In a recently concluded webinar hosted by Enderun Colleges, top business and inspirational speaker Francis Kong shared his knowledge and expertise on how parents can have a better understanding of the generation their children belong to, as well as the effective ways of guiding them in their future.
“I don’t know if you agree with me but running a business is easy, managing a career profession is peanuts, as compared to raising a teenager,” he shared during the online talk entitled “For Parents: Guiding Gen Z in their Future Careers.”
Pandemic parenting
Prior COVID-19, Gen Zs (those born between 1997 and 2010) are known to be a “Google reflex generation.” They are highly inquisitive and highly philosophical. They even tend to look down on their predecessors—the millennial generation.
At present, Gen Z kids feel delayed due to the pandemic which contributes to their level of anxiety. They tend to feel postponed, pushed aside, penalized, and panicked. Therefore, they need to do quick adjustments.
Kong said that their current behavior could manifest two potential positive effects. First, they are more likely to expand their resourcefulness and innovation. The second one is that Gen Z understands the importance of social good. Hence, they are more likely to be involved in service and community.
Preparing them for the next stage
Microsoft research reveals that a third of Gen Z students are uncertain about the types of career they want to pursue, while around half of them expect to do a job that doesn’t even exist yet—considering the role technology plays across all industries today.In a study by Linkedin, the top five technical skills valued reflect the need for digital skills—things connected to cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and improving digital experience. The top five skills newly graduates are learning are data visualization, data modelling, python, web analytics, and database management. But more than these, soft skills also prove invaluable contributions.“The skill sets required from them for the future will be different from the skill sets required in the past,” said Kong. He further identified the leadership characteristics Gen Z must have: problem solving, critical thinking process, emotional intelligence, values and ethics, leadership perspective, creative processing, resourcefulness and resilience, managing ambiguity, collaborative skills, and effective communication.“Parenting is a privilege not a birthright,” emphasized Kong. According to him, parents have to acquire and update their parenting skills because the skills they have before might no longer be effective at present. He continued, “Cultivate the right worldview. All of those things needed for [your children] to succeed in life depends on your world. Your worldview forms your belief system. Your belief system shapes your perspective. Your perspective determines your behavior. And your behavior leads to your outcome.” As today’s younger generation tends to be very vulnerable, Kong said parents must be sensitive to the feelings of their children. “This pandemic is history in the making. But the narrative that we are building will form the legacy that we’re gonna leave our children.”
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