Gen Z
GEN Z: Threat Or Opportunity?
By Funmi Akinyemi
A question every business leader needs to confront today is this;“ are you working towards the future or against the future.” If you are not winning the future with Gen Z, they will be your competition in that future and you will stand no chance against them. This is a wakeup call for leaders, institutions and organizations stuck in the past.
In June 2024, something extraordinary happened in Kenya. Thousands of young people many still in their teens and early twenties organized mass protests against a controversial finance bill. But this wasn’ t your average demonstration. There were no political party sponsors, no tribal cheerleaders, no professional agitators. What emerged instead was the boldest civic movement in recent Kenyan history planned on X( formerly Twitter), fuelled by TikTok, and executed with tech precision, creative genius, and strategic clarity. No leaders. Just Gen Z.
If you are a business owner, government leader, HR executive, or educator and you’ re still underestimating this generation, now would be a good time to wake up. What Kenya witnessed wasn’ t just political protest. It was a preview of the future of power, influence, and disruption in the hands of a generation the world can no longer afford to ignore. Welcome to the age of Gen Z.
Gen Z, born between 1997 and 2012 are the first generation to grow up entirely in the digital age. They learned to code before they learned to drive. They were uploading to the cloud before they ever stepped into a classroom. Their minds were shaped not by textbooks, but by algorithms, memes, and YouTube tutorials. And that has massive implications.
This is a generation that doesn’ t just consume technology, but they embody it because it is an expression of their person. It is the only life they have ever known. They process information fast, reject fluff instantly, and live in a world of unlimited access. Their currency is authenticity, their expectation is inclusion, and their mantra is impact.
In the days leading up to the # RejectFinanceBill protests, Gen Z didn’ t wait for permission. They didn’ t form committees. They didn’ t ask for airtime on traditional media. They moved. They built digital posters in minutes. They turned Instagram Lives into mobilization centres. They fact-checked politicians in real time. They made protest fashionable and powerful and they did it all without asking older generations for help or approval. And that’ s the exact same energy they bring to the workplace. If you try to control them, they will walk. If you try to silence them, they will create louder platforms. And if you ignore them, they will build systems that make you irrelevant.
Organizations that empower Gen Z to lead digital transformation are already winning. It’ s time to stop seeing your IT department as a gatekeeper and start seeing it as a partner in innovation. Don’ t just update your software- update your mindset. Let Gen Z drive the revolution from within.
Gen Z is a generation that doesn’ t just consume technology, but they embody it because it is an expression of their person. It is the only life they have ever known. They process information fast, reject fluff instantly, and live in a world of unlimited access. Their currency is authenticity, their expectation is inclusion, and their mantra is impact.
While older generations are still adapting to tech, Gen Z is innovating it. They don’ t wait for the IT guy to fix it. They’ ll troubleshoot it themselves or find a better app in five minutes. In a world where speed is a competitive edge, this generation is your fastest route to efficiency if you let them lead.
A marketing firm gave its Gen Z intern a shot at managing its TikTok. Within one week, the intern doubled their following, went viral twice, and attracted two new clients all through trend-savvy storytelling and unapologetic Gen Z humour. The manager was shocked but the intern was
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