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Time for newer, younger torch bearers: Why Gen-Z needs to lead the way

There's no reason we can't strive towards some utopian vision

Something I've tried to confront throughout these columns is the inherent chaos of the world. The times we live in aren’t so different to the times of our elders, be they Gen-X or Baby Boomer, it’s just that they’re stuck in their ways. In truth, I believe they feel threatened. At this moment in history, younger generations are encroaching on the power, wealth, and influence they have spent their lives gathering.

Most are graceful with this handover, the passing of the torch sometimes occurring in public, sometimes in private, but the important part is that it passes. Just recently, US president Joe Biden ceded his place to his vice-president, Kamala Harris, a powerful change for an office once out of reach to women and people of colour.

The process was not a public affair, but it has happened. “People have been screaming for a different choice, and now they have one,” said Dan Pfeiffer, former White House communications director under Obama, and a long-time supporter of President Biden.

We are in a time where, finally, the age of leaders is being called into question. Older leaders are hanging on less and less, and the young are proving that not only can they take the reins, but we can hold them. These younger people are in their 40s and 50s, to be fair, not their 20s and 30s, but it’s a sign that times are changing and, there’s a bright side to our position.

As Gen-Z, and Millennials as well, we’re the ladies-in-waiting of international culture and politics, ready to start our behind-the-scenes building of friends and networks of soft power. This isn’t just for the politicians of the world, either, but for those of us in the industries where social ties can be as important as professional deals — most of them.

Taking out the corporate jargon, if you’re not a team player, work is harder. Folks are less willing to offer advice or answer your questions, and not understanding how to communicate — social media and being good at answering emails— is no longer an excuse.

The great thing about Gen-Z is how we communicate, can and should be how everyone else communicates. It’s clear, it’s concise, and it’s honest. I don’t have to beat around the bush like my elders or try working my way in. Openness to communication is clear, we take people at face value and don’t surrender to prejudice, and we can be unserious and level-headed in the most chaotic of times.

Probably the best part of the professional workforce today in 2024, as someone dealing with media, communications, and journalism types all the time, is that everyone is a Gen-X or younger. Yeah, there are a few Baby Boomers at the legacy institutions, but for the most part, it’s just honest and clear.

Pushing ahead

But what does that mean? Frankly, it means we’ll get more done with the time we have left. Medicine’s pretty good and, climate change aside, I'll be alive for another 80 years minimum. Longer, though who knows when the screens will rot my brain.

Issues are so much clearer now than they used to be. Rampant wealth inequality, climate change, the gut-punch to labour forces worldwide that is artificial intelligence — all are bigger than the issues previous generations always forced into a black and white binary.

So it’s my hope that we do a better job than our elders. Yeah, we can coast a bit (fingers crossed for a four-day work week) but there’s no reason we can't strive towards some utopian vision. The world’s already on fire.

wknd@khaleejtimes.com