Understanding Generational Differences

Women aren’t weak or slow — we’ve just been carrying too much, for too long. A few months ago, I was coaching a brilliant young woman in her early leadership journey. Sharp, strategic, self-aware — and still, she couldn’t shake off the feeling that she was “falling behind.” Why? Because her male colleagues seemed to move faster, take more risks, and rise more easily. But here’s what she forgot: She was not only leading at work. She was also managing a household, caring for aging parents, navigating microaggressions, proving her worth in every room, and still being told to “lean in.” This isn’t about excuses. It’s about context. Women aren’t behind because they’re incapable. They’re behind because they’re overburdened — with unpaid labor, emotional caregiving, cultural expectations, and invisible pressures that rarely get acknowledged. So the next time you think a woman is “not ambitious enough,” pause. Look again. She might just be tired of doing it all. Let’s stop measuring potential through a lens that was never built for women in the first place.

I've been thinking about writing this for a while, and I think it's finally time to pen it down, because it's SUCH an important discussion: Two conversations in the past few months have stayed with me. Both with brilliant women. Both in leadership roles. And both having the same reason for wanting to step back. The first was a senior team member who wanted to resign. Not because she didn’t enjoy the work (in fact she LOVED the work) — but because she was getting married and wasn’t sure how her in-laws would feel about her continuing to work. The second was someone we were excited to bring on board. She had accepted the offer; we were discussing the new product, she’d been involved in inner–circle meetings, brainstorming sessions even prior to joining.   And then, a few days back, she withdrew — her wedding was in December, and she felt unsure about committing to a new full time role. Both these incidents have left me heartbroken. Not just for the loss of strong talent — but for what it reflects. I’ve heard this narrative too many times: “Don’t hire women at that age, they’ll leave after marriage.” “Don’t promote her, she might start a family soon.” And even though I fight it tooth and nail, I sometimes catch myself wondering: Is this why women still feel like 'risky bets' in the eyes of so many employers? It’s frustrating. It’s unfair. And it’s exactly the kind of systemic conditioning we all need to break — as founders, as colleagues, as families. Because the real issue isn’t women leaving. It’s the silent pressure that convinces them they should. I don’t have a neat ending to this post. Only questions. And a hope that someday, a woman’s ambition won’t be seen as something to “manage” — but something to celebrate...

Young workers want businesses to do more about sustainability 🌎 A recent study by Indeed found that 96% of Gen Z and Millennial workers want companies to prioritize sustainability. However, despite growing awareness, only 16% of CEOs currently consider decarbonization a top priority for the next 12 months, according to EY. This gap highlights a critical need for faster action. Sustainability is no longer just a long-term objective. Embedding sustainable practices into business operations not only addresses environmental concerns but also enhances financial performance. A Sustainable Brands report showed companies with stronger ESG ratings deliver higher annual returns, demonstrating the alignment of sustainability with profitability. Prioritizing sustainability initiatives now is essential for long-term competitiveness, employee retention, and reputation. Real, actionable steps—such as dedicated sustainability teams and adherence to both local and international regulations—are key to meeting this expectation. The specific details of the Indeed survey were not disclosed, but the statistic serves as a strong indicator of how younger generations are increasingly prioritizing sustainability when evaluating potential employers. This trend underscores the need for businesses to not only acknowledge these expectations but also to take meaningful steps towards integrating sustainability into their core strategies. Source: Fast Company #sustainability #sustainable #business #esg #climatechange #climateaction

Three quarters of Gen Z say they are more worried about climate change than they were a year ago and nearly two thirds are interested in working in a green job in the next five years. Yet we are at risk of this generation not having the skills they need to power the transition to net zero. 🧩New findings from LinkedIn today show just 1 in 20 Gen Z has green skills – compared to 1 in 8 in the wider workforce – and only 1 in 5 have very good awareness  of how to access green jobs. ❇️With two thirds of Gen Z interested in green skills training, there is a clear appetite for targeted, tailored skills programmes to bring them into this booming area of jobs — with green hiring continuing to outpace global hiring averages, as companies put in place the changes needed to meet their climate commitments and make the most of the green transition.  🌱The drive and willingness is there from this new generation of workers, and it’s up to all of us across business and government to leverage that passion and tap into the potential of young professionals to drive the green transition. #green #genz #futureofwork

