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

first up

Welcome back! This week, we’re talking about how to create a career road map, why Stoicism and goal setting go hand in hand, and dressing for life’s in-between stages.

🚨 A new Gen Z moniker just dropped. 🚨

Gen Zers who are “taking a long-term approach to planning their careers” are now referred to as the “road map generation,” according to a recent Business Insider article. These ambitious budding professionals are weighing whether job offers—and the benefits and development opportunities that come with them—set them up for success in life. Our own research on what Gen Zers want from work supports that notion: when evaluating a new job, salary comes second to career development and advancement potential. 

We certainly have a lot of insights about road maps—McKinsey senior partners Eric Lamarre, Kate Smaje and Rodney Zemmel even wrote a book about it. In the simplest terms, a road map is a document that identifies an overarching project or company strategy, charts the course of a project or company, and keeps various stakeholders on the same page. There’s no reason, then, why Gen Zers can’t build a road map for their own lives.
  
When it comes to creating a personal-development road map, think of it like a contract you’re keeping with yourself. It should be a living document that you regularly update (how often is up to you). It can also be a powerful accountability tool or, at the very least, an opportunity for you to organize your thinking. 

Here’s the quick and dirty on how to translate a corporate road map into an individual one.
  
Identify your ‘true north.’ What is your purpose? Who do you want to be? What change do you want to see in the world? Answering these questions at the beginning of your career journey will make decision making much easier, since anything that deviates from your purpose will be easier to say “no” to. (Don’t be too rigid, though; your purpose can change!) 
 
Map distinct horizons. Setting a timeline can help you stay on track. It should be divided into distinct horizons, or blocks of time, each with clear goals that will help you know when it’s time to move on to the next phase. Everyone’s timeline will differ (comparison is the thief of joy!) but assigning each of your horizons a theme can help clarify what you’re trying to achieve in each. (Are you trying to build fundamental skills? Grow into a new role?) 

When companies outline these time blocks, they include a set of objectives and resources needed for each. This ensures one doesn’t become overwhelmed or overburdened at the onset, which could stifle momentum over the long run. 

Build capabilities. Capabilities are simply the elements that enable a transformation to happen. For companies, these include talent, operating model, technology, and data. When it comes to a personal road map, think of capabilities in the following ways: 

See you down the road, Gen Z. 

VISUALIZE IT

The average age of credit union members is 53 years old, compared with 39 years old for the US population.

WAIT, DON’T SCROLL

Going for gold. An Olympic gold medalist tells McKinsey how Stoicism helped him reach his goals (exclusive #content on the McKinsey Insights app).

Smarter child. How many questions from this week’s Data Points quiz can you answer correctly?

If there’s a skill, there’s a way. The aerospace and defense industry is booming. Its talent pipeline? Not so much. Here’s how to close the talent gap.

NOT US; STILL GREAT

POV TBD. Zillennials, read this if you’ve ever wondered how to dress for the in-between stages of life. [NYT]

Say less. Here are four strategies for dealing with unsolicited advice at work. [HBR]

CROSSWORD

—Edited by Alexandra Mondalek, editor, New York