phone conversation, but when “just one quick email” becomes a back-and-forth conversation of multiple paragraphs, you know it’s time to pick up the phone. You may worry about interrupting someone, but you’d be surprised at how many people answer their phones (or Skype or Slack calls) and are happy to reach a fast conclusion in a personal conversation instead of sending back yet another email. And if you can’t contact the person directly, you might reach an assistant who can help you schedule a meeting or find the information you need.

6. Assign it to someone else. As a general rule, if someone else can do the work, hand it off. Assign certain tasks to another staff member or consultant so you can focus on the work that only you can tackle. For managers, that might mean having staff summarize their performance discussions with you and then emailing you those write-ups. If a summary is accurate, great—file it away. If it’s not, reply with corrections and then file. You’ve dispersed the work, and you’ve helped your staff understand and internalize the conversations.

The goal of these time-saving tips is not to create efficiency for efficiency’s sake. It’s to do our work better, make smarter investments and change more people’s lives. Yes, it’s critical to make sure grant investments are worthwhile and have clear impact. But smart, effective philanthropy can happen with both efficiency and speed if we think differently about how to approach our work!
Learn To Listen To Your Employees

June 19, 2018

Liz Ryan , Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

Of course there are not six ways to listen to your employees. There are ten million ways to do it, or more! In this column I’ll share six ways to begin your listening adventures.

The key is not to implement one listening program or another and say “Okay, we’re listening!” (more…)
See What Happens When You Listen to Your Employees

June 19, 2018

by Janette Levey Frisch

Why I Love Employers Who Talk -and Listen-to Their Employees..

I know, this may sound a bit too touchy-feely for some of you, but give me a minute here. This is a solid tip that could make your lives as managers, employers, business owners (or insert-other-appropriate-title-here) significantly easier. Who wouldn’t want that?

I understand you’re not there to make friends with your employees… (more…)