“We” Generation

The Confidence of Today’s Youth

By Leeta Liepins

The 30 year reign of the Millennial Generation has closed. Dutifully, they have been directed to shuffle off stage left, thus clearing the way for the next cadre of Young Turks. Collectively dubbed “Generation Z”, “iGen” or the “We Generation” (born between 1995-2012); these next best and brightest shiny faces are now ready to embrace their 15 minutes of fame.

Groomed in the “we are all winners” environment, how have the acolytes of this doctrine prepared this cohort of candidates for that thing which is life? Are societal expectations now attuned to that mantra? How will the “We Generation” respond as their moment emerges?

To be sure, this is a collective reared in the the immersive environment of the internet and all things Tech. The richness of this habitat, and the access to all of the information contained therein, must surely have a profound effect on the development of attitude.

Preliminary reports speak of a cautious and measured approach regarding career choices. They have witnessed first hand the oft repeated crash and burn scenarios of the Millennials; too often stung by card houses built on shifting sands. From the carnage, the “iGen’s” learned the lesson and the value of resilience.

The resilience of the “We Generation” has produced a confident and capable set of entrepreneurs that demonstrate the ability to work effectively in isolation, or as part of the collective. They are willing to subsume the eclectics of fashion, commerce, and the importance of things important. They exhibit a quiet confidence in certitude of their core beliefs.

The fluid lines of social norms are now less consistent and predictable than ever before. While this new reality presents risk, it coincidently offers opportunity. Never before has a generation had access to the speed of information transfer that “iGen” does. Never before has a generation had the profound ability to communicate global concepts globally, that “iGen” does. How they choose to deploy these assets will profoundly influence the future. Consider, for just a moment, the impact of borderless insight and compassion. n