When Generation-Z plays who will be the captain?

Any marketer will tell you that Gen Z is the next big thing after Millennials! While some specific segments of industry may be watching them closely, most marketers and are still trying to understand and grapple with the Millennial effect - the broken path-to-purchase, the social media effect and the need for precision marketing.

Understanding their daily lives well will be the key to their future both for marketers and workplaces.

I grew up in good times. Plenty of friends would gather every evening to play. The one who had a bat (or a ball) usually became the captain. We played the same game till the bat broke or till we lost the ball. That was the norm. For days when we did did not have an instrument of play, we played I-spy, Kabaddi and Kho-kho. And... If not friends, our parents made plenty of quality time for us.

This phenomenon had a certain bearing on our society. Those who were born with the silver spoon always had better chances of becoming the society captains. Times have changed since. We now live in the age of plenty.

Look at the picture my son clicked a few weeks back. I was amazed to see how six of his friends had one football each. (he had the seventh!). Seven children had seven footballs to play with. And mind you this is not a football club.... just a routine evening play time gang. While the pic reminded me of my childhood, it also raised an interesting question in my mind - Who will be the captain? :)

This "Seven ball seven player" effect is bound to impact our society behavior... for these children as consumers, for us as Gen-Z marketers and our global economy as a whole.

Like any other situation there is a positive side to this problem of plenty:

• Children get what they want (the instrument of choice).
• They have the choice to pursue their dreams.
• They have a better chance of inclusion.

And, the flip side is:

• Children may not learn to share or care... or they may not value things they have.
• Their networking and negotiation skills may not completely develop.
• Parents compensate for their personal presence by buying these instruments.

Will this impact the leadership model of future and hence the workplaces? Will this impact the Markets of future? What do you think?