Who is he? Jim is a ‘recovering software engineer’, after working as a coder for the last 20 years, he’s excited to use his expertise to help organizations move their vision forwards without the hurdle of tech issues getting in the way. Answering the question, how can tech make a positive impact on the world, Jim is here to help in any way he can. What is he talking about?  He is here for an honest conversation today about what he knows best. Jim looks for opportunities to positively impact people and this world at large and he has a gift of taking a really complicated topic and making it easy to understand, work through, and get past so you can move ahead without the fear of technology holding you back. Why does this matter?  In our conversation today, Jim and I talk about what we’re seeing is changing and shifting in our world today, not just in the lives of Gen Z, but how the tech shift affects the communication between generations. Jim is speaking from his own experience as a Tech Coach for 20 years, as a parent of a couple of young kids, and as an advisor to brands that are making a huge impact in this world.

Who is he? Brett Ullman travels North America speaking to teens, young adults, leaders and parents on topics that most people are uncomfortable talking about including mental health, sex, pornography, dating, media and what it means to 'be a man.’ Brett’s seminars engage and challenge attendees to try and connect their ancient faith with the modern culture we live in. What is he talking about? As we continue our conversation, Brett highlights to us that this is truly a battle we are facing with mental health. This is not something we can become apathetic about nor is it a simple ‘fix.’ We are wholistic beings so mental health is actually impacted by our body, mind and soul. Why does this matter? As leaders in organizations, families, etc. we can begin to make changes for the Gen Zs around us to help them work through their own mental health journey. The changes you make will impact the Gen Zers around you now and in addition to that, the changes will set a precedent for anyone looking to join your organizations in the future.

Who is he? Brett Ullman travels North America speaking to teens, young adults, leaders and parents on topics that most people are uncomfortable talking about including mental health, sex, pornography, dating, media and what it means to 'be a man.’ Brett’s seminars engage and challenge attendees to try and connect their ancient faith with the modern culture we live in. What is he talking about?  Brett is speaking from his own experience with mental health and gives great insight as to how we cannot blame the increase of mental health over the last 15 years (25-40%) to one thing. It is not this or that, it is this and that. The increase of mental health is a complex issue involving the increase of smartphones, yes, but also the lack of parenting, healthy diets, daily exercise, involved family lives and the increase of busyness. Why does this matter?  In part one of our conversation today, Brett shares his insights with mental health and how we cannot be blaming this generation’s increase in mental health simply on the increase of screens/smartphones. We need to take responsibility for the way we are raising children in this generation, treating them in our organizations and how we are processing our own mental health journeys.

Among organizations today we see these conflicting attitudes: Manager: “This generation is entitled. They want freedom, here I’ll give them freedom!” *gives them a job description and expects them to thrive with little training, encouragement, or ongoing engagement* Gen Z recruit: “Wait, I don’t want absolute freedom, I want to know what is expected of me and then given the freedom to change the way it’s always been done if it feels ineffective.” *stays in the job for a while, feeling unwanted, unappreciated, and realizes any experience here she can learn from Youtube. She quits* If your organization isn’t going to put a value on mentorship, you are going to continue to experience turnover among young employees, costing you time and money you can’t afford. So, today we’re going to discuss mentorship, ask some good questions around it, and give a couple of tactical steps to make to help address this issue.

Who she is? Lindsey Pollak has worked with and spoken to some of the biggest organizations about Millennials in the workplace, and creating a thriving multigenerational workplace. She was one of the first people to start talking about Millennials over a decade ago and her passion is only growing as the workplace continues to change. What she’s talking about? Lindsey’s latest book, The Remix, discusses the classic DJ remix as an analogy for how the workplace should adapt to change going forward. We need to keep some of what everyone has loved, but give it a new spin to allow the next generations to feel like it belongs to them as well. She is full of ideas, insight, and compassion for all generations and she’s leading the conversation in creating a culture where they can thrive together. Why this matters? In our conversation today, Lindsey shares her compassion for all generations as we dive into The Remix and explore the 8 ‘Rules for Remixers’. We talk about how Gen Z is changing the landscape, why we can’t just forget about Millennials, and how learning and communication is a two-way street across the generational gaps. With her years of passionate insight and learning, Lindsey gives a phenomenal overview of how we can begin to adapt to the future workplace, and she gives a few super practical and easy-to-implement ideas you can begin immediately.

Among organizations and families today, we are looking at a new generation growing up, and taking the world by storm, but we have no idea how to interact with them, work with them, parent them, and understand them. We are all struggling to understand and get one step ahead but we all feel like the squeeze maybe isn’t worth the juice, “Just wait till their older and they’ll figure life out.” But maybe we just need a little grace, maybe we need to remember that this tech revolution is happening to all of us, we’re all new at this.

Today’s problem sounds something like this. “Generation Z only cares about themselves.” What you’re really seeing is a generation crying out for connection, for a place to belong. Because when we find somewhere to belong, we commit to making it better. Gen Z is longing for somewhere to belong and succeed.

There was a study that found nearly 50% of Gen Z admit to a lifestyle that leads them to feelings of chronic loneliness. This is not just a fleeting feeling of boredom, or being alone, but chronic loneliness is a state that leads to other damaging states of mental health. So, why does this matter for you and your organization today?

In our conversation today, you will hear from an active and engaged manager choosing to take an inclusive, authentic, passionate, and coaching-centred approach to working with an entry-level employee. If you think there is only one option, and you’re watching Gen Z walk out the door because they don’t fit in the roles you have, or even the roles you hired them for, you’re going to love this conversation and be inspired to take new action.

Anxiety among Gen Z comes from a few sources: Competition, Fear and Expectations. Competition to be seen and heard. Fear stemming from a world of terrorism. Expectations on what they should do and how they should succeed. Anxiety is on the rise, it’s an epidemic among this generation. Are you helping calm this issue down or are you fanning the flame?