What GenZ Wants in a Leader
6 MIN READ
“Just tell me how to motivate them!”
These are the first words out of my client’s mouth when I ask about his experience leading young professionals. He’s a Vice-President at a Fortune 500 company, but he could be any leader in today’s workplace.
“They’re so anxious about the world that they don’t focus well – they’re not getting their work done,” he said. “They don’t care about the company, and they don’t seem to want to invest in building a career, either.”
If the behavior of Generation Z is a mystery to you, you’re not alone. They grew up in a different time and had different experiences – and therefore bring different attitudes to work. My client’s job, I explained, was to understand his young charges so he could make them into the best employees possible.
Leading young workers is fast becoming a critical skill. Employees aged 33 and under comprise more than a third of today’s working population. In seven years, they’ll be more than half the workforce. Successful leaders know they have to pivot to meet the needs of this new generation. But how to do it?
The advice I gave my client applies to anyone wanting to lead Gen Z successfully:
1. Be a Communicator: Be explicit about what you want
2. Be a Coach: Be a hands-on, personally connected leader
3. Collaborate on careers: Work together with your people to grow their careers
I told him that leaders who follow these principles create happier, more motivated, and more productive teams. Let’s examine each in turn.
1. Be a Communicator
Anxious and unfocused Gen Z workers are to be expected. According to a McKinsey report on Gen Z, they report higher rates of anxiety, depression, and distress than any other age group. But when you as their leader communicate clearly, when you’re transparent about expectations, it can help ease that distress.
Good communication at work is difficult. According to Gallup, only 60% of employees say they know what’s expected of them at their job. This number is even worse for Gen Z, because they’re new to the workforce. That’s why it crucial to make an extra effort to communicate clearly with your Gen Z employees. Are your young employees behaving as if they don’t know what to do? It may be time to be clearer about your expectations.
Only 60% of employees say they know what’s expected of them at work.
It's also helpful to adapt your instructions so they’re understood by your audience – as opposed to expecting your audience to adapt to you. Young workers assume communication will be transparent and two-way. Gen Z has been asked for their opinion ever since grade school. In fact, they may consider it rude if you don’t ask for their opinion.
The Vice-President learned that in addition to asking for opinions, it was important for him to share his views. Workers were coming in late because no one told them what time to come in. Employees weren’t sharing their problems with him because he never told them that he wanted to help. As he made his expectations clearer to his people, his people became calmer and more open. In fact, the research shows Gen Z feels less anxious when they know what’s expected of them. And being clear with Gen Z encourages them to be clear with you: it creates a culture of explicit two-way communication.
2. Be a Coach
My client’s second complaint was that his young employees weren’t emotionally committed to work. “That’s not a surprise,” I told him. A July 2022 article in the Harvard Business Review called Motivating People Starts with Building Emotional Connections stated that Gen Z won’t invest wholly in their jobs without a personal connection with their manager.
How to create that personal connection? Be a coach. Coaching is hands-on personal leadership. It’s about creating meaningful work relationships with your subordinates. Have you heard the saying that “people don’t quit companies, they quit managers”? A coaching leadership style maximizes the chances that your best employees will want to stay with you.
Coaching differs from “managing” in several ways. A manager delegates from afar, whereas a coach is involved, up-close, and personally connected with her team. A manager’s power comes from his title and authority, but a coach is influential because of her engagement and frequent feedback. Managers sit back and watch, whereas coaches give advice every step of the way.
I explained to the client that having a manager is like buying a chair at IKEA: you get a list of instructions and then you’re on your own. Having a coach is the opposite: she stays with you throughout your work with guidance, correction, and encouragement.
Having a manager is like buying a chair at IKEA: you get a list of instructions and then you’re on your own.
The client learned that coaching helps you retain your best Gen Z employees, because ambitious employees want leaders who invest in them and develop their potential. Studies show that leaders who care – that is, coaches – have more engaged teams and less turnover.
3. Collaborate on Careers
The client’s third complaint was that his employees seemed disinterested in building a career. I explained that Gen Z employees are interested in their career, but if you want them to build their career with you, they need to believe that you have a future together.
Lifetime employment and pensions are a thing of the past, so we need to create new ways to collaborate and build trust. Career conversations are a great way to do this. Explain to your young charge what a successful career might look like at your company. It’s like guiding a runner through a marathon: give details on what to expect. Tell them what mile of the marathon they’re on. Explain the steps to achieve the next milestone. Outline what skills are needed to advance, the time and effort it will take, and the possible responsibilities and pay they’ll enjoy in the future if they succeed.
Career conversations are a great way to build trust with young employees.
Gen Z needs to believe they have a future with you. This is because “they’ll leave if they don’t believe.” Gen Z employees tell researchers that they value career stability more than income. Collaborate on their career and they’ll feel more secure and be less likely to quit. If you help them feel stable, everyone will benefit.
Six months later, the VP reports that his people seem to be less anxious and have better focus. As he builds relationships with them and shows interest in their lives, they’re more interested in the company as a result. And because he’s working to show them that they have a future at the firm, they’re showing more agency about building skills and developing expertise.
My client is pleased. “It’s great to work with Gen Z,” he said. “I just had to learn a new way to lead.”
I’d love to hear what you think. Do you believe it’s important to look for the advantages that Generation Z brings to the workplace? Tell me in the comments below.
Dale Wetmore believes the future belongs to leaders who can leverage the Gifts of the New Generation. He’s been building teams and enabling leaders for over 20 years at companies like Microsoft and Amazon Web Services.
See www.giftofnextgen.com for more information.
