Engaging Gen Z Approaches

I've been reflecting on one major trend from last year that I feel will be hard to ignore in 2025: Gen Z’s relationship with brands and social media. This generation doesn’t just consume content, they drive it. And they do so with a level of authenticity and transparency that demands our attention. For Gen Z, brand loyalty isn’t built on flashy ads or influencer endorsements alone. It’s about values. It’s about knowing what the brand stands for and aligning with causes they care about: be it sustainability, inclusivity, or social justice. Here’s how I’ve been thinking about this shift as an entrepreneur: For Gen Z, being true to themselves is really important. They want brands that embrace uniqueness and support personal expression. To connect with them, we need to be authentic and offer products and messages that let them express who they really are. Social Media is the New Word of Mouth: If you’re not engaging in the conversations Gen Z is having on social media, you’re missing out. They trust their peers and online communities more than traditional advertising, and their feedback is immediate and powerful. Experience Over Projection: For this generation, it’s not just about seeing an ad but engaging with a brand in a meaningful way. Whether through personalized experiences, interactive campaigns, or exclusive content, creating a connection is more valuable than ever. Gen Z is not just shaping the future of business but is redefining what it means to build loyalty and trust. Is your brand ready for this shift?

$83 TRILLION is about to change hands. And many wealth managers still talk to clients like it’s 1998. That’s the real risk highlighted in this new CFA Institute Research and Policy Center research on next-gen investors. ↳ Not rates. ↳ Not markets. ↳ Not geopolitics. Relevance. Because the next generation of clients doesn’t want advice the way their parents did. They want something very different. ↳ 92% of Gen Z and millennials already use some form of financial advice ↳ Nearly 70% expect to interact with advisers monthly or more ↳ About one-third already use AI tools to learn about investing ↳ And over 90% say aligning portfolios with personal values matters In my view, this represents a full shift in operating model. Here’s what stood out to me most from the report: Trust is changing. Older clients trusted relationships. Younger clients trust competence. ↳ Data security ↳ Transparent results ↳ Access to modern products And trust is becoming measurable, not just personal. At the same time, advice is becoming collaborative. In the old model: Client delegates. Adviser decides. In the new model: Client participates. Adviser educates. Both decide. Young investors don’t want to be told what to do. They want to understand why. And regarding tech, it seems AI isn’t replacing advisers, but exposing the weak ones. Many investors start digitally, then upgrade to human advice when life gets complicated. After reading this piece, I realized one uncomfortable truth for the industry: The biggest threat for us isn’t fintech or AI. It’s inertia. And the advisers who win the next decade won’t just manage portfolios. They’ll manage behavior. Translate complexity. Filter noise. All with the help of technology. And they will show up where clients already live: digital, fast, and informed. If you work in wealth management and this report makes you uncomfortable, that’s probably a good sign. It means you’re paying attention. Now, tell me: What will matter more in 10 years: investment performance or communication experience? And do you think AI will strengthen or weaken adviser relationships? PS. If you made it this far, ♻️ share this with your network and 🔔 follow my profile! PS. Congrats to Ryan Munson and Genevieve Hayman, PhD, for this cool report! 👏

Flash-forward to 2040: today's 10-year-old is walking into their first professional role, fluent in AI and equipped with the human meta-skills that algorithms can't replicate. The World Economic Forum identifies *complex problem-solving, *critical thinking, *creativity, *people management, *coordinating with others, *emotional intelligence, *judgment and decision-making, *service orientation, *negotiation, and *cognitive flexibility …among the most valuable skills for the future workforce. Among these, Creativity, Leadership, and Resilience stand out as fundamental meta-capabilities. But the crucial question remains: Where and how do children actually develop these essential skills? Yesterday, I shared a 15-year developmental roadmap with a hidden curriculum designed specifically to nurture these essential meta-skills. Here's the breakdown: CREATIVITY *Scratch/Minecraft modding → establishes divergent tinkering habits from an early age *24-hour hackathons → develops rapid ideation under pressure (case studies show measurable improvements in creative output and product-vision capabilities) *Design-thinking sprints at university → creates a structured environment for wild-thinking experimentation LEADERSHIP *Debate club participation → correlates with a 12% higher probability of attaining leadership roles later in life, according to recent MIT research *Team-sport captaincy → provides low-stakes decision-making cycles every week *Leading community tech projects before graduation → offers experience with real P&L responsibility and real stakeholder management RESILIENCE *Capture-the-flag cyber puzzles → builds fail-fast/restart mental muscles *Endurance sports → teaches progressive overload and delayed gratification principles *Project-Based Learning capstones → combines ambiguity with pivots to foster greater self-efficacy and grit Why This Approach Works *Deliberate difficulty – each year introduces a new stretch element *Role rotation – progression from maker → presenter → facilitator → owner *Reflection rituals – quarterly retrospectives archived in a second-brain vault for continued learning When I analyzed this framework using OpenAI o3 for pattern recognition, the model identified these activities as "compound-interest habits" – small, repeated actions that accumulate into substantial soft-skill capital over time. So yes, by all means, we should help the next generation build strong AI and data literacy foundations. But we must remember that the true human advantage is forged in the how, not just the what. The future belongs to those who can harmonize technological fluency with these distinctly human capabilities – creating a workforce that doesn't compete with AI but rather leverages it while contributing uniquely human value across the full spectrum of skills identified by the WEF: from complex problem-solving and critical thinking to emotional intelligence and cognitive flexibility. #FutureOfWork