Being told you’re “easy to work with” is the worst compliment you could receive. Here’s why: Nine times out of ten, that “compliment” isn’t about your skills or leadership potential. It’s about your ability to shrink so that everyone else can be comfortable. How smoothly you silence your preferences, your truth, your self. How quietly you take on extra work and stay in line (whatever that means). If you're not careful, you'll mistake it for a badge of honor when in reality it's a receipt & proof that you've been paying the likability tax. The likability tax is the unspoken toll women—especially Black women and women of color—pay to be seen as non-threatening, agreeable, and palatable in the workplace. It’s the cost of downplaying your voice and muting your truth in exchange for being “liked.” And it’s expensive. It’s when you smile and nod, even when you disagree. It’s when you say “I’m good either way” when you're actually not. It’s when you edit the deck, run the meeting, take the notes, follow up, and still don't ask for credit because somewhere deep down, you've learned that being liked is safer than being loud. And don’t get it twisted—this isn’t about being a team player. This is about self-erasure dressed up as professionalism. Because we know on some teams, when a woman has a strong opinion, a clear boundary, or ambitious ask she's labeled. Either she's too much, too difficult, too assertive, too entitled, too ______. So instead of speaking up, she's always agreeable, pleasant, and quiet - trading her voice for job security. And what does she get in return? Praise but no promotion. Thanks but no pay increase. Titled "low maintenance" and applauded for her invisible labor. This is how women, especially Black women and women of color—get underpaid, underestimated, and overlooked while being told how “nice” they are to work with. But let’s be clear: Nice doesn’t build equity. Agreeable doesn’t close pay gaps. Being “easy” to work with won’t get you in the rooms where decisions are made. It just ensures you won’t be seen as a threat. So no, you're not thriving sis. You're surviving. And you're tired of downplaying your contributions so that others feel comfortable. Tired of working twice as hard and getting half the credit. Tired of claiming it's “teamwork” when it’s really just a masterclass in self-sacrifice. When you're as good as you are, certain people benefit from you being quiet than they do from you speaking up. You don't need to be easier to work with. They need to be better at working with women like you. The next time someone says, “You’re so easy to work with,” ask yourself why. You just may be paying the likability tax. — Found this valuable? Make sure to ♻️ repost because friends don’t let friends miss out on helpful content! Want to work with us? Book your Fulfilled Career Clarity Call here - isimemen.com/start

Gen Z and millennials in our workforce demand meaningful work that aligns with their values. Over 80% of Deloitte’s 330,000-strong team belongs to these generations. They are eager to drive societal change through their roles. This year's survey shows progress in diversity, equity, inclusion, work-life balance, and societal impact, but it also reveals that these employees want more when it comes to embedding purpose into work. They set high standards and make career decisions accordingly. They've turned down roles due to ethical concerns and rejected employers not doing enough in areas like the environment, DEI, and mental health. However, less than half believe business impact on society is generally positive. Studies show that purpose-driven organizations perform better, but these young professionals want more. They wish to actively drive change through their work, and they're more likely to stay when empowered to do so. While they feel confident about influencing societal change through work, they believe they have limited influence. For example, few feel they can impact their organization's sustainability efforts, yet climate change heavily influences career choices. They research environmental policies before accepting roles, and many plan career changes due to climate concerns. To retain their talent and create both financial and social value, organizations must prioritize purpose in corporate priorities and individual roles. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eQzUfHiK #Catalyst #CatalystMovement #changemanagement #changemaker

