Success Factors for Gen Z

You have a new job. It can be an internship or an entry position. You want to do well. People succeed at jobs for 4 reasons - likeability, trust, capability, and initiative. To cultivate these qualities, psychological awareness helps. This is the ability to be strongly aware of and to monitor your feelings, emotions, and other people’s behaviors.

Below are success factors that promote likeability, trust, capability, and initiative. Incorporating these will help you avoid some of the hard lessons many people experience at the beginning of their careers because you will already be aware of the pitfalls.

Here are some success factors, organized by level of work experience from beginning to advanced. If you embrace all these factors, you will generate trust at all levels.

Eye Contact: In your previous lives, you may have spent a lot of time avoiding eye contact (intentionally or not) but in the work environment, interacting with people requires continual eye contact. Put the phone away and focus on who and what is around you.

Story: Joshua was confident during the interview and looked the interviewer directly into her eyes. He received high marks and was hired. But within days of his first week, he spent so much time looking down at his phone that people began to question if he was paying attention to what was going on around him.

Communications: You have some great ideas and strong opinions, but keep them to yourself until you understand the history of your company and some of its challenges. In contrast, it is critical to communicate frequently with your boss, keeping him/her up-to-date on progress or of any problems. Avoid last-minute surprises.

Story: Amanda was very quick, knowledgeable, and adept at making her points. But within a week, she had turned off several leaders and managers because she was so outspoken and critical of how things were done.

Time Management – Timeliness is an important first impression. Punctuality is necessary. Be on time for meetings, comply with work hours. If you do have a flexible work schedule, it is important that to stay in touch and be available as needed.

Story: Thomas was used to managing his time and he never missed a due date. So when he started in his first internship, he continued to keep his loose schedule.  This left his boss perplexed, thinking that Thomas was not committed and unreliable.  It is up to you to set very clear expectations upfront on your work schedules and time. Learn your what your boss’s expectations regarding time.

Follow Through – If you promise to do something, do it on-time and well.  This generates trust.

Story: Caroline was super busy at work and realized she had missed a deadline. She admitted this to her boss with many apologies. But when it happened a second, third, and fourth time, her boss stopped asking her, and she noticed work that she once did, was given to her co-workers. Caroline couldn’t figure out what she had done to cause this because her apologies had been so sincere and prompt.

Take Notes –Taking notes indicates that you are serious because you are capturing the essence of a discussion that you will refer to later on. Very few people can remember conversations word for word.Story:

After Mary shared all the important meetings, major projects, and key dates, with her new analyst, Josh, she noticed not a word was written down. She mused, can Josh remember all of that? Does he have a phenomenal memory? Unlikely. Instead, Mary starts feeling doubts about Josh as a full-time hire. The jury is out.

How to Say No – It is likely at some point you will be asked to do something that you can’t do. Instead of saying “no, I can’t” and leaving it there, say “I am so sorry that I won’t be available, but I will be happy to help out the next time.” This latter message suggests you are willing to go the extra mile and help out. The former message only conveys no.

Story: When Andy approached his new intern about helping out over the weekend. All he heard back from him, was no. Andy starting thinking: Does the new intern mean he can never help out over the weekend? Didn’t I make it clear to him that there is some weekend work? Doubts grew in Andy’s mind.

Listen – One of the most powerful tools in today’s world, is the ability to fully listen. You may be a natural, but if not, practice listening.

Story: Joe noticed that very few people listened to each other. This observation started in his family and then he noticed with his friends and in his work. People are starved to be heard. If you cultivate this ability and can concentrate on what is being said and not on what you plan to say next, you will learn more and you will have an extremely valuable skill.

Weeks and Months into the Job….or sooner

Networking : You now have a feel for the organization. Some smart things to start doing include networking and studying the power structure. With networking you develop relationships, learn more about the company, and make yourself known to others. How do you do this? You set up meetings and prepare some questions to learn more about the organization. Why study the power structure? You learn who has the power (sometimes it is not in the organization chart).

