Merriment
I feel merriment when I do my Be-Social Method workshops.
And I would love for you to feel merriment too.
Here’s one simple way to start:
Encourage a young person to grow and win.
If you want a practical place to begin, my book Get Gen Z Into the Game shares my straight-forward Be-Social Method — habits you can use in everyday interactions to become a model of awesome relationship-building.
When you practice these habits, you don’t just strengthen relationships — you give hope to people who may be struggling with loneliness or anxiety. When others experience your goodness, it can genuinely brighten their day.
So encourage others.
It WILL make you merry.
Why This Video Stopped Me in My Tracks
A friend sent me a short reel earlier this month — a commentary clip from The Times — and it absolutely froze me.
Not because it told me something new, but because it said something we all feel in a way that finally made it undeniable.
Here’s the line that hooked me:
“What happens when the most anxious, outspoken, and digitally fluent generation in history walks into offices built by people who still print out their emails?”
Exactly.
The video names the tension so many workplaces are feeling right now. Generation Z is entering the workforce shaped by pandemic isolation and the relentless glare of social media. They’re not just looking for jobs — they’re looking for meaning, transparency, and respect.
And then came the line that really made me pause:
“The question is whether the rest of us can adapt fast enough.”
That feels like the heart of the moment we’re living in.
Organizations don’t just need new tools or processes. They need new habits. New muscles. New ways of relating — across generations, technologies, and expectations.
This 20-second video captured that shift more clearly than most 200-page reports.
So here’s my invitation to you this week:
Ask one younger colleague or person in your life:
“What’s one thing that would help you do your best right now?”
Then listen.
That’s where adaptation begins.
New Habits. New Muscles.
This is the work I love — helping leaders and teams develop the habits and relational muscles that allow people to grow and win together.
If you’re curious about my consulting, workshops, or Team Talks, just reply to this email. I’d love to talk.
— Colleen
Bonus: You can now engage with my AI (my digital sidekick) on visit colleenmcfarland.us. It offers instant answers drawn from my books and blogs.
Credit: Instagram reel by The Times (@thetimes)
Related article by Hannah Prevett: “Gen Z is redefining work — and driving their managers mad.”
Key Takeaways
Encouraging a young person to grow and win isn’t just kind — it’s a practical leadership habit that builds confidence, reduces loneliness, and strengthens the social and relational skills today’s workforce desperately needs.
Adapting to Gen Z at work doesn’t start with new tools or policies — it starts with new habits of listening, asking better questions, and building real human connection across generations.