Why Gen Z. Should be Helping Us Run Our Businesses

There was an article in the USA Today that came out a few of weeks ago which talked about where Gen. Z is choosing to move. Basically, they're relocating to cities and the number one city they chose, at least as of last year, was Washington D.C. with almost a plus 13,000 net migration. That means 13,000 more Gen. Z-ers moved into D.C. than moved out. What makes this stat even more remarkable is that we're not even one of the top five largest cities in the country, but, this generation is choosing to move here over New York, Boston, Philly, and Atlanta.

Yes, it's important to understand why but more importantly, we need to recognize the fact that Gen. Z is the entry level workforce and we need to know how to lead them when they join our companies. So, this article is geared towards my generation, the millennials. We are quickly becoming the people running things. Now that we're in charge, let's make sure we know where and how to use the strengths Gen. Z has rather than just complaining about "kids these days" like so many generations before us. I don't want us to fall into the trap of thinking that the generation under us is just a bunch of dumb kids and if we leave the world to them, it's gonna be a shit show.

Unlike us, Gen. Z doesn't know a time without the internet. They never had to have a college email address to sign up for Facebook in fact, they probably don't even have Facebook. Their whole lives have consisted of rapid technological advancement and since they expect things to move quickly, they're able to pick up new technology, dare I say it, a lot faster than some of us. Gen. Z-ers we're born basically between 1997 and 2012 making the oldest about 26 years old. The point is, they're not all young kids anymore. A lot of them are one life event away from from needing to buy a house. They'll be getting married, having kids, and soon enough that studio apartment won't work for them.

If we're not paying attention to where the next generation are in their lives and where they are choosing to live; If we fall into the trap of previous generations thinking that everybody underneath us is gonna screw it up, we're going to be out of business. We don't want to go the way of the dinosaur now do we? It's incumbent on upon me and my team, and the real estate business that I run, to hire Gen. Z. We need to have them be a part of what we do in our creative, in our outreach, in our business plan. If we're not listening to them, if we're not hiring them, and if we're not giving them the opportunity to help guide our business into the future we're going to miss it. We're going to be left behind and they're going to go work with and work for people who hear them and who value them. My company and my business is not falling into the trap of thinking that I'm better because I'm older.

So, I love this +13,000 number. I love that Gen. Z is choosing to move into the city. I love that cities are back, and this just shows that Washington D.C. has a strong and robust future because the new generation is choosing to move here.