by Lola Fong | May 29, 2020 | Articles
In May 2020, approximately 2 million students graduated with bachelor’s degrees from colleges in America alone, most of them will join the work force. They are however quite unique because they are the first group of Generation Z children to graduate, children who were born between 1996 and 2014. They follow the famous Millennials who so much has been written and debated about. What really makes them special though is that these Gen Z graduates are the ones who will be pivotal in creating the new normal way of working , they are the fresh, new minds who will be helping to rebuild the post pandemic world , they are the ones who will face off against Covid-19.
They have lost the first fight in that they have been cheated of their commencement celebrations, they have lost internship opportunities, those who have jobs have delayed starting dates and those without jobs are facing an uphill battle to find jobs. However, I agree wholeheartedly with President Obama when he said in his commencement speech to graduates, “this is your generation’s world to shape “and even more poignant, “the power rests in your hands”. But how prepared are they for the fight?
Firstly, they are already entrepreneurs, 9 out of 10 of them started a business in high school or earlier and know how to earn and invest funds, they are self-sufficient and rely much less on their parents than other generations. This means they are more equipped to face the post Covid-19 economy. They have never seen a world without the internet, they text and message with frightening ease, they can function brilliantly with reduced social interaction. They are technologically savvy, came out of the womb with a smart phone in their hands; they are not intimidated by change, creating new pathways is already second nature to them, a ravaged world will be an exciting challenge. Searching the internet is a pastime that they are ultra-comfortable with and consequently they are adept at absorbing tremendous information; information is power more so now and they know how to access and process it. All of this makes them highly motivated and self-confident some say self-absorbed, but this strong sense of self will auger well in a world that has battered people’s egos and confidence.
Most importantly, they are fearless. The hurdles that we see, they look right past them because they are focused on the end game and they know that they have the ability to surmount the challenge. It’s not that they see opportunities within problems, it’s that they don’t see problems. They are driven and motivated by acquisitions and expansion not titles and awards, by the need to make everything work for them in the best possible way. They are risk takers and natural leaders in a world that will sorely need these skills. If you think about it, some of them were not unduly perturbed by the loss of a graduation function, they were more disappointed for their parents. They are pragmatic, focused and resilient yet sensitive and environmentally conscious. Their concern is how quickly they can turn Covid-19 challenges into the opportunities of a lifetime.
Our role, if we choose to accept it, is to guide them when necessary, coach them when needed and lend advice when asked. Let’s get behind the Gen Zers, the future belongs to them and they will not be losing any more fights.
Inspired by my Gen Z son, Jaden Maxwell Wright, a 2020 Engineering graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic… my muse.
by Lola Fong | May 16, 2020 | Articles
The year was 2009, the place was Berlin, Germany. It was the start of the IAAF World games 100 meters men’s final. Eight men lined up at the start line, only one man would win but that man was going to redefine the sprinting world in an incredible fashion. At the end of the race, Usain Bolt set a new record of 9.58 eclipsing his own previous record of 9.69. It was a phenomenal race, a phenomenal time done by a phenomenal sprinter. His place in the history books was sealed, his title of the greatest sprinter of all time, now carved in stone. 11 years later, the record stands firm, it will stand for a long time.
One can only imagine what it took for Usain Bolt to get to that point; heart, passion, determination, diligence, commitment, strength, fortitude. What I’m sure he also experienced was pain, disappointment, failure and fatigue. It’s the classic juxtaposition of life, sadness and joy, success and failure, victory and defeat. Nothing great has ever been achieved without a good degree of stress and pain.
But if we apply this to life, this 9.58 moment is the moment when you hit your stride, when all that you have been working for comes together in the best possible way, when you realize that you are in fact better than you imagined, when you become the best version of yourself . Usain went on to continued greatness but interestingly suffered an agonizing defeat in 2011 when he false started at the similar event in Daegu, South Korea. So, a great moment does not guarantee that you will never fail again, it does not guarantee joy and success forever. What it does is let you know what you are capable of and that you can rebound to success and greatness because you know that you have it in you. It builds confidence and embellishes your sense of self.
Not intentionally, people sometimes forget that special ingredient that helped Usain to skyrocket to greatness, not Usain though, he always speaks glowingly of his Coach. The venerable Glen Mills is an overall successful Coach, but history will remember him as the Coach who groomed the greatest sprinter of all time. 9.58 is as much his achievement as Usain’s. This is the person who saw the potential, picked Usain up after injuries, guided him on the path to astounding success, applied a firm hand when it was necessary, talked him out of his pain when he lost races, made him realize that he possessed the ability to become the best version of himself. It does take two to tango.
Are you functioning as the best version of yourself? Is your path to success and achievement clear to you? Do you know what you need to do to take your life and career to the next level? Perhaps it’s time to connect with a Coach who can advance you towards a clear appreciation and understanding of your own unique path to success, a Coach who can guide you to achieve your 9.58 moment or moments. After all, some races are really for the swift.
by Lola Fong | May 10, 2020 | Articles
Leadership is an art not a science, a complex emotional and physical state that produces persons who see beyond the obvious, who dare to do it, who motivate others and who will make sacrifices for the greater good. Leadership is a word that is commonly used but if you think about it, real leaders are not common. The nature, nurture argument still rages on, but I think both are true, leaders are born, and leaders are made.
As the crisis that is Covid-19 bludgeons its way across the world, the response by leaders has been many and varied. The natural born leaders already in leadership positions rise to the occasion; they make the tough decisions, they provide support to their constituents and employees, they motivate their peers, they lead from the front or the back as the situation necessitates. Yes, they experience anxiety and stress, but they still manage to instill hope and trust and they embrace and promote the new reality. You find these persons in government, media, the church, schools, businesses and families. They work to stay in step or ahead of the crisis.
The leaders who were placed in leadership positions not because of their skills, acumen or personality start to flounder, display inadequate foresight, each hurdle is a mountain, each decision small or large becomes a massive effort, fraught with ego tripping and power play. These are also the same “leaders” who in the past got rid of persons below them who dared to question their decisions or offered differing opinions. After all, their insecurity has to remain a secret at all cost. They are not anxious or stressed, those would be signs of weakness. For them the crisis is winning and their Waterloo is imminent.
And then there are those, not in leadership positions, may be close to leaders or not at all but who possess vision, insight , empathy and most of all potential. They may be Millennials, they may be Boomers, they may be Introverts, they may be Extroverts, but they have not been given the opportunity, the occasion has never sought them out, some have stayed away from the limelight but cometh the crisis, cometh the leader. Their quiet calm now becomes an enviable strength, their outspokenness now seen as bold and decisive, their caring manner now heralded as kind and empathetic, their need to analyze now becomes respected as cautious and careful decision making. They too are anxious and stressed but who they are and who they have always been begins to take on a leadership shine.
Let’s not wait for the crisis to be over, let’s not wait for the next crisis. Great leaders develop leaders, let’s identify potential, let’s coach and train them , let’s develop real leaders, we need them now more than ever.
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