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Alright, let's talk about Gen Z. The narrative du jour is that they're splitting into two factions: the hustlers and the… well, the ones who realized the hustle is a scam. But according to some professor at Bentley University, Jeff LeBlanc, that's not quite right. He's been running this "Leadership Trait Auction" with his students since 2016, and he reckons they're more of a continuum, just adapting to different dumpster fires.
The Auction of Illusions
This "Leadership Trait Auction" thing sounds like some kind of bizarre capitalist ritual, doesn't it? Students bidding on traits like kindness and empathy? As if those are commodities you can just buy and sell. I mean, come on.
But LeBlanc says that lately, his students are actually thinking about this stuff. Debating the meaning of "innovation" or "decisiveness." Which, honestly, is more than I can say for most of the so-called "leaders" running this country right now.
He says older Gen Z kids came into college all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, believing in the system. The younger ones? Not so much. They saw the pandemic, the social unrest, the whole nine yards. And they're questioning everything. Good. Finally.
Kindness, strong communication, and knowledge/expertise are the traits consistently topping the charts in this fake auction. Which, let's be real, says more about what's lacking in the world than what Gen Z actually values. Are we really surprised that kindness is a sought-after "leadership trait" when every other CEO is a sociopathic robot?
The Continuum of Cynicism
LeBlanc's argument is that Gen Z isn't fracturing. They're just adapting. Like, duh? What generation hasn't adapted to the world around them? He claims they're more willing to discuss discomfort, contradiction, and doubt. Which is fantastic, I guess. But is it really a groundbreaking revelation that young people are questioning the status quo?
Here's the thing: Gen Z grew up with the 2008 recession breathing down their necks. They were told to go to college, get a good job, climb the corporate ladder. But then they watched as their parents got laid off, their friends drowned in student debt, and the planet slowly burned to a crisp. So, yeah, maybe they're a little skeptical.
But hey, at least they value kindness. That's something, right? Or is it just another virtue signal in a world drowning in performative activism? I don't know anymore. Maybe I'm just getting old and cranky.
Offcourse, the business and media world wants to paint this picture of a split – the "entrepreneurial" Gen Z versus the "disengaged" one. As if those are the only two options. As if everyone has to be either a tech bro or a couch potato. Give me a break.
The Unasked Questions
What I wanna know is: what happens next? What happens when this generation, armed with their skepticism and their "leadership traits," actually starts to take over? Will they change anything? Or will they just become the same old corporate overlords in skinny jeans?
And what about the ones who don't make it? The ones who get left behind in the gig economy, drowning in debt and anxiety? What kind of "leadership traits" will they value? Resentment? Desperation? I'm not sure this professor's fake auction is really capturing the full picture...
Wake Up and Smell the Coffee (Finally)
Look, I'm not buying the "Gen Z is splitting" narrative. They're not splitting. They're just finally waking up to the fact that the world is a dumpster fire, and the adults in charge have no clue what they're doing. And honestly? It's about damn time. Now, let's see if they can actually do something about it.