“Kids these days!” You’ve heard it. Probably said it too. Gen Z doesn’t have patience. They question everything. They want flexibility. They use words like “sus,” “low-key,” “no cap” and “it’s giving…” And the rest of us are standing there thinking, it’s giving me a headache. But wait. What if Gen Z isn’t wrong? What if they simply have a different way of looking at things? When they ask, “But why do we have to do it this way?” We sometimes hear, Here comes the attitude. But perhaps they are actually asking, Is there a better way? They grew up with Google, smartphones, AI and instant information. If they can find five different ways of doing something in thirty seconds, can we really blame them for asking why we still do it the way we did twenty years ago?

Of course, Gen Z isn't right all the time. Neither are we. Remember when we thought fax machines were the future? Exactly. The point isn't to declare Gen Z the winner and the rest of us officially “outdated.” It's to listen. Maybe instead of saying, “In my days, we never questioned our elders,” we could say: “Interesting. Tell me why you think that.” Because sometimes “disrespectful” is actually curious. Sometimes “impatient” is actually efficient And sometimes that young person saying, “But this makes no sense,” may genuinely have a point. Plot twist: Different doesn't mean wrong.

It might just mean… new.

- Alka Thakur
Leadership Communication & Soft Skills Consultant