Workplace leaders have long been challenged to understand and adapt to the shifting habits and mindsets of younger generations. But Generation Z—the first fully digital cohort—is rewriting the playbook.
This group is entering the workforce amid cultural upheaval, technological acceleration, and deep social anxiety. Employers are discovering that Gen Z’s priorities, motivations, and expectations differ dramatically from those of their predecessors.
To unpack how leaders can better engage this emerging generation, I spoke with Tim Elmore, author of The Future Begins With Z: Nine Strategies to Lead Generation Z as They Disrupt the Workplace.
So, what sets Gen Z apart from Millennials, Gen X, or Boomers?
“Many employers are getting frustrated instead of fascinated with this new batch of young adults entering the workplace who were different than Millennials,” Elmore said. “Millennials were conditioned as young people to do everything in teams. Gen Z has been forced to learn alone on a screen. They’re much more individualistic. They may need to be taught or instructed to work in collaboration with others and not just be about themselves.”
Elmore noted that Gen Z reflects some of the skepticism of Gen X.
“Gen Z is questioning authority and they’re coming in a little cynical, more so than the Millennials for sure,” he said.
As for Gen Z’s greatest strength, Elmore shared the story of a young man named Colin Webb, a brilliant MIT graduate who joined General Motors with ideas for improvement.
“Colin takes his ideas to his supervisor, but his supervisor pretty much shuts him down,” Elmore said. “So, Colin sends an email to the CEO, Mary Barra. She replies, ‘These are really good ideas.’ But by the time those ideas make their way down the org chart to the middle manager, they die on the vine.”
The result? Colin left GM and went on to start several successful companies.
“He’s brilliant at AI,” Elmore said. “If they had played their cards right, GM could have leveraged that. Instead, they lost a valuable resource. This happens way too often.”
Turning to Gen Z’s challenges, Elmore pointed to what he calls “the Peter Pan paradox.”
“The age of authority seems to be fading. Gen Zs are entering the workforce with magical knowledge and intuition. But the age of maturity seems to be going up,” he explained. “There’s something magic and tragic going on in culture. We’re going to have to listen more than we ever used to listen, and we’re going to have to coach more than we used to coach.”
Elmore describes Gen Zs as “realists with anxiety.”
“When I talk to Gen Zs about the narrative they have as they enter the adult world, here’s what they say: ‘I’m coping and hoping,’ They’re hopeful because they’re young. But right now, they feel like they’re just coping with uncertainties in the world, with mental health issues like we’ve never seen before in young people.”
What about claims that only a small percentage of Gen Zs holds the traditional “achievement and hard work” values. Elmore offers a nuanced take.
“I find they do want to work, but their motivation is different. It’s devotion, not duty,” he said. “They’re so afraid of getting a job they hate and then getting golden handcuffs where they can’t leave because they need the money so bad. I prefer workers who say ‘I’m here because I want to be, not because I have to be.’”
On authority, Elmore said Gen Zs see leadership through the lens of connection rather than position.
“Our generation might say, ‘Position gives you the right to influence.’ They would say, ‘Connection gives you the right to influence,’” he said. “Leaders, don’t treat your leadership job as a gatekeeper. Treat it as a guide. Don’t think manager—think mentor.”
Elmore recalled a comment from a friend: “She said, ‘Tim, Generation Z is the sandpaper on my leadership I did not know I needed. They’re making us better leaders.’”
To help managers engage this group, Elmore created an acronym he uses daily—A-L-E-G—for giving feedback and correction.
“A stands for Ask, not tell. L is Listen. E is Empathize. G is Guide,” he said. “Ask—they feel valued. Listen—they feel heard. Empathize—they feel understood. Now I’ve earned my right to guide them.”
As for organizational culture, Elmore emphasizes fun, growth, and accessibility.
“They said, ‘I would like check-ins daily.’ Maybe not possible, but as close to daily as possible wins them over,” he said. “They don’t want to feel stuck in their growth on the job. Continue to grow them, pour into them, invest in them. That’s huge.”
He uses a thrift shop story to make the business case for investing in young workers.
“A woman bought an old picture frame for four bucks. It turned out to contain an N.C. Wyeth painting she sold for $191,000,” he said. “We’re not spending much on these Gen Zs, but if we’ll treat them like currency, not commodities, we might find that was worth way more than we spent if we can keep them around.”
Elmore also believes the education of Gen Zs must better prepare them for interpersonal realities.
“Because of AI expanding, we need EI to expand—emotional intelligence,” he said. “Success in school is basically 75% IQ, 25% EQ. You get out in the real world, it’s just the opposite.”
What advice does Elmore give directly to Gen Zs? “Be timely in your skill set, but don’t lose the timeless. Timeless doesn’t mean antiquated. Timeless means it’s always going to be evergreen.”