Are You Connecting with Gen Z?

Gen Zers have overtaken Boomers in the workforce, so this might be the time.

Good Morning!

Here are today’s highlights:

• The trade war with China is very much on.

• Of course, the trade war is producing some winners. And at least one car dealer is optimistic.

• Shanna Mann explains why cracking $1 million in annual revenue is not her biggest goal.

• Donald Trump places a big bet on coal.

HUMAN RESOURCES

Have you figured out how to manage Gen Z? “Business leaders sometimes look to sports for tips on winning attitudes and championship work ethics. The real playbook worth borrowing now, more than ever, is about managing Gen Zers. They recently became a larger share of the American workforce than baby boomers, and another crop of college graduates is on the way this spring. Locker rooms offer a preview of what’s coming to offices because they are rare workplaces where most employees are part of Gen Z already. If anyone has figured out how to motivate, relate to—and even learn from—this cohort, it’s the coaches and sports executives whose livelihoods depend on it.”

• “It’s often a challenge to get bosses to support employees’ hobbies and side hustles, says Fred Johnson, a leadership coach for businesses and sports teams, including the National Football League’s Dolphins. Managers tend to measure employees’ commitment by whether they eat, sleep and breathe the job.”

• “Johnson contends it isn’t a sign of slacking if young workers clock out at 5 p.m. sharp or seem as interested in Pilates as profits. Whether or not executives buy into the idea that boundaries and self-care routines are crucial to productivity, they need to adjust to Gen Zers’ work habits or risk alienation, he advises. ‘They insist on a life that is full, a life that is multidimensional,’ he says. ‘If you try to shame them, you’re going to be talking to yourself.’”

• “Twentysomethings with Ivy League degrees are becoming the lifeblood of sports franchises’ front offices. Analytics and business operations are among teams’ fastest-growing and largest departments, says Marti Wronski, chief operating officer of the Milwaukee Brewers. ‘As boomers, we learned numbers but not these brilliant statistical models that these younger folks are creating,’ she says. ‘So, we don’t get to cross our arms and just say, I’m not dealing with this generation because they’re constantly demanding raises. We need to reach out and win the culture race with this group.’”

• “It starts in the interview process. Wronski, who has worked for the Brewers for more than two decades, says young job candidates ask questions their predecessors generally didn’t. What does the organization stand for? How much paternity leave do you offer? How would my role fit into the big picture? ​​You better be ready with good answers or you’ll miss out on talent, she says. Recent grads parsing a company mission statement can come off as entitled, but Wronski advises managers to resist jumping to that conclusion.” READ MORE