Friday Buzz: How to Manage Gen Z

Move over millennials, it’s Gen Z’s time to enter the workforce. This generation, whose oldest members were born in the mid-1990s, is unique from older generations in a lot of ways, which will have significant effects on management styles.

Forbes contributor Victor Lipman contends  (opens in a new tab) that growing up in the wake of 9/11 and the Great Recession has caused this group to be serious-minded and practical.

“Given this sober, practical orientation, managers would do well to keep development opportunities (which are all too easy to neglect) front and center,” Lipman writes.

The recession may have also spurred this group to be more entrepreneurial. After all, Gen Z has seen major institutions fail as a result of the 2008 financial meltdown. Gen Zers may no longer trust old-school management tactics and could be more interested in going their own way. What does this mean for management? “It means avoiding micromanagement and instead building a work environment where creative individuals can take chances and innovate without fear of recrimination,” writed Lipman.

Glass Ceiling

Why Women Aren’t CEOs, According to Women Who Almost Were. https://t.co/abrpnMqfRd  (opens in a new tab) #assnchat  (opens in a new tab) #eventprofs  (opens in a new tab) @destintl  (opens in a new tab) @hsmai  (opens in a new tab)

— Meetings Today (@meetingstoday) July 21, 2017  (opens in a new tab)

Women started entering the workforce in large numbers over 40 years ago, but only a handful of women have made it to the CEO position at a major company. Why is that?

In a recent piece for The New York Times  (opens in a new tab), writer Susan Chira spoke with several female executives who made it to the No. 2 position at their companies about what held them back from being No. 1. “What their stories show is that in business, as in politics, women who aspire to power evoke far more resistance, both overt and subtle, than they expected would be the case by now,” writes Chira.

Chira’s interviewees say they were often seen as less visionary when compared with men. Furthermore, women tend to be less comfortable with self-promotion and less likely to be fiercely competitive. “Some women get discouraged and drop out along the way,” writes Chira. “And many are disproportionately penalized for stumbles.”

Other Links of Note

Is your organization in trouble? The Wild Apricot blog shares a formula  (opens in a new tab) that tells you when your association will die.

Learn from the best. Inc. reveals Steve Jobs’ five-second strategy for getting the best from his employees  (opens in a new tab).

Take advantage of video streaming. CMSWire shares several creative and inspirational live video marketing ideas  (opens in a new tab).

(iStock/Thinkstock)