Dream team, dream background, dream paper...? A story for Social Entrepreneurship Educators. Check out our latest Social Entrepreneurship article on the plane to #AOM, on the beach or by the lake! 👉 Link to article + awesome video by Elisa: https://lnkd.in/gQuruYSE While it took Elisa, Ute and I quite some time to publish this study, we are super pleased with the final version and Eric Liguori's outstanding editorial work we benefitted from at Journal of Small Business Management! This new study was driven by our shared desire to inspire more #positive #social #actions in the world. We asked: How do young people come to believe they can make a difference through their careers? We followed 189 university students engaging with social issues, some through firsthand contact with the people affected, others only indirectly through reading and lectures. The difference was striking. Students with firsthand contact felt they had genuinely made a positive impact, which transformed how they saw themselves: more confident in their capacity to contribute to social change, with fewer self-doubts. And that shift mattered as it made them significantly more likely to pursue #SE and other #impact-driven careers. The takeaway for us SE educators? Teaching students *about* social problems is not enough. If we want the next generation of changemakers, we need to create meaningful opportunities for direct contact with social issues and the people they affect, especially right at the stage when career paths are taking shape. #SocialEntrepreneurship #ImpactCareers #Research #HigherEducation #IMDimpact Photo credit: A participant in the 22nd Annual Social Entrepreneurship Conference at IMD in May this year, where the three of us finally got to celebrate in person 🤓💙🥂

Every time I meet students, young entrepreneurs and scientists, and other early-career professionals across Asia, Oceania and Africa (AOA), I am reminded of one simple truth: talent is everywhere. Opportunity is not.   I believe businesses have an important role to play to help bridge that gap. Since 2020, Nestlé Needs YOUth initiatives in Zone AOA have reached more than 4.4 million young people, through programmes focused on enhancing employability, entrepreneurship, agripreneurship, and access to employment opportunities.   It is deeply rewarding to see how these are unlocking potential in real and tangible ways. I've met young people whose confidence has grown through mentorship, aspiring entrepreneurs turning ideas into businesses, and talented students gaining the practical experience they need to take their first step into the world of work.   A good example is NestGen, our e-learning series that helps thousands of young people across AOA develop future-ready skills through masterclasses, expert insights, and connections with industry leaders.  We are also investing in Technical Apprenticeship Programmes across all markets in AOA, offering young people hands-on experience in Mechanical, Electrical and Automation Engineering. These programmes not only strengthen participants' skills and employability, but also help build the engineering capabilities needed for our manufacturing operations. As we mark #InternationalYouthDay, I invite you to watch our video in French with Brut Afrique, which showcases the impact Daouda Faye, one of the winners of our UNESCO-Nestlé Youth Impact program, is making in Senegal: https://lnkd.in/gTyD7hB8. His story is a powerful reminder that when young people are given the opportunity to learn, contribute and lead, they don't just transform their own futures. They help strengthen communities, drive economic growth, and shape a better future for us all.

🧒🏽 Designing For Gen Z. With frequent myths and actual behavior patterns that go beyond heavy use of social media (scroll down for the newsletter ↓) ✅ Gen Zs are born roughly between 1995 and early 2010s. ✅ Most diverse generation in terms of race, ethnicity, identity. ✅ With a very broad view of diversity, focused on inclusivity. ✅ Value experiences, principles, social stand over possessions. 🚫 Not homogenous: have diverse perspectives and opinions. 🚫 Not a “passive” generation → caring, proactive, eager to work. ✅ Large parts of Gen-Z aren’t mobile-first, but mobile-only. ✅ To some, the main search engine is YouTube, not Google. ✅ Trust only verified customer reviews, influencers, friends. ✅ Used to follow events live as they unfold → little patience. ✅ Sustainability, reuse, work/life balance are top priorities. ✅ Prefer social login as the fastest authentication method. ✅ Typically ignore or close cookie banners, without consent. ✅ Rely on social proof, honest reviews/photos, authenticity. ✅ Most likely generation to provide a referral to a product. ✅ Typically turn on subtitles for videos by default. Today, the oldest segments of Gen-Z are in their late 20s, and the youngest are in the middle school. They are often dismissed as a “slow, passive” generation that doesn’t really care about much. But research shows it couldn't be further from the truth. Unsurprisingly, social media is a huge part of the Gen Z lifestyle. But because they are sceptical of brands by default, they rely on social circles, influencers and peers as main research channels. They might not be great at spotting what’s real and what’s not, but they are highly selective about their sources. We shouldn’t discount Gen-Z as a generation with poor attention spans and urgent needs for instant gratification. We can tell a damn good story. Captivate and engage. Encourage critical thinking. Provide sources. Make them think. Gen-Z is curious and interested, and they want to be challenged and to succeed. So support that. Remove clutter and anything that gets in the way. Support intrinsic motivation, not extrinsic motivation. Invest in good content design. Aim for the opposite of perfect. Say what you think and do what you promise. Reflect the real world with real people using real products, however imperfect they are. In times when there is so much fake, exaggerated, dishonest and AI-generated content, it might be just enough to be perceived as authentic, trustworthy and attention-worthy by highly selective and very demanding Gen Z. --- 👋🏼 I'm Vitaly Friedman, and you can find useful UX resources on my profile. I’m also running “Measure UX” 🚀 (https://measure-ux.com/) with a friendly video course and live UX training. Use code LINKEDIN for a friendly discount. 😊 #ux #accessibility

