CURATED READS FOR GEN Z—AND THEIR Z-CURIOUS COLLEAGUES

Welcome back—this week, we’re talking productivity hacks. Stick around to the end or you’ll miss how to “bake bread to hire homies.”  

first up

Ever been sitting in a meeting, iced macchiato sweating away in front of you, trying to keep that nice smile plastered on your face aimed at the webcam while your brain repeats, “This could have been an email?”  

You’re not alone. There are a million ways to catch up with your coworkers digitally, but it’s easy to get lost in a sea of instant messages, video chats, emails, and more. No wonder “interacting is easier than ever, but true, productive, value-creating collaboration is not.” While we’re all getting used to a new normal, or likely our first normal, it can pay off to hack the way we work.

You might not be able to transform your workplace, especially as a junior employee—though we love a Dead Poets Society moment—but here’s a cheat sheet to weaving through that logjam to get ahead.

You shouldn’t always go along. Conformity isn’t a recipe for success, and trying to fit in can be bad for you professionally. “Collective illusions” happen when you think “everyone” thinks something, but everyone’s just playing along. If everyone jumps off a cliff … well, I’ll spare you, but productivity is lost when you have to recalibrate later.  

Brainstorm before, not during. That same collective illusion can suppress new ideas—so jot down a few thoughts before the meeting.  

Be well, do well. Work and life don’t have to be at odds to be balanced, and high stress keeps your brain in a fight-or-flight state. A boom-and-bust curve with high highs and low lows in productivity might be the status quo, but taking a step back to work on the performance curve instead might get better results.  

Use ‘nudge theory.’ Sometimes a small push in the right direction can go a surprisingly long way in creating results. Nudge yourself by setting an arbitrary time to start work, or nudge others with an invite to “follow up with me next week.”  

Learn better with a 3×3×3 approach. If you’re new to an industry or company, there’s a lot thrown at you at once. Supercharge your learning with this approach:

We suggest three goals, three people, and three months (not to mention that this is perfect for your self-evals).

Be human. Ditch facades and speak honestly about your ideas and experiences. Good collaboration can go sour when you’re trying to play a part rather than push forward.

Make it snappy. Execs are moving to shorter meetings of 15 to 30 minutes, and some companies are trying things like “No Meeting Wednesdays” to promote creative thinking. Before scheduling a meeting, or deciding to join one, maybe ask yourself: What’s this meeting for? Can I shorten it? What’s my role? Do I really have to be there? How you answer could save you, and others, a lot of time.”

Take care. I hope this one goes without saying. With 42 percent of global employees experiencing burnout during the pandemic, the best way to keep getting things done is to keep yourself afloat.

visualize it

Women are still feeling the brunt of burnout in the workplace—especially when those women are in management or leadership positions. 

Wait, don’t scroll 

Eyes on the future. Over the next two decades, 127 million young people will enter the labor force in the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. How can their potential be unlocked?

Wait, who’s learning here? Data analytics and machine learning could be a major help at higher-learning institutions—one US university is using them to predict at-risk students and intervene early. With the program, the graduation rate increased five percentage points in only two years.

Two Americas. One man spent decades as an exec before pivoting to helping rehabilitate gang members—and there’s a lot to learn on both sides, including how to “bake bread to hire homies, not hire homies to bake bread.”

NON-MCKINSEY PICKS 

The ‘why’ matters. A survey found that 62 percent of UK Gen Z would stop buying from a brand that didn’t meet their values, and 88 percent are interested in a brand’s purpose-driven work (especially via social media). [Attest]

When do we want it? A poll showed that addressing climate change is top of mind for 84 percent of teens. That includes their own sustainability efforts, as well as calling for corporations to take action now. [Axios]

No cash, no card. Only 55 percent of eligible Gen Z spenders have a credit card, and some may be turning to “buy now, pay later” programs to build credit. Meanwhile, 38 percent have opened investment accounts—just a few of the ways the generation differs from millennials. [Forbes]

CROSSWORDS ARE DEFINITELY PRODUCTIVE

— Edited by Sarah Skinner, Gen Z curation editor, New York