Story: When they hired Joe, they told him to get to know people. Joe, being a shy sort, had a lot of trouble even figuring out how and when he was supposed to network.

Treat Everyone the Same – A trait of Gen Z is that you embrace diversity. Here is another perspective. Pay the same amount of attention to all levels - those below you, your peers, and your leaders. Treat everyone as though you have their back. The natural inclination is to bestow your best for your leaders, but there is power and trust in giving it to everyone else too.

Story: Erin came in for the interview after prepping for hours, fighting 2 hours of traffic, but she felt she was ready to go. When she met Tabitha at the reception desk, she barely acknowledged her, announcing that she was seeing Timothy for the interview. Tabitha asked her if she would like coffee or water, she just waved her off. After waiting 30 minutes, Erin demanded to know when she would see Timothy. Later, after the interview, Timothy asked Tabitha what did she think of Erin? She shook her head no. Erin did not get the job.

Gather Data and Begin to Formulate Some of Your Ideas – Gen Z has good ideas and strong opinions. Now that you have learned how things work, if you do have some ideas on how to do things better, think through the ideas and formulate a few solutions. Any time you report a problem include a possible solution.

Story: Dana was skilled at seeing problems. She brought issues to her boss but after a while, she noticed her boss seemed less and less interested

Attachment and Compromise – Gen Z has strong opinions. You put time into a deliverable, a product, a plan, etc., only to receive input from someone involved, and the product you once loved, morphs into something else, and after a while, no one even remembers that you created it initially. My advice, LET GO and MOVE ON. As far as compromising, the same words apply, let go and move on. Pick your battles and recognize when they are unwinnable and move on (internally in your head and externally in your behavior).

Story: Tara was given her first major assignment after working at the ABC company for a month. She spent hours developing the content for the project and she was very proud of the outcome. She was sure that her boss would love what she did. But instead, he pointed out many changes and passed it on to someone else on the team for their input. Tara was crushed, thinking that she had failed the assignment.

Take Initiative – A big plus.  You are viewed as adding value, engaged, and differentiating yourself from your peers.

Story: Chad noticed that of his two interns, one of them took initiative and came up with improvements, delivering them promptly and the other one stayed within her job description, giving back exactly what was originally asked. Guess who got the job offer?

Attitude – Having a bad day? Short-tempered? Annoyed? Irritable? HIDE IT. KEEP SMILING.

Story: You could never tell what mood Sabrina would be in. One day she was friendly, warm, and funny but the next day she was cold and irritable. On those days, people avoided her. Joe, her boss, noticed these swings, and he started to avoid her too. On a rainy Monday, Joe was met by Sabrina with a scowl on her face. He asked her what was wrong. Nothing, she replied. Joe made a note to ask her team members how much her moods were impacting the progress of the group.

Control and Manage Your Emotions – Gen Z is used to letting their emotions show. At work they need to be controlled. Remember, if you have negative feelings towards someone and you think you are covering them up with a smile, chances are good that they are sensing your true feelings. So, emotions have to be managed and bad feelings need to processed and handled so they don’t spill over into the work-place. This is where self-awareness is very helpful in identifying and labeling your feelings.

Story: Aldon was friendly and easy to be around, and he was smart, capable, and highly productive too. One day, Marsha, his boss, noticed a flash of anger cross his face when she asked if he had completed the project. She wondered what made him so angry. She was also aware that Aldon had a few altercations with some of his team members, where he exploded in anger when his idea was voted down. Even though he had all the right qualities for a promotion into management, Marsha decided he wasn’t ready.

Confidence is Great, but Arrogance is Obnoxious – Gen Z is a pretty confident group of people, particularly when it comes to what they know and feel (and often they are spot on). However, when cooperation and team-work are highly valued, your sense of confidence may need to be tempered, to make sure you do not come across as an “obnoxious know it all.” This is where self-awareness is an important quality so that you are aware of when you are pushing too much and turning off your team members. 

