In this episode, we are joined by Mark Perna, an acclaimed generational expert, who helps us gain a better understanding of the younger generations. He helps us unpack what makes the young people of today unique, what motivates them, how to reach them, and how to help them develop a competitive advantage. His insights are relevant for not only educators but also parents and employers.
I champion the younger generations because they have so much untapped potential.
Resources
The following resources are available from AVID and on AVID Open Access to explore related topics in more depth:
- Inspire Students With Project-Based Learning (article collection)
- Accelerate Learning by Empowering Students (article)
- What Does It Mean to Live a Life Full of Possibility? A Conversation with AVID CEO Thuan Nguyen (podcast episode)
- Spark Curiosity and Ask Questions for Inquiry Learning: Step 1 of the Searching for ANSWERS Inquiry Process (article)
- Authentic Demonstration of Student Knowledge: Helping Students Share Their Stories Authentically to Validate Their Voices (podcast episode)
- Engineering Student Agency and Opportunity, with Dr. Christine Cunningham (podcast episode)
- Invite Virtual Guest Speakers to Engage and Inspire Students (article)
Unleashing Potential
Mark Perna believes in the younger generation. In fact, he says, “I think they’re the most extraordinary generation to come down the pike, bar none. I think they are the most intelligent, resourceful, and pit bull-like generation we’ve ever seen. When they feel light at the end of their tunnel—something they want to achieve—they’ll move heaven and earth to do that. Our challenge—as parents, educators, and employers—is getting them to want something. That’s where the battlefield of the future is.”
Mark challenges us by asking, “How do we unleash passion, purpose, and performance in younger generations and understand how the dynamic has shifted?” Tune in to this episode to discover Mark’s approaches and strategies for connecting with today’s younger generation and for ways to help motivate them to develop a competitive advantage that will empower their futures. The following are a few highlights:
- About Our Guest: Mark Perna is the founder and CEO of TFS Results, a strategic consulting firm leading the national paradigm shift in workforce development. He is an acclaimed generational expert and weekly Forbes.com contributor. He serves on the Advisory Council of the Coalition for Career Development Center in Washington, DC, and is the author of the best-selling book, Answering Why. Mark works with communities to answer the question, “How do we connect the pipelines between education, employment, and economic development for the viability of every community?”
- The “Why” Generation: Mark points out that when you ask a young person to do something, they often ask, “Why should I do it that way?” Mark explains that they’re not being disrespectful; rather, they genuinely want to understand the reasons for doing something. Mark says, “They have to know the reason for doing it, and there has to be relevance and purpose.”
- Looking for a Better Way: Mark says that when young people ask why, they’re really saying, “I’m unique. I’m special. I’m important. I’m intelligent. I’m resourceful. I know how to use technology. Why do we do it this way—because there has to be a better way to do this?”
- Misunderstanding Youth: Mark explains, “Most people think that young people are in one place, and the truth is that they are in a completely different location, and we’re still treating them as if they’re in the other place. We have to shift our perspectives to where they are.”
- The Benchmark Generation: Mark feels that if you understand the motivations of today’s youth, you’ll also understand the motivations of other generations. He says, “If you know what someone 10 to 27 in this country thinks—what makes them tick and how they make decisions—what they want is what every previous generation has wanted, but they’re the first generation in history to stand on principle until they get it.”
- Clear Intent: Mark says, “I’m here to tell you 100% and definitively that young people in America do not waste their time. At any given moment, they are doing exactly what they want to do, exactly the way they want to do it, for exactly as long as they’d like to be doing it. They may not be doing what we want them to do, but they are not wasting their time.”
- Motivation: Students need a compelling reason to act. Mark says, “Without a compelling reason, they will not move forward.”
- More Than Academics: Today’s youth need more than traditional academics. Mark believes, “You have to add technical competencies—and that’s the things you can do in your head and with your hands—and you have to also add professional skills, work ethic, punctuality, leadership, communication, work-life balance, stress management, etc.”
- Find Your Talent First: While Mark believes that personal passion is important, he encourages young people to first “go find what you’re good at, and you may be good at lots of things.” From those areas of talent, students can find their passion. He says, “One day, that’s where passion finds you.”
- Lifestyle: Mark shares, “Every young person today, every decision they make, is based on how it affects their lifestyle.” He adds, “Careers become a lifestyle decision, but we tend to talk to young people about careers and very little about lifestyle.”
- Flexibility: One of the key lifestyle variables that young people value is flexibility. Mark says, “Flexibility for employers out there today is the currency of the future because 90% of employees in America at all age groups and generations are looking for flexibility.”
- Relationships: “The single greatest power we have with young people in our sphere of influence is building a human connection,” says Mark. “Without the human connection, they’re not moving forward.” He adds, “We’ve got to free people up to get back to what teaching is meant to be every day in the classroom, and that’s building a relationship and then leveraging that relationship to teach the extraordinary things that are relevant and purposeful in their life.”
- College Second: For an increasing number of young people, college attendance is being delayed until they have a better idea of what they want to do in life. Mark explains that he sees a trend of students trying a career first and then going back to college when they see relevance in that education as a means to reach a career goal. Once they see their goals, they are more likely to say, “Now I need a 4-year university degree to do that.”
- Competitive Advantage Track: On his website, Mark offers a free series of videos, curriculum, and reflective questions called the Competitive Advantage Track. It focuses on coaching learners about vital career and life skills in order to motivate them to “confidently move forward.”
Guiding Questions
If you are listening to the podcast with your instructional team or would like to explore this topic more deeply, here are guiding questions to prompt your reflection:
- How do you describe today’s younger generation?
- How does Mark describe Gen Z and today’s youth?
- What motivates today’s youth?
- Why are relationships so important?
- What is the Competitive Advantage Track?
- What action steps does today’s episode motivate you to take?
Extend Your Learning
- Mark C. Perna (official website)
- Competitive Advantage Track (Mark Perna)