One for the Gen Z’s

One of the things that I’m most proud of is being asked by apprentices and graduates to mentor or give them bits of insight/experience, being so far into my own journey. To see the amazing array of young talent coming through our business is the part of the job that gives me huge satisfaction and encouragement each and every day.

Don’t get me wrong I’ve still got lots of work and personal goals to achieve and fulfil, but I’ve learned a thing or two about what I would have done differently and how my experiences may have been different.

When I was interviewed recently to give some thought on what advice I would give my own self ‘if I was starting out in my career’ the following kind of spilled out.

(Apologies if this seems obvious and will probably resonate with all us Gen X’s out there, but this was done more for the Gen Z’s). ?

Colour yourself in

Many years ago an inspirational friend of mine once said to me, it’s great to try and be the ultimate professional, but don’t be boring – you need to ‘colour yourself in’. Stand apart by relying on the fact that you are your own person and let it shine through. Allow people to see your strengths, but also your weaknesses. Be genuine and not much can go wrong as people will be there to teach you the bits you’re not great at and attach themselves to your strengths.??

Make mistakes and take the odd risk

I’ve made some clangers and in life it’s often the best way to learn. The most successful people often push themselves out of their comfort zone and don’t hold back as you’ll always regret it. Making the same mistake over and over is not clever, but believe it or not most people around you want you to be a success. Take leaps of faith on your own as we are more successful in our career and life when we take risks. Management is about doing things right, Leadership is about doing the right thing.

Stop the success comparisons

Some of you may not do this, but I often did. Our career and how quickly we get there is not a race although we sometimes feel we need to reach a certain level of success early on. Success comes early for some, later for others, but the actual journey is the most important bit. We all have success and failures, so enjoy the ride and remember you are unique and don’t try to be someone else.

Exams are not everything

I was definitely not academic at school and whilst I am in awe of people who achieve grades and qualifications, the art of graft, hard work, reputation, and personality are the things that will allow you to push through in your career.?

Personal expectations - Be kind to yourself

Your own mental health is important and despite what anyone will tell you or how confident they appear, we will ALL have major challenges, anxiety and some element of depression at some point in our working lives. The most confident are often the ones who struggle the most. It’s a natural part of evolution of work and life.

Support whether it’s through mentoring, counselling, medical, or social interaction is the most important thing to accept. ‘Been there done that’ and I’m a better person for understanding my own health and just remember to be kind to yourself.

Be kind to others

The best part of age/experience and achievement is looking back at the people you have had the opportunity to work with and the impression you might leave on people throughout the journey. Whether its help, guidance, support or just being nice, even to people who might not necessarily like you (and there will be a few of those!), kindness is free. So be good to people on the way up as you might need their help if you’re on the way down. Be generous with the little things people don’t expect. They don’t have to cost money and just need to mean something and finish the week saying I’m glad I did that for someone.

Start saving now

You are going to need to! Whilst my first house was ￡35,000 and I saved a ￡1,750 deposit, now it would need to be considerably more. Don’t wait just get in the habit now, although remember you still need to have fun no matter what… you’re still a Gen Z after all.

Last but not least…

Never give up on your ambitions and whilst things might appear to not go your way, they always happen for a reason.?