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A Bit of Optimism

The Real Reason Young People Don't Have 'The Hunger' for Work (And What Leaders Need to Hear) with Generations Expert Dr. Eliza Filby

A Bit of Optimism

The Optimism Company from Simon Sinek

Business, Education, Careers, Self-improvement

4.82.3K Ratings

🗓️ 28 April 2026

⏱️ 64 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Admit it, you've complained about at least one other generation. Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z—somehow, they all end up with reputations built around what's wrong with them. Dr. Eliza Filby has a different suggestion: stop asking what's wrong with them. And start questioning what world they were handed. Eliza is a contemporary historian, generations expert, and the author of Sunday Times bestseller: Inheritocracy. And with more generations in the workplace than at any point in history, she is precisely the person we need to show us a new way to win… together.  In this conversation, Eliza makes connections about how generational change is reshaping work, wealth, and modern life that I’d never thought to connect. She might just change how you see the world (and people) around you. In this episode you'll learn: ➡️ Why calling Gen Z "entitled" is the wrong diagnosis (and what's really driving the behavior leaders complain about most)  ➡️ How retirement planning and eldercare became the new midlife crisis ➡️ How the economy changed after 2008 + quietly rewrote the rulebook for every generation that followed  ➡️ Why belonging is becoming increasingly rare (even though we need it) ➡️ Why Millennials + Gen Z are more likely become homeowners by being loyal to their parents than by being loyal to their jobs ➡️ 3 things no AI will replace in the workplace… ➡️ What’s driving hyper-individualism + how do we fix it We all may have strong opinions about one another, but it’s time to focus on building greater understanding. This conversation is a good place to start. This… is A Bit of Optimism. + + + To buy a copy of Dr. Eliza Filby’s bestselling book Inheritocracy: It’s Time to Talk About the Bank of Mum and Dad, head to: https://www.elizafilby.com/books  Want to hear more from Eliza? Check out her It’s All Relative Newsletter: https://www.elizafilby.com/newsletter  + + + Chapters 00:00:00 Rethinking the Generational Divide at Work 00:01:35 How Dr. Filby Became a Generations Expert 00:04:33 Defining Generations: Why They're Getting Shorter 00:08:42 The Fragmentation of Shared Experience 00:14:29 Conspiracy Culture Infiltrates the Workplace 00:16:16 The End of Job Security and the Rise of the Solopreneur 00:18:02 What Leaders Must Offer in the Age of Uncertainty 00:20:31 The Bank of Mom and Dad: Living in an Inheritocracy 00:28:23 Why Young People Don't Have 'The Hunger' for Work 00:31:35 The Changing Life Cycle: Delayed Adulthood and Pressured Midlife 00:41:45 Rising Individualism and the Loss of 'We' at Work 00:47:02 Gen AI: The Next Generation in the Workplace 00:50:44 The Solution: Let Humans Do What Can't Be Counted 01:00:42 Disrupting the Path to Mastery and Nurturing Human Skills 01:03:02 How the Generations Can Come Together + + + Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together. Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do. Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game. + + + Website: http://simonsinek.com/ Live Online Classes: https://simonsinek.com/classes/ Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/ Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek

Transcript

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0:00.0

young people will come into your office and be like, give me a raise and you'll see what I can do.

0:04.2

Yeah. And older generations are like, pay you before you do it? What? But I think they have it

0:11.3

right. Because there's no guarantee that they're going to have a job by the end of the year because of

0:14.4

layoffs. The biggest question that leaders need to ask themselves is what am I offering in the age of uncertainty?

0:24.2

If I can't offer stability, if I can't offer you that life script, what is it that leaders are

0:30.0

offering their people?

0:31.6

Are you a boomer?

0:33.0

Millennial?

0:33.9

Gen Z?

0:35.0

Wait, where's Gen X?

0:36.1

Why did you leave out Gen X?

0:37.0

Gen X always gets left out.

0:38.3

Regardless of which generation you're from, we all complain about each other. I mean, they really are entitled.

0:45.5

Or are they?

0:47.1

Do you think we live in an heritocracy?

0:49.4

My guest, Dr. Eliza Filby, encourages us before we complain to consider through what lens does each generation

0:57.2

see the world. Eliza is a generational historian in a world that has more generations working

1:03.0

alongside each other than at any other point in history. In her best-selling book in Heritocracy,

1:09.6

Eliza challenges the idea that we even live in a meritocracy anymore.

1:14.0

And what that means for every generation trying to get ahead.

1:17.0

Eliza helped me see connections I never saw before.

1:19.4

What?

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