The ups and downs of building a Gen Z team

Written By Andrew Ford

I often get asked how I manage a team of 14 Gen Z staff. Most people my age might have a few Gen Z kids of their own, but can’t imagine being responsible for a whole football team full of them, let alone trying to coordinate them toward a common outcome! So I thought I would share my experiences; the good, the bad and the funny :)

I feel it's an appropriate time to reflect on building a team of marketing students as we recently kicked off the year with our first-ever Social Star offsite (hence the jumping pic).

I had the joy of driving all of them in a minibus to Anglesea and back, an experience that gave me time to reflect on the pros and cons of managing a young and vibrant team.

But first, to understand why we went down this Gen Z path, it's important to know some background. My COO and the other responsible adult in the team, Shinyi Chin and I met whilst teaching digital marketing at RMIT University.

During COVID lockdowns we saw firsthand how hard it was for students to network and find their first job. The old adage of you can't get an internship without experience and you can't get experience without an internship was playing out right in front of our eyes. So we decided to do something about it.

We started CampusLife to match students with small to medium businesses that needed help with digital marketing. Seems a pretty obvious fit right? Matching Gen X and baby boomers who want to focus on business rather than keep up to date with the latest TikTok trends, with Gen Z digital natives seems like the perfect combination.

But we soon realised that students need training, mentoring and a collaborative environment to grow. Who knew?!

Most small to medium businesses don't have time to nurture these rough diamonds let alone give them detailed instructions on how to run their marketing programs. So Social Star stepped in to fill both needs with our hybrid marketing model.

We employ and manage the students, whilst providing them with training, systems and processes to do their jobs well. Then we place them with our clients and assist with the marketing planning so they know exactly what to do. Everyone's happy, right?

Maybe...it seemed like a good idea at the time (said every entrepreneur ever...). In reality, it's been super fun, stressful and challenging - but ultimately very worthwhile.

So without further ado, here's my reflection on managing a team of Gen Z staff.

The good bits:

  • Gen Z are digital natives, very creative and work independently

  • They are highly motivated (contrary to popular belief) with small things like birthday cakes and office snacks going a long way

  • They appreciate coaching, teamwork and training

  • Overall, they are the most coachable team I have ever had

The bad bits:

  • They sometimes make mistakes, which is tough when it impacts clients but we are all human and learning

  • They love to travel and we give them a lot of freedom to do this as it's important for their growth, but hard for us to manage

  • They need lots of guidance and training, which consumes time but is enjoyable for people who like to teach

  • The good ones are hard to find and even harder to keep

My advice to other business owners is that you should try to hire Gen Z staff. Spend the time to understand their needs, build systems to manage them and invest in their development.

They are now the largest demographic population on the planet and provide a great balance of ideas and perspectives. Plus they are super fun and keep you young!

Andrew Ford
Marketing expert Andrew Ford, the founder of Social Star, has discovered the secret of ‘Powerful Branding’. With a fire for unleashing people’s inner brand and developing business models to generate profit from an individual’s passions, Andrew leverages ground-breaking digital and social media marketing techniques to create digital strategies for clients to attract maximum opportunities. Having established a strong name for himself in the field, Andrew blends traditional business techniques with now-necessary tools for entrepreneurs to achieve scale, quality, and influence in their niche. Andrew’s comprehensive business background and qualifications consist of a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) (RMIT 2003), a Graduate Certificate in Management (MBA Executive Program, University of Sydney 2005), and a Masters of Entrepreneurship and Innovation (Swinburne University 2011). Continually on the cutting edge of his own education, Andrew has tested his marketing theories in forums such as the BCG Business Strategy Competition, which he won in 2005 against all Victorian MBA schools, and the Venture Cup Business Plan Competition (Swinburne University 2003), which he won in the Masters category. With experience working at Hewlett-Packard, Sensis (Telstra) and IBM, Andrew also has mentored dozens of junior staffs to help them achieve their professional goals. Meeting and influencing high-profile public figures helped Andrew to realise just how many professionals require more understanding and control of their public brands or appearance, and need help with the skills to use the many amazing free tools at their disposal to generate success. At Social Star, Andrew consults with clients to uncover their personal brand – both where it is today and where it can be tomorrow – and refine and define how that should be displayed in social media in order to attract their perfect target audience. Andrew mentors his clients to rapidly grow their business’ audiences, resulting in larger potential client bases and higher revenue. Applying formulas that integrate over twenty years of Andrew’s business experience and fifteen years of formal business education, Social Star specialises in building clarity and velocity for clients’ brands using the ‘Understand, Build and Leverage’ methodology. ‘Having a Personal Business enables people to have an authentic, congruent connection with their valued clients and partners, using their brand as the bridge,’ says Andrew. ‘I’m highly driven to work with the new breed of entrepreneurs and small business owners – people who have a passion for making the world a better place. Traditional business models are stepping aside as people follow their innermost dreams and my role is to see them operate within their values while creating wealth. Some people think you have to sacrifice what you love to be successful in your business, yet it is actually the opposite. Follow your passion and success will come.’ Lecturing at Swinburne University from 2009 to 2011 on brand dynamics and digital marketing, presenting at numerous conferences, and consulting to hundreds of clients, Andrew has seen his philosophy work that if you follow your unique path, based on your skills, experience, values and goals, you will automatically attract the opportunities you desire and achieve the success you deserve. Living his mantra, Andrew has created a successful business and attracts high-profile clients including musicians, athletes, authors, models, entrepreneurs, professionals and small business owners, helping them find their ‘why’ in their business and fulfilment in their lives. Business for Andrew is more than work, it’s personal. Running a personal business means that he is able to fulfil all of his values rather than separating his life from work. It supports his two boys while providing social opportunities, educational development, fitness opportunities, spiritual fulfilment and many valuable friendships. Social Star has now become the vehicle for Andrew to crystallise his mission in the world, to help people love what they do, supporting his ‘why’, that if more people loved what they did, the world would be a better place.
http://www.andrewford.com.au/
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