Let’s talk about something that’s shifting under all of us: expertise. Not whether it matters, but how we define it, spot it, and trust it. Because the idea of what makes someone an “expert” has changed. And the shift hasn’t been subtle. For years, expertise was tethered to tenure. You earned your stripes by staying in the game. Time served. Titles held. Systems navigated. Authority was about proximity to power, not always about perspective. If you were young, you waited your turn. If you had fresh insight but not enough years behind you, good luck getting the room to listen. I know this, because I lived it. I was doing high-impact work in my 20s, and still had to bring a “translator” with a senior title to get people to take it seriously. Then things started shifting. Millennials questioned the model. Gen Z rebuilt the platform. Now we’re in an era where expertise is more democratized, more visible, and also more vulnerable. Social platforms and AI have accelerated this shift. Now, if you know how to speak in headlines or prompts, you can look like an authority, instantly. Confidence is often mistaken for credibility. And a viral take can outrank a decade of lived expertise. But here’s the tension: That democratization isn’t inherently bad. Some of the sharpest thinking I’ve seen lately has come from people early in their careers. We all know that wisdom doesn’t magically arrive with a 20-year work anniversary. The problem isn’t who is speaking. It’s how we’re evaluating what’s worth listening to. So if tenure isn’t enough… If clicks aren’t enough… What does real expertise look like now? It’s not just about being right. It’s about being useful. It’s about discernment. Pattern recognition. Knowing when to speak and when to listen. Understanding the risk behind the recommendation. That’s the kind of expertise we should be elevating now—at every level, from every generation. Because in a world where AI can mimic knowledge and platforms reward noise, real authority won’t be about who talks first or loudest. It’ll be about who adds value when it matters most.

I realised recently that I am carrying generational and systematic trauma around sexism and misogyny. It came to me at my last retreat when the topic of generational trauma came up and it suddenly hit me that many of the things that trigger me in my life in that department, do so not because they remind me of something that was done to me, but rather because they remind me of something that was done to other women. Women in my family, women in my life, even women I have never met. You see, women’s oppression has been systematic in our society for generations and every single one of us carries a piece of that trauma, whether we’ve experienced it first hand or not. While I too have has my share of encounters with sexism and misogyny, my relationship with my husband (while as most relationships is an ongoing work in progress) is based on equality and respect. Yet I often find myself furious at my partner and even a tiny thing can send me into a full swing defensive mode. I sometimes feel like I need to defend my rights, even when they are not being threatened - just in case. It’s hard to let go of that fear - I often feel like it keeps me safe. But I am trying to let go of what’s not mine. Trying to look at my life as it is and not through the lense of my ancestors and/or other people. This doesn’t mean I won’t continue advocating for them, but I’d like to be able to do it without the rage that feels so personal. It’s not easy to heal something so deep, some days it feels so real I can almost taste it. But I know it’s what I need to do, not just for myself, but also for my daughters 🙏🏻 Just thought I’d share in case this resonates with anyone ❤️ Does anyone else carry generational trauma? How have you dealt with it? #love #breakingthecycle

For Gen Z, news is a matter of taste. Gen Z has come of age in a cascading polycrisis of pandemics, violence, climate anxiety, and economic turmoil. What’s often missed is how these events are reshaping their search for truth. Rather than accept a system that failing to deliver, they’re challenging what matters - and who gets to tell it. The shift is structural: Today, 44% say social video is their main news source, with TikTok at #1. Teens still trust local TV more than any other outlet, but they rarely seek it out — they’re twice as likely to get news from social as from TV, and often say “news finds me.” This rewrites how authority flows: from institutions down, to creators sideways. Traditional news networks are scrambling to adapt. CNN, Fox, The Atlantic, and even The Economist now experiment with TikTok-native formats. But Gen Z’s lens flattens the distinction: every journalist, whether on TV, Substack, or YouTube, is a content creator first, reporter second. That’s why youth spend 9+ hours a week watching short-form video, over 4X the hours they’ll spend on articles or TV news (GWI). They’re also the only generation in the US who feel closer to creators than TV personalities. Trust is a conversation. Conversation shapes taste. The flow of information, and the format it gets shared in, is one of Gen Z’s only source of power. With 91% agreeing a single pop culture mainstream no longer exists, news now flows through niche communities where memes, movements, and meaning collide. Authority no longer trickles down; it moves peer-to-peer, platform-to-platform. The future of news isn’t about who breaks the story first, but who earns the right to tell it in a format Gen Z deems worthy of attention. In their hands, news is less a broadcast than a moodboard of power, taste and truth.