Young Professionals: Tips to Empower Gen Z to Succeed

Members of Generation Z – those born between the late 1990s and the early 2010s – are now rising up through the ranks of the business aviation industry. As “Gen Z” prepares to assume greater leadership roles, effective communication with Baby Boomer and Gen X leaders is critical. With that in mind, three young aviation professionals offered their perspectives.

Gen Z is the first generation to grow up with 24-hour mobile technology in their pockets. This became even more important during the pandemic when many Gen Zs were forced to work from home. “I guess you could say we’re spoiled in a sense. We had an opportunity to live near family and friends – that was affordable and comfortable – and still work for a large corporation,” said Noah Yarborough, NBAA manager of flight operations, who was born in 1998. “Gen Z prioritizes work-life balance because they know they can perform the best when their personal life is taken care of, and when they feel appreciated,” he said. “I also think Gen Z embraces change better than a lot of other people.”

Letwan Sutton, also born in 1998, believes his generation performs best when they’re truly engaged in their work. “Preparation for a new role begins with getting them exposed to the industry,” said Sutton, manager of aviation tax at MySky. “When I began working at MySky, my boss Ryan made it his priority to take me to conferences to meet his industry allies and get me comfortable in the industry.” Anyone interested in developing an aviation career, “will be asking questions, they’ll be inquisitive and really make an effort to meet people,” he said. “It’s hard to commit to an organization more than they commit to you.”

Recent college graduate Arthur Clarke, born in 2003, served as vice president of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Aviation Safety Advisory Council. “My generation is very focused on why we do certain things. We want to feel we’re involved,” said Clarke. “When a company’s mission aligns with our values, we’ll make that mission our own. We also think everyone has a unique background and perspective. That’s why we grew up believing technology, diversity, equity and inclusion are really important.”

Gen Z also tends to push for good mentors, Clarke added. “We want to become the leaders of tomorrow, so the earlier we can start our training to become leaders, the more successful we will be.”

Learn more about the Young Professionals in Business Aviation (YoPros) at nbaa.org/yopro.