How to Manage—and Motivate—Gen Z

HBR IdeaCast

Harvard Business Review

Business/marketing, Harvard, Hbr, Business/entrepreneurship, Marketing, Communication, Innovation, Strategy, Finance, Economics, Business/management, Teams, Management, Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Business

4.4 • 1.9K Ratings

🗓️ 30 December 2025

⏱️ 32 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

How different is the newest generation in the workforce, really? While stereotypes abound — some of them unfair — it’s important to understand what the young adults of Gen Z have in common and how they differ from Millennials, Gen X and Boomers. Tim Elmore is a leadership coach and author who says that this generation in particular craves connection with their colleagues, meaningful work, and assurances that they’re seen as people not commodities. He explains how organizational leaders can adapt to the needs of these workers while still maintaining high standards, providing feedback, and building grit and resilience. Elmore wrote the book "The Future Begins with Z: Nine Strategies to Lead Generation Z as They Disrupt the Workplace."

Transcript

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0:00.0	I'm Alison Beard, and this is the HBR Ideacast. Every generation has complaints about the ones that follow.
0:25.6	The silent generation thought boomers were too freewheeling.
0:29.0	Adi's not here to defend himself and other boomers.
0:32.4	Boomers saw Jen Xers, that's me, as cynical slackers.
0:36.2	They were only half right.
0:39.1	I am very cynical, but not a slacker. And then Gen X has dismissed millennials as lazy and entitled. Today, the youngest generation
0:45.6	in the workforce is Gen Z, people born between 1997 and 2012, and a lot of bosses and
0:51.3	organizations are having a hard time managing them, in part because of some unhelpful stereotypes.
0:57.0	Maybe we think that Genzi is overly fragile when we don't have time for coddling,
1:01.2	or too demanding of work, flexibility, pay, and promotions without paying their dues.
1:06.1	But our guest today says that we need to do a better job with Genzi.
1:09.6	First, because they're a large and growing
1:11.3	part of the talent pool, now outnumbering boomers. Second, and most importantly, because they're
1:16.6	the people, the digital natives who are best equipped to help companies understand social
1:21.4	media, AI, and all the other technologies and trends, they need to be innovative and successful.
1:27.3	Tim Elmore is author of the book The Future Begins with Z,
1:30.3	Nine Strategies to Lead Generation Z as they disrupt the workplace.
1:36.0	Tim, welcome to the show.
1:37.7	Hey, Allison, it's an honor to be with you.
1:40.2	First, I have to ask, is Gen Z really all that different than, you know, young people of any other era?
1:48.8	Is it generation or is it life stage?
1:51.2	Some of it is life stage, no doubt about it.
	...

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