How to Manage—and Motivate—Gen Z
HBR IdeaCast
2025/12/30
How to Manage—and Motivate—Gen Z
How to Manage—and Motivate—Gen Z

HBR IdeaCast
2025/12/30
A new generation is reshaping the workplace, bringing fresh expectations and values that challenge long-standing norms. While often misunderstood, Gen Z workers are not disengaged—they're driven by different motivations than their predecessors. The key to unlocking their potential lies in rethinking how leaders connect, communicate, and cultivate growth.
Gen Z enters the workforce with deep digital fluency but a slower path to emotional maturity, creating a leadership paradox. They value authenticity, purpose, and being heard far more than titles or hierarchy. Rather than dismissing their behaviors as entitlement, leaders should adopt coaching mindsets—listening first, guiding second. Using frameworks like Ask, Listen, Empathize, Guide helps build trust and openness. While they seek rapid advancement and flexibility, especially around mental health, they thrive when work feels meaningful, almost like a passion project. Companies that invest in them as long-term assets—not temporary labor—see greater loyalty and innovation. Ultimately, leading Gen Z successfully means prioritizing relationship-building over short-term results, fostering resilience through care, and aligning individual purpose with organizational mission.
08:51
08:51
Gen Z brings intuition about future consumers and can make leaders better
14:35
14:35
Treat Gen Z as currency to be invested in, not commodities to be used up
20:11
20:11
ALEG—Ask, Listen, Empathize, Guide—is an effective framework for giving feedback to Gen Z employees
25:20
25:20
To motivate Gen Z, make work feel like a hobby
27:56
27:56
Work should be reframed as a hobby to build passion and productivity in Gen Z employees.