Growing up I remember television advertisements which claimed the tagline “Rent-to-Own” as a marketing ploy; and a quick search of the Internet leaves me to believe there remain a few stores which still offer this service, but it appears the interest has waned. With the current options for transferring payment through technology like Apple Pay, it should be no surprise when former payment options seem antiquated to emerging generations. Filling in the blanks on a small piece of paper decorated with scripture verses or your favorite sports team while requiring the use of cursive writing will probably seem a foreign concept soon. Hopefully, if I dare mention writing a check in class, I won’t receive the confused looks associated with cassette tapes, VCRs, and a dial phone. Maybe, just maybe, there will be a few more years before becoming obsolete.

One of the fascinating aspects of researching generational theory is the circular pattern one often sees whether looking into parenting styles, teaching strategies, or fashion trends. What’s the saying, if a clothing style comes back around in your lifetime, you are too old to successfully pull it off the second time around? Let’s forever pray that the big hair from the late 80s never returns or the ozone layer is toast! The justification for journeying down this rabbit hole relates to the fact that for my generation, one of the signs of maturity was the financial independence to own a high-value item such as a vehicle or home. Owning was held in high regard, not in order to be prideful about possessions, but as a milestone of accepting the responsibility associated with adulthood.

In my personal experience of home ownership, the decision to build a new home in a different location was prompted when a number of the homes in my previous neighborhood began to fill with renters rather than owners. Thankfully, those properties have retained their value, but it is not uncommon for the maintenance and care of buildings to decline when a long-term ownership view is surpassed by a short-term rental perspective. Because of this experience, I feel concern when I witness the descriptor Generation Rent being used when discussing our younger population; however, I understand the reasoning behind it.

Indulge me for a moment while I attempt to explain some areas of life that offer an explanation for why this descriptor might be relevant: rather than purchasing a song (much less an entire CD) for their music player, Gen Z subscribes to audio streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music; rather than owning a physical movie, Gen Z enrolls in online services like Netflix and Hulu; rather than paying a one-time sum for their smartphone, installment plans are utilized which often means their phone is “rented” because as soon as the existing phone is paid for, it’s time to upgrade; higher education is not immune to this approach as students (thankfully) have the option to rent their textbooks for a lower cost. The point I hope is evident here is that the mindset is different when renting versus owning. Research studies even use the descriptor Generation Rent when investigating housing patterns and the current financial issues of college students returning to the parental home. So, are we at risk of delaying part of the maturation process into adulthood when thinking Rent rather than Own?

My suggestion is for those who possess influential roles with emerging generations to equip and encourage them to transform this mindset from Rent to Own, especially when dealing with their education at all levels. I return to one of my favorite new quotes from Generation Z Unfilitered, when Elmore and McPeak offer, “Too many students today are renting their education instead of owning it. One of the advantages of equipping students…is that they begin to own what they’re learning and how they learn it. And when you own something instead of renting it, you take much better care of it.”

How do you imagine encouraging those within your sphere of influence to transform from a Rent to Own mentality? Currently, I am pondering ways to implement design thinking strategies into the classes I teach with the purpose of asking students to take responsibility, to own, their learning. (For more on this strategy, please see a previous post entitled Flourishing Thinking). Research related to this strategy shows success in that students begin solving real-life problems through critical thinking, collaboration and the use of multiple disciplines. When students own their learning, they not only “grow foundational content knowledge (hard skills), they develop soft skills, such as working collaboratively in teams, taking the perspective of others, honing skills for solving complex problems, and demonstrating mindfulness,” according to Portnoy in Designed to Learn. In my personal opinion, this description could also be used for someone who is flourishing at life, demonstrating growth through the maturation process!

Please feel free to share additional strategies that might be useful as we transform from a rental generation to a Flourishing Generation!