The social and economic outcomes of the next decade might depend on Gen Z, a post-millennial group that is just starting to graduate from high school and college, 60 million strong, born between 1995 and 2010. They came of age during the Great Recession. According to a recent Chicago Tribune article, “early surveys paint a portrait distinct from the wide-eyed, self-involved image of their millennial predecessors.”

According to this article, Gen Zers are “entrepreneurial yet pragmatic, hardworking yet easily distracted, with a streak of realism running through their desire to make a social impact.” Apparently, big corporations are attracted to their work ethic. They have begun reaching out to them offering internships as early as high school. This early professional exposure is positioning them for “powerful careers.”

David Stillman, the co-author with his 17-year-old son Jonah, of the book Gen Z Work, writes that Gen Zers have a different perspective. Gen Zers, raised by independent Gen Xers during times of financial and social distress, have learned that you must fight hard to win. They are extremely competitive and their traits seem old school.

• 75% are willing to start at the bottom and work their way up.
• 60% indicated they are willing to stay at a company for 10 years.
• Only 8% indicate they prefer an open-office concept.
• More than half say they want to write their own job description reflecting a desire for a “hyper-customized” career experience.

This all sounds very entrepreneurial to me.

There is some disagreement on the date ranges of Millennials and Gen Zers. But a reasonable estimate is that the youngest Millennials are now around 22 and the oldest is 35 to 36 years old. Gen Zers range from 7 years old to 22 years old. These two groups, totaling around 140 million strong, have or will enter the workforce just as the Baby-Boomers (80 million) are exiting. Looking at the history of the early 1900s and their entrepreneurial spirit of that generation, could another Roaring 20s be at hand?

…what do you think?

Check out the Chicago Tribune article, “Why employers are reaching out to the next generation of workers: Gen Z,” by clicking here.

About our author:

Chris Snider, CEPA, is the award-winning author of Walking to Destiny: 11 Actions an Owner Must Take to Rapidly Grow Value & Unlock Wealth, a business strategy book about the Value Acceleration Methodology(TM) written for business owners and the advisors who serve them.  Snider is a professional keynote speaker and content provider to the middle market business community, trade & industry associations, and professional education organizations.

For his written work and his contributions to the industry, Snider has been awarded recent honors that include 2016 NACVA Industry Titan Architect and 2016 AM&AA Thought Leader of the Year.

Walking to Destiny is a five-star rated book that truly empowers owners with the knowledge and path to effectively positioning their business and themselves for exit options down the road, sure, but perhaps more importantly, rapid business growth today.

Snider is the Managing Partner of Snider Premier Growth, the CEO/President of Exit Planning Institute, the Founder of ThinkTank Publishing House, and the contributing author of SniderValueIndex.com.  Chris is a family business owner, owning stakes in 8 lower middle market companies with his son, Scott.