Work, Identity, and the Meaning of Life

When I trained on a British broadsheet national newspaper, the internet, such as it was, was in a rudimentary state. This meant much of my research was done in what was called "the morgue" - a clippings library, on the ground floor, run by formidable people with encyclopedic knowledge of world events. I miss those days, because I had the most fascinating conversations there, going down metaphorical rabbit holes, sifting for clues, before returning to my desk to write the actual article.

Back then, the biggest lesson I learned in "the morgue" was that business leaders' reputations were built over decades, and could be destroyed with a front page headline. Then, after a suitable "pause" (they call it "gardening leave" in England, a quaint phrase), away from the public gaze, they would often return, slipping quietly into several board seats and consulting roles. So many of those hefty clippings folders confirmed this trajectory. These powerhouse players' places in the arena of work had forged their identity - and their worth.

As an aside, one might assume that those days are over, with a 24/7 news cycle, and the fact that nothing goes away on the web. But we know that isn't true. Most (if not all) well-known figures employ reputation consultancies to keep their Google searches free from scandal. But that isn't the point of writing this piece (although it's one I might write in the future).

No, this is about identity, and work.

Because what I learned in "the morgue" was that WORK was the absolutely defining aspect of these executives' lives. There was nothing in their clippings file that talked about anything else, except the social mobility signals (connections, club memberships, invite-only conference appearances) that conferred trust and indicated they were Fit for Purpose as a CEO.

GEN Z RECRUITS

Contrast this with Gen Z as our incoming workforce. Their identity is constructed by their own digital presence, not by the jobs they take, or aspire to. When they show up on their first day - virtually or IRL - they're bringing with them their identity, not prepped to merge with the company persona.

In fact, they're probably broadcasting #myfirstday and will continue to check in from #TheOffice with their virtual "crew". A word to the wise - as part of onboarding, make sure you let them know what's okay to say, or show, from your place of work.

For example, check out Jade, a highly influential Gen Z Career personality, who shares her wisdom on cool internships, places (not - ahem) to work, and the kinds of questions to ask in an interview. Hint: those questions are all about purpose, potential, social activism, and company culture (so be warned).

Basically, whichever company employs Jade is not getting a newbie recruit, eager to be molded and "fit in". Nope. They're hiring Jade.

MID-TO-LATE CAREER PROFILING

Contrast this with a mid-to-late career executive who has spent their days in the sniper fire of midtown Manhattan, focusing on the metrics, keeping their head down, waiting for the pay-off. They've probably not focused on their identity - at least not publicly - beyond a LinkedIn profile, and maybe a non-controversial (i.e. sports, not politics) Twitter feed.

A work-based identity is crucial to this executive. If they work for a large corporation, it feels like family (however dubious that analogy is). If they get laid off by that corporation, they'll probably ask a headhunter to help place them inside another one. When I lived in NYC, and worked at Hearst, it was remarkable how many people I knew had jumped back and forth between all the multinational media companies. It's because they felt comfortable with that work identity. Only the brands and the HQ location changed. The culture, not so much. Not in the big picture, at least.

That's why redundancy, and retirement (especially if taken/forced earlier than expected), is so devastating to most people. If one's entire identity is entwined with work - who are you without it?

DIGITAL PERSONA CREATION

It's not so simple to say a mid-to-late career professional's identity is tied up with work, but a Gen Z-er comes fully-formed with their own unique persona. As an employer, you might not see their digital presence at all. Because it's private.

In fact, your new Gen Z recruit might have several digital personas, and only one (or none) is public-facing and accessible by employers. In a recent report from Wunderman Thompson, researchers found that 2/3 of Gen Z have gone private in their digital persona, saving updates for trusted friends and family members only.

A Gen Z-er asked me for guidance the other day on careers. I was flattered, although my own path is not something I'd recommend emulating, as exciting as it's been. But I like to be helpful. I asked them what kind of jobs they were looking for. They showed me a bunch of links to companies, but none of them had (yet) responded. So I asked them to show me their social presence so I could see what their prospective employers might find.

"Oh, they're all private," they replied. Just as Wunderman Thompson's researchers found.

"I completely understand the need to be careful with sharing anything online, believe me," I said. "But how can these companies employ you without knowing how creative/interesting/connected to your generation you are?"

They understood immediately.

We spent the next hour creating their public-facing social persona, designed to share nothing personal, but give a sense of their creative flair. It was total bait, to get them hired. They've still got a raft of personal accounts and will never open those up to wider scrutiny. Gen Z are smart.

GHOSTWRITING PLUG

Indulge me - I'm going to end with a plug for thought leadership.

This nature of identity is why I enjoy being a ghostwriter for executives (of any generation). It's not about throwing caution to the wind. It's about being strategic with one's identity. Sharing what works. Thinking carefully about what's public-facing, and what's not. Standing for something. Saying meaningful things about the world, business, and the future.