Unleashing the power of generation Z: Insights from the First Chief Tomorrow Officer

Generation Z is currently between 10 and 25 years of age and will make up 27% of the workforce by 2025. As with every new generation, there are new perspectives, as well as different values and beliefs. Members of Gen Z are often described as digital natives, being very content savvy and knowing how to verify the information they receive. They care about topics that weren't considered a few years ago, such as ethics, sustainability, and social responsibility. 

Gen Zers would like to leave an impact wherever they go. They want to be empowered and recognized within the company they work for, expect brands to take a stand in social and environmental issues, and care about diversity in the workplace. These are just some of the fundamental aspects of doing business with Gen Z. But what are some best practices when it comes to engaging with Gen Z? 

To answer these and many other questions, we talked to Nouran Elsherbiny, a member of Gen Z and the first T-Systems Chief Tomorrow Officer (CTO), on our Straight to Business Podcast.

Nouran began her career at the Inspira Expo startup with a bachelor's and master's degree in Business Information Systems. She also taught entrepreneurship at the American University in Egypt. Nouran later joined the Deutsche Telekom group as an intern. Her passion for AI and workplace innovation led her to apply to a novel program by Deutsche Telekom subsidiarity T-Systems, helping her become the first appointed Chief Tomorrow Officer or CTO. As CTO, Nouran worked with international experts to answer questions on using machine learning and AI to create a less stressful workplace. She also built a community of Gen Z to engage with C-level managers and discuss the future of the workplace. Today, Nouran is a digital marketing manager in charge of the T-Sytems social selling program. 

You can read the key takeaways from our Straight to Business episode with Nouran below: 

What is the Chief Tomorrow Officer program? 

The CTO program serves as a link between current practices and the future landscape. "We've started this program to bridge the gap between Gen Z and the C-level people inside the company," Nouran explains. The program empowers Gen Z by providing them the flexibility to be an entrepreneur inside the company, challenging the status quo by asking unique questions for the future. Together with the support from T-Systems and Deutsche Telekom, the CTO Program works to answer these questions. 

What questions? Well, each CTO applies with a question for the future. With experts from inside the company and outside, they try to answer or solve some aspects of these questions. As the first CTO, one of Nouran's questions was about how AI can help us have a less stressful workplace. To solve the problem, she developed an AI solution to support employees with daily routine tasks—keeping track of schedules, booking tickets, and monitoring stress levels and other physical and mental health measures. 

"It's like you're building your own startup inside the company," Nouran describes. CTOs often need help solving their question at the beginning but usually start to dig deeper, ask professionals and experts, and try to build a model or prototype for their idea. 

Can you explain the Tomorrow Board and how Gen Z is involved?

From the beginning, the whole concept of the CTO Program was Gen Z, who are just starting their careers, getting connected to C-level people to talk to them about the future. Nouran and her team believed that more than one or two CTOs were needed, so they built a community of the younger generation, the Tomorrow Board. They met with other Gen Zers from inside or outside Deutsche Telekom, talked to them about questions and ideas, and asked them to challenge their visions. 

For every participant, the CTO Program lasts six months. After finishing the program, some former CTOs stay in consultancy or other company subsidiaries. Some ideas are left in the innovation center, while others have already been solved. Thanks to this practice, CTOs build their own network inside the company and get connected to as many people as they would like. In many cases, former CTOs get offers from inside the company to continue working on their topics or doing something related. Even within the company, CTOs are provided some options after finishing their six-month internship and after reaching a prototype for their ideas. 

Nouran, why do you think programs like the Chief Tomorrow Officer Program matter? 

"It's the only way to be ready for the future and to be part of the change that will happen in a few years," Nouran answers. As she sees it, futureproofing should be one of your highest priorities as a company right now. As the CTO Program grows fast and speeds up, Nouran and her team are sure the program can be transferred to other companies. Former CTOs can then function as expert advisers and offer the necessary support. 

Due to the change that Gen Z often brings to their workplaces, Nouran recommended that every company has a CTO to ask questions. This suggestion is based on Gen Z's heavy thinking about the future they will be living in. As previously mentioned, the CTOs work with experts from inside and outside the company, and these experts can be of any age. The CTO program isn't about carving a special place for Gen Z. It's about connecting these generations to understand that everyone needs to work together to make the future work. "It's not a one-man show, Nouran explains. "It's teamwork." 

What LinkedIn features and preferred type of content are essential to you? 

LinkedIn and many other social media channels are trying to adapt to Gen Z. Recently, LinkedIn created a feature to create video profiles to attract a younger audience. However, while these innovations are being made, Gen Z is interested in something more individual. 

"My favorite kind of content, now that we are getting more diverse in what we share on LinkedIn, is more personal stories and personal opinions and views," Nouran answers. While many people try to keep their posts related to their work, Nouran believes that seeing this personal type of content is underrated on LinkedIn, as many expect to see this type of content on Instagram instead.  

Authenticity is essential for Gen Z, and they often want to communicate with people who show their authentic selves or companies that show authenticity. As stated earlier, Gen Z pays extreme attention to how companies treat their employees and clients. They are more likely to interact and work for a company seen as empowering - investing and recognizing their employees - than a company that stays silent on the front. Gen Z cares less for traditional marketing tactics, instead looking for authenticity and honesty with people and brands within their network.  

In the future, Nouran would like to focus more on the growth of the CTO program, as they currently have a bigger team to deal with the demand. Her team is ambitious about this program and is motivated by finding and cultivating tomorrow's great minds. In her work with social selling, Nouran takes immense pride in her current results. She is happy that people are starting to understand the difference between regular selling and social selling and how this has led to an increase in connecting with those online to build their own network on social media.