In this episode, we talk with Mai Moore about Gen Z leadership, social impact, the power of connecting, embracing innovation and ideas of GenZ, and facing your fears
Mai is so passionate about supporting women and young people and has so much great experience and advice to share.
How to contact Mai:
About Mai:
Mai Moore is an Award-Winning Social Impact Leader, Co-Founder of EYEJ: Empowering Youth, Exploring Justice, Founder of Setting Off Social Impact, and Boss Me In.
Mai helped two tech start-ups go public; Travelzoo Inc. and United Online.
She believes in diverse women, BIPOC persons, and our young people to help create a more equitable and inclusive world. Mai is from Cleveland Heights, Ohio.
LISTEN TO THE EPISODE
SELECTED LINKS FROM THE PODCAST
SHOW NOTES
[02:17] Mai introduces herself and shares her background
[03:16] Mai talks about Boss Me In
[10:16] What GenZ is looking for from leadership
[11:01] The tendency for people to overcomplicate things
[12:55] Addressing the issues in today’s corporate environment
[13:12] Listening to GenZ’s ideas
[15:44] The benefits of reverse mentorship
[16:43] What the older generation can do to stay relevant
[18:30] Women are tired of the BS and not interested in fighting for that one slot
[20:59] How Gen Z uses technology and its impact on the working environment
[22:18] Concern that Gen Z is not learning to communicate well but still wants to be heard
[23:49] The degradation of trust in our society as a whole
[25:52] Mai discusses cameras on vs. cameras off
[29:18] The shift in the world with affirmative action and DEI
[32:13] Professional development for new leaders coming up in the workplace
[35:41] Benefits of servant leadership
[37:34] An honest conversation about mentorship
[40:52] The mentors that made a difference in Mai’s life
[42:26] How to find the right mentor to work with
[43:49] The daily routine Mai attributes her wellbeing to
[45:49] The song Mai listens to when she needs a confidence or energy boost
[46:30] The purchase <$100 that has made a difference in Mai’s life
[47:54] The books and podcasts that Mai recommends reading and listening to
[50:11] The last words of advice Mai has for everyone
QUOTES FROM THE SHOW
But I was really paying attention to what was happening in culture and with executive women. And a lot of women were really saying, Hey, we want to empower young women.
They’re [Gen Z] definitely demanding transparency. They definitely love collectiveness, collective thought leadership and collective building.
Because a lot of times in society, we’re not really hearing this kind of authenticity .And this is what Gen Z and young people really desire and demand is they’re really tired of us adults, right? You know, talking so much and giving empty promises. They want to hear truth. They want to hear storytelling. They want to hear like, what did you really go through to get to the C suite?
We overthink things. Right. And Gen Z are just like, it doesn’t have to be so complicated.
It’s not as hard as we make it. I think it’s, you know, it’s, it’s, if you’re, if someone is younger or someone’s BIPOC and, you invite them to a meeting, a brainstorm meeting, or put them on your board. Or, listen to their input, not just say you’re going to listen, but actually listen to what they’re saying, like really stop talking and listen and acknowledge and really think about, wait a minute, that idea is actually brilliant.
So it’s also Gen Z’s responsibility to, to listen to that [older generation’s insight]. So it’s, it’s, I’m not trying to say that it’s a one way street. It’s a two way street.
Like we’ve got to learn how to communicate. That’s a big problem. It’s a big problem in our world. We’re in a world of miscommunication, human miscommunication. That’s, we really truly are. That causes so many problems. And I have seen it with my own eyes about how it impacts businesses, how it costs us money, how it hurts people, how it causes pain. We don’t know how to communicate.
So obviously, building relationships or finding mentors that are directly in the area of focus of where they want to be. You know, we talked about communication. I think leadership is really important. We need more leaders. And I think not enough leadership training is out there, honestly.
I would say one more area too that we could all learn. It’s more about humble, servant leadership. Because I’m around a lot of different people and I have seen how the ego harms and it really, honestly, some people are very sick from it. Men and women.
Responses