Story: Rob had a reputation as a know it all. No matter what the topic, he had an answer and lectured whoever was in earshot. In meetings Rob grandstanded, taking the floor and rarely giving others a chance to talk.

However, I have to mention that I have noticed that men appear to have a lot more confidence than women do. I have confirmed this perception with others, and even some studies have been done on this. For women who lack confidence, confidence is something learned through successes, appraising carefully people in charge (we tend to inflate their capabilities and talents), and working to tame the inner critic that talks to us, saying we can’t do something.

Six Months to a Year into the Job….or sooner

By this time, you have figured your job out, know the power structure and are making a reputation for yourself. Keep in mind, your brand. When someone describes your work, what words do they use? What words would you like to hear? Do people see you as someone who is decisive, organized, tuned into other people, someone you can count on, a true collaborator? Fill in the blank.

Going Above and Beyond your Job Description. Think of yourself in terms of “what value did you bring to the company today?” If you are coming up blank, it is time to rethink your activities. You may be following the job description, but find ways to add value in different ways.

Story: Samantha had been up for a promotion more than once, but somehow she never got promoted as she watched those around her move up the ladder. She always shunned feedback (sensitive feelings) but decided she had to learn what she needed to do to get promoted. The take-away was that she stayed in the lines of her job description and never offered anything more.

Generosity of Support. If someone (remember Treat Everyone the Same) asks for your help, give it your all. Be generous of your time and talents. It will pay off. You will generate goodwill, a precious commodity.  Steven Covey describes the emotional bank account and the value of building it up. The goal is to fill your emotional bank account (in the minds of others) with positive balances.

Story: Tom presented himself as a team player. He was congenial and positive. But Jennifer noticed that when she asked for his help, he was pretty stingy in what he was willing to do. After a while, she tried other team members who were much more generous in their time and effort.

Awareness of Emotions. This can be hard to do. A three-step process is 1. Check-in with your body to find out what you are feeling. Are you tense? Is your stomach turning? Do you see red? 2. Interpret the feeling into an emotion. Tense might mean frightened, nervous, uncertain. Stomach Turning might mean dread, fear, loss. Seeing red usually means anger. 3. Remove yourself from the situation if you can. Take a deep breath or two, think of something calm. Acknowledge to yourself what you are feeling without judgment. Remember emotions are human.

Story: The work environment pretends we don’t have feelings. It is not a topic usually discussed and when it comes up, it can make people nervous. The tough thing is that we all have emotions. Most of the time, they don’t belong in the workplace, unless they are positive ones. But both negative and positive feelings are floating around out there and the person who has a handle of their emotions and those of others is a step ahead of everyone else. It takes practice.

Difficult Projects. People don’t always have the opportunity to meet the challenge of difficult projects. If you are interested in getting ahead, make sure you seek out a major project. This is where networking can pay off where you have built relationships and know what is going on.

Story: Getting ahead means being visible and taking on challenging projects. Some of us avoid this at all costs. That is OK as long as your expectations match your ambitions. Others of us like challenges and will step up. Usually getting ahead equates to differentiating yourself from others.

Strategic Vision and Thinking. Leaders think strategically. Pay attention to strategy – whether it is an actual strategy, or elevating a conversation from tactical to strategic, or anticipating outcomes (cause and effect).

Story: John thinks strategically naturally. It is in his make-up. Jess, on the other hand, sees things in a much more tactical way. John is working with Jess to improve his strategic orientation. Thinking strategically is a leadership quality. It is worth developing.

Authenticity. If you are managing people, leading teams, or a team member, authenticity is valued. It doesn’t mean you say whatever is on your mind, but it does mean you are transparent, you say and do what you promise, and you come across in a human fashion with interest in other people.

Story: Sam was hard to read. He kept information and his thinking close to his chest. People did not quite trust Sam because they didn’t know what he was thinking or feeling. Was he for the new technology or against? Was he really going to go along with the plans that were just laid out, or will he pretend? These are the kinds of questions that people had regarding Sam’s motives. Trust is on shaky ground.

#Gen Z

#First Job

#Success Factors