By Kiera Colson   Our blog today was authored by Kiera Colson. Kiera is a 19-year-old sophomore at Lee University and was an intern with us at Growing Leaders this past summer. Kiera is a brilliant young leader who is passionate about seeing her generation grow into their highest potential.   A two-week surprise vacation turned into a two-year realization for the rising generations.    We

By Tim Elmore   Bob Wagner is hiring for three positions at his plastics manufacturing company. In the past, he’s filled these positions with high school and college students as well as recent graduates. These days, he is interviewing older job candidates. In fact, his top candidate is 72 years old.    Why? you ask.   Bob would tell you he can’t find young adults (from

 By Andrew McPeak   Today’s blog is an excerpt from the upcoming book, “Ready for Real Life.” Be on the lookout for the upcoming pre-order of “Ready for Real Life” coming soon.    For more than a decade now, we at Growing Leaders have been giving adults training and advice for how to best understand and engage their students. In this time, the gaps

By Tim Elmore Something’s happened since the spring of 2020 that needs to be addressed. Many of us, especially those under 21, lost some of our communication skills. The lockdown, the anxiety levels, and the diminished interaction between a variety of people changed the way we socialize. And the generation gap widened. Good communication between adults and teens (or young people

By: Tim Elmore    Seven Ideas to Overcoming the Cinderella Syndrome    In 1989, I first heard the term Cinderella Syndrome. This complex refers to a psychological condition in which a woman fears true independence and secretly expects a “knight in shining armor” (or Prince Charming) to come along and take care of her. The term Cinderella complex was coined by Agatha Christie in a

By: Tim Elmore   Like so many other districts, the Northwest School District in Missouri faced a shortage of employees. It’s actually happening all over the country in almost every industry. “Help Wanted” signs go unanswered as fewer Americans want to take on lower-paying jobs in light of a pandemic. In the NW school district, custodial, food service, and before and after school

By: Tim Elmore       Jana Davidson teaches seventh-grade science and tenth-grade biology. Every day, she observes students entering her classroom feeling stressed out. Many of them feel overwhelmed. Anxiety has been normalized thanks to social media and a pandemic. When I asked Ms. Davidson how she helps her students manage their stress, she told me she assumes the best way is to take

By: Tim Elmore I remember feeling tangible peer pressure in high school. Friends pushed me to smoke cigarettes and marijuana, drink beer, and be sexually active. This was not uncommon in the 1970s. Culture was morphing from traditional to rebellious as baby boomers and Gen Xers pushed boundaries and listened to their peers over their parents.  While I dabbled a bit in

By: Tim Elmore Some are now calling Generation Z by a new name. They are known by many as Generation Covid, or Generation C. I have heard others call them, the Coronials. I released a book last fall called The Pandemic Population. They are the young people who will forever be marked as those who came of age during a pandemic.

By: Tim Elmore For years, younger generations have been the brunt of jokes by older generations who felt they were immature, lazy slackers who moved back home after college. A Twitter hashtag called, #HowToConfuseAMillennial even went viral, as social media posts often do. Some samples are: Show them a phone book. #HowToConfuseAMillennial Turn off their autocorrect. #HowToConfuseAMillennial Hand them a job

I spoke to a couple of NCAA Division One coaches by phone last week. Both were holding up OK but were inquiring about how to manage their current reality as both student-athletes and coaches are separated, routines are upset, and so many are anxious. Recruiting looks different. Strength and conditioning looks different. Team discussions look different. Today’s student-athletes are from Generation

Note: Today's post is available for you to either watch as a vlog or read as a blog post below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKpI1sLoNs0 An NPR online report stunned me recently. I didn’t know whether to chuckle or to mourn our “snowflake generation.” And it’s not the kids—it’s the adults. Along with hand sanitizer and other disinfectants, toilet tissue has been increasingly hard to find at local markets,

Every time period in history is shaped by the significant events that occur during that season. Each generation is marked by shared experiences, music, heroes, villains, tragedies, TV shows and economies. Let’s walk down memory lane: My parents grew up during the Great Depression and brought a “waste not, want not” mindset with them clear into the 21st century. Both

Kids who’ve grown up in the  21st century have a different childhood and adolescent experience than previous generations, including the Millennials. Generation Z has grown up with: The Internet Smart technology Frequent mass shooting Terrorism Social media A polarized adult population Inspired by my friend, researcher, and educator, Corey Seemiller, author of the book Generation Z: A Century in the Making,