I think we’ve confused consultation with co-creation. They’re not the same thing. Too often, organisations ask young people to share their experiences after the strategy has been written. We call it engagement. But if the decisions have already been made, is it really? One of the themes I recently spoke on at the World Health Summit Regional Meeting at the United Nations was on Gender Equity, Youth Leadership and Social Accountability. To me, these aren’t separate conversations. - Because gender equity isn’t just about representation. - Youth leadership isn’t just about visibility. - And social accountability isn’t just about reporting outcomes. They’re all about one thing: who gets to shape decisions. Across healthcare, education and international development, I’ve seen that the most sustainable solutions are rarely designed for communities. They’re designed WITH them. Not because it’s more inclusive. But because it leads to better decisions, stronger ownership and more lasting impact. As we think about the future of leadership, perhaps the question isn’t: “How do we engage young people?” It’s: “Are we willing to share power with them?” That’s where real co-creation begins.

YouTube is where teens come to watch what they love. That’s why we’ve spent a decade building tailored products for our youngest viewers: from the launch of the YouTube Kids app in 2015, to a supervised experience for pre-teens in 2021, to the expansion of built-in protections to more U.S. teens last summer. When I talk to parents and experts about what they want from platforms like YouTube, they tend to focus on three areas: controls that teach kids how to consume responsibly, content that’s age-appropriate, and the right experience for every age. Today we’re sharing a few updates to help parents tailor their family’s YouTube experience, especially for teens. They’ll soon be able to: - Set the amount of time their teens spend scrolling Shorts (including to zero, which is an industry-first) - Set custom Take a Break and Bedtime reminders for supervised accounts  - More seamlessly create new kid accounts and switch between them in the mobile app We’ve also developed new principles and a creator guide to ensure our platform elevates fun, helpful and enriching content in partnership with the Center for Scholars & Storytellers at UCLA, the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children's Hospital, the American Psychological Association and other global organizations. Read more on our blog: https://lnkd.in/gP-G_zds 

OK Boomer, Gen Z Doesn't Want Your 2000s Change Management Playbook! A leader was puzzled over why their meticulously planned technology rollout was meeting unexpected resistance from newer employees. The communication plan was comprehensive, training well-documented, and leadership aligned. The problem? Their entire change approach was designed for a workforce that no longer exists. 💼 Generation Z Has Entered the Workforce Born between 1997-2012, Gen Z now constitutes over 20% of the workforce. They're not just younger millennials – they're the first true digital natives with fundamentally different expectations for organizational change. The generational shift demands we rethink core OCM practices: ⚡ Communication: From Documents to Micro-Content Traditional Approach: Multi-page email announcements, detailed PDF attachments, formal town halls  Gen Z Expectation: 60-second explainer videos, visual infographics, authentic peer messaging When one bank shifted from traditional change communications to micro-content delivered through multiple channels, engagement rates increased by 64% among Gen Z employees. 🤝 Engagement: From Involvement to Co-Creation Traditional Approach: Change champions appointed to represent teams Gen Z Expectation: Direct participation in design, transparent feedback loops, social proof Gen Z employees are 3x more likely to disengage from changes without visible impact within 30 days. They expect their input to be implemented rapidly and visibly. 🌱 Motivators: From Compliance to Purpose Traditional Approach: Focus on organizational benefits and necessity Gen Z Expectation: Focus on personal impact, societal value, and authentic rationale A financial tech transformation that reframed messaging around customer benefit and social impact saw higher adoption rates among Gen Z than when using traditional business case messages. 🦋 Timeline: From Projects to Continuous Evolution Traditional Approach: Defined projects with clear start/end dates Gen Z Expectation: Agile, iterative changes with regular improvements Gen Z has grown up with software that updates weekly or daily. The concept of a "frozen" system post-implementation makes little sense to them. 📖 Your OCM 2.0 Playbook To evolve your change approach for the next generation: - Replace monolithic communications with multi-format micro-content - Build social proof through peer advocacy, not just leadership messaging - Connect changes to meaningful impact, not just business metrics - Implement feedback visibly and rapidly - Embrace continuous improvement over "project completion" Gen Z isn't resistant to change—they're resistant to change management that feels outdated, inauthentic, or disconnected from their digital reality. Has your organization updated its change approach for Gen Z employees? What generational differences have you observed in change receptivity? #ChangeManagement #GenZ #DigitalTransformation #FutureOfWork #OrganizationalChange