𝗚𝗲𝗻 𝗭 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲 — 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁.

Gen Z is frequently in the spotlight — admired for their bold ideas and tech fluency yet sometimes criticized for their impatience, emotional sensitivity and a preference for instant gratification.

But yesterday at an event, I was reminded of something even deeper:

𝗚𝗲𝗻 𝗭 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 — 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗹𝗱-𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼𝗹d.

I met a sweet, slightly shy student (𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗰𝘆).She had done her research. Built a solid presentation.

Knew her content. But as her turn came to speak, nerves took over and silence followed.

𝗜 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗲𝗱, “𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗼𝘂𝘀?”

She replied, “It’s my first time presenting…”

Instead of pushing her with pressure or correction, I chose to give her honest and real-time feedback with warmth and belief.

Yes, I grilled her a bit :) — not to scare her but just to help her see what she was capable of.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁?

• She responded.

• She stood up.

• She tried again and nailed it better than before.

She craved guidance, not demands.

Today’s students don’t want authority. They want authenticity.

They connect deeply when you lead with empathy not ego.

Kudos to you, dear student. Keep learning. Keep trying.

You're going to fly and I’ll be cheering from the front row. 

𝗧𝗼 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀:

𝗜𝗳 𝘄𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗚𝗲𝗻 𝗭’𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹, 𝘄𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺.