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“By 2030, just 10 years from now, Generation Z will start to occupy senior leadership roles,”  reported Elisa Pratt, association authority and expert in strategic nonprofit solutions in our new member-exclusive course, “Who is your member of 2030?”

With a new generation of leaders comes new work styles and leadership mindsets. Keeping up with and predicting these future trends can mean the difference between surviving and thriving during this shift. The newest generation on the rise, Generation Z — made up of people born between around 1996 to 2012 — is beginning to enter the workforce and influence their industries and environments.

While it is impossible to accurately predict every trend that could surface due to Generation Z’s arrival, McKinsey & Company’s upcoming report, “The New Age of the Consumer,” will give valuable insight into the possibilities Generation Z brings.

They want authenticity.

For Generation Z, it’s quality over quantity. No longer will brand name items be the hot new thing. Instead, unique, new and genuine organizations will draw the attention and loyalty of Generation Zers.

“Gen Zers want to stand out, not fit in, so brands are not as important to them,” writes McKinsey & Company partners Shruti Bhargava, Bo Finneman, Jennifer Schmidt and Emma Spagnuolo based on preliminary findings of “The New Age of the Consumer.” “Rather, they are looking for the next unique product.”

Not only are they looking for upcoming products and services to support, members of Generation Z also focus on the long term goals, missions and impacts of the organizations they support.

In an episode of the McKinsey Podcast, Finneman said Generation Z individuals are “looking beyond tangible products and actually trying to understand what is it that makes the company tick. What’s its mission? What’s its purpose? And what is it actually trying to build for us as a society?”

“So it’s really important, as we move beyond being omnichannel and more to this concept of being omnipresent, that brands are really keeping within their story and making sure that they are true to it and authentic,” added Spagnuolo.

Whether you are a new organization growing with the intent to model these traits or an established brand that needs to make a few changes, recognizing these patterns and adopting their strategies to your recruitment campaigns early on will lead to your organization being viewed as an innovative and authentic place, drawing in more Generation Z members and employees and providing a chance for growth and leadership.

Specifically for associations, which are already purpose driven and oriented towards bettering their worlds, this is great news. Doubling down on mission statements and embedding purposeful language into their recruitment strategies and marketing efforts should make attracting great Generation Zers to membership and staff positions a breeze.

Ashley Neal
Post by Ashley Neal
October 21, 2020
Ashley is a marketing and communications professional with expertise in sales conversion, copywriting, and social media.