Parliament | Gen Z Keeps Asking "Why" – And Maybe That's the Point — Hoot Design Company

I’m a huge Brené Brown stan, and she’s been underground for a bit after realizing she didn’t want to be known as a self help guru.

I was pumped when I saw The Daily podcast dropped a “The Interview” episode with her in September that is only 30 minutes but jam packed with applicable insights.

One point that really resonated with me, is how complicated inter-generational relationships at work can be. I myself have struggled with Gen Z in the work place — as an elder-Millenial. And my children pretty much scare the $h!t out of me as a generation (Gen Alpha).

One thing I can really get behind, is the Gen Z demand that their employer be able to communicate a bigger WHY. Gen Z isn't satisfied with a "yes chef" mentality. They want to know WHY.

The Generation That Won't Stop Asking Why

This generation isn't asking WHY to be difficult. They're asking because they refuse to waste their potential on purposeless work. They watched their parents burn out chasing paychecks without meaning, and they're determined to do better.

The Intuition Problem

Here's where most leaders mess up: You think because YOU understand your company's purpose, everyone else does too. You're living in your founder bubble, drunk on your own intuition, assuming osmosis will handle the rest.

Spoiler alert: It won't.

Your intuition is not transferable. It's locked in your head, inaccessible to the young minds walking through your door. And those minds? They're not sticking around to decode your cryptic vision statements or figure out what you really mean when you say "we're disrupting the industry."

Language Gives Intention to Intuition

This is exactly why the Brand Being Method starts with excavating your WHY and giving it language that actually means something. Not corporate jargon. Not empty mission statements. Real, human words that turn your gut feelings into guideposts your entire team can follow.

When we work with founders to define their Brand Heart – their vision, purpose, and values – we're not creating pretty wall art. We're building a translation device that turns founder intuition into organizational intention.

What Gen Z is Teaching Us

Young talent entering your workplace is holding up a mirror to something we've let slide for too long: work without clear purpose is soul-crushing. And they're not here for it.

They want to know:

Why does this company exist beyond making money?
Why should I pour my creativity into this versus literally anywhere else?
Why will this work help me become my best self?

These aren't unreasonable questions. They're essential ones. And if we can't answer them with crystal clarity, maybe the problem isn't Gen Z – it's us. (gulp)

Your Move

Stop assuming your team can read your mind. Stop believing your purpose is "obvious." Stop expecting blind faith from a generation that's been taught to question everything.

Instead:

Define your WHY with the precision of a surgeon and the passion of an artist
Give it language that resonates in bones, not just boardrooms
Live it daily in decisions, not just declarations
Share it relentlessly until everyone from your CEO to your newest intern can recite it in their sleep

The beautiful irony? When you nail your WHY – when you transform intuition into intention – you don't have to convince anyone to work hard. They'll be fighting to be part of something that matters.

Ready to give your intuition the language it deserves? Let's talk about how Brand Being can help you articulate the WHY that attracts the talent demanding to know it.