In my last blog post, I talked about the leadership lessons we could learn from the life of King David that could help in how we lead the next generation. I want to continue that conversation in this blog post and look at two major issues that Tim Elmore, an author and thought leader on Generation Y & Z, says Generation Z must overcome in order to become successful.
Elmore says the following two quotes in his book Generation Z Unfiltered* and I think they give great insight into how we will need to lead the next generation:
“They (Generation Z) value personal achievement over supporting the mission or carrying on the virtues of something greater than themselves” (169).
Elmore, Tim, and Andrew McPeak. Generation Z Unfiltered: Facing Nine Hidden Challenges of the Most Anxious Population. Poet Gardener Publishing in Association with Growing Leaders, Inc., 2019.
“To GenZ, there are no singular voices of influence. No religious, political, or philosophical leaders whom everyone can look up too. Just thousand little voices that continually reshape their worlds” (216).
Alright, let’s look at what Elmore is saying with each quote and how it can be applied in how we lead Generation Z.
Quote #1
According to Elmore this way of living has created ego-centralization among todays’ kids which Elmore defines it by saying “today’s kids are centralizing their egos around personal achievements rather than external ideas or institutions, the naturally-formed result is a self-centered perspective” (169).
In short, today’s kids think their life is all about them. But could you blame for thinking this? They get to be the star of their own movie and can share it with the world. In return the world can give them instant feedback by either liking or rejecting their posted material. And thanks to the wonderful world of the internet they can have everything catered to their exact wants and desires. They can reject ads they don’t like, follow products and people they like, and endlessly stream their favorite entertainment. And thanks to the endless amount of apps they can now also have money sent to directly to their phone, order food and have it delivered, and even find “love.”
Sidenote: I know that adults struggle with these same things but the difference is that they did not grow up in this world. For today’s kids it’s all they have ever known. I enjoy all of today’s modern conveniences but they also come at a cost as we are now seeing with Generation Z.
Quote #2
The second quote makes me think of social media and how anyone can become viral. Yes, there are the “main” influencers but there are also tons of “minor” influencers. This can be good and bad. Today’s kids can get a diverse view of truth and meaning because they are not just listening to one side but that can also be an issue. They can pick and choose. They can cater truth to fit their specific taste.
This also means that each GenZ can have a greater impact and influence of those around them. They can produce content for the 100 or so “friends” that follow them. But they need a voice(s) to speak truth into their life. Leadership will be about multiplication. This could be a good thing because we will finally start to multiply people instead of having a bunch of followers of one person.
The question is how can we lead/mentor Generation Z as they step into the workplace so we set them up for success?
First, we must give them the “why.”
Carey Nieuwhof (an author, podcaster, and blogger) recently wrote an article that gives great insight in how to lead younger adults (Click here to read the article). In the article Nieuwhof says the following,
“In a world with a million whats, young leaders are looking for why. If your organization can’t show them a compelling why, they’ll keep looking.”
This makes sense if you just think about the world these young adults live in. With everything being catered towards them, it has created the consumer mindset that asks the questions,
“What do you have to offer me? Why should I follow your account? Why should I subscribe? Why should I give you my time?”
The last question I think is the key, “Why should I give you my time?” What about this product is going to make someone stop and click on it? What makes it stand out? What is going to do for the consumer? If you are trying to sell a product these days you have to get right to the point. I mean, YouTube gives you the option to skip an ad after 5 seconds so now companies have to hook you in that time so you click on their product.
This is what we are working against when trying to lead the next generation. As Nieuwhof mentions in his article and I agree, we have to present the next generation with a captivating “why” if we hope to have the chance to lead them.
Take the questions that they ask of products and apply them to yourself as a leader, “What do you have to offer me? Why should I follow your account? Why should I subscribe? Why should I give you my time?”
What do you as a leader have to offer the next generation, that would cause them to follow you? How do you cut through the noise of the “thousand little voices” so they hear your voice and want to follow? My final point I believe is the key.
Second, we must point them to Jesus.
Yes, you may be thinking this is the church answer and is a cop out but I challenge anyone to give a better “why.” I would wait but I wouldn’t be able to finish this blog post so I will continue on.
Go back again to the questions that young adults ask of advertisers and apply them to Jesus, “What do you have to offer me? Why should I follow your account? Why should I subscribe? Why should I give you my time?”
Many people in Jesus’ time asked these very questions. We read about a story in John 6 that tells us that many of Jesus followers quit following Him because they did not like the answers that Jesus gave to these questions. But the few that stayed did because they believed in Jesus’ “why.” Peter, one of Jesus 12 disciples, gives this answer to why he followed Jesus,
“67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” -John 6:67-69
Peter got it. He had heard what the “thousand little voices” had to offer and knew they left him wanting. Not so with Jesus. Peter struggled at first (remember this is the guy who denied Jesus 3 times) but ultimately he came to realize that Jesus had everything he needed. Jesus gave his disciples a “why” that changed not only their personal world but world history as well. In the end, Peter gave his life to tell the world of Jesus’ “why.”
We as Christian leaders have a huge advantage over other leaders. We get to call young leaders to join us on this life-transforming, world changing, death defeating “why.” The power of the Gospel is stronger than anything this world has ever seen. It has the power to change hearts. It gives freedom. It cannot be defeated. In the end, it is the only “why” that is going to last. Who wouldn’t want to join this mission?
Sadly, many people don’t want to join this mission. Why? Because I think we have failed the next generation. Generation Z would rather follow a “thousand little voices” than the One Voice because the generations before them have let them down. It is time for the next wave of Christian leaders to stand up and call not only the next generation but all generations to join them in sharing Jesus’ why with the world! It is time to quit trying to be popular or viral or politically correct and stand up for the Truth. Jesus doesn’t need us to make him appealing. He doesn’t even need us but wants to use us in accomplishing his mission. We must decide it is time to take action and lead the next generation to embrace Jesus and his mission.
Let me close with the following quote:
Klumpenhower, Jack. Show Them Jesus: Teaching the Gospel to Kids. New Growth Press, 2014.
“If kids are leaving the church, it’s because we’ve failed to give them a view of Jesus and his cross that ’s compelling enough to satisfy their spiritual hunger and give them the zeal they crave…We’ve failed too many kids. We’ve fed them things to do. We’ve fed them”worshipful” experiences. But we’ve failed to feed them more than a spoonful of the good news. Now they’re starving and they’ll eat anything. They’re trying to feed their souls with something-maybe even church thing-that feels like it fits them, when what they need is someone utterly better than themselves”(52).
*Elmore, Tim, and Andrew McPeak. Generation Z Unfiltered: Facing Nine Hidden Challenges of the Most Anxious Population. Poet Gardener Publishing in Association with Growing Leaders, Inc., 2019. **Klumpenhower, Jack. Show Them Jesus: Teaching the Gospel to Kids. New Growth Press, 2014.