MILLENNIALS AND GEN Z ARE AN UNTAPPED ADVANTAGE

Here’s how to stop complaining and start unlocking value from the generations you hired.

Nope, Millennials and Gen Z are not lazy, entitled, or allergic to hard work. But yes. they are allergic to pointless meetings, micromanagement, and being treated like a disposable line item on your payroll spreadsheet. 

If you are a business leader or manager who is quietly wondering why your younger staff are not stepping up, the hard truth is that the old models of motivation do not work on this generation. They will not stay loyal to hierarchy, vague goals, or managers who lead with ego. Honestly, that’s a good thing.

Because when you do get it right, when you understand what makes these employees tick, what you unlock is innovation, ownership, and a hell of a lot of momentum. Let’s shift the narrative. Less of “how do we make them fit in?” and more “how do we set them up to fly?”

1. Give them context and not just tasks because millennials and Gen Z want to know why. Not because they are difficult, but because they value purpose over performative productivity. Tell them the goal behind the task and help them understand the impact. If they can connect their work to a bigger outcome, they will deliver like it matters.

Change “Please update this spreadsheet,” to “We are prepping for a key board meeting and need accurate data, you are helping shape the next investment decision.”

2. Stop managing hours and start managing outcomes. If your measure of productivity is still how early someone logs on or how long they sit at their desk, you’re already behind. These generations are outcome-oriented they want flexibility, but they will deliver, and often over-deliver, if they know what success actually looks like.

Define what a great result looks like. Then get out of the way.

3. Invest in their growth or expect them to leave. Millennials and Gen Z both value development not just promotions and pay rises, but learning, mentorship, new challenges. If they feel stuck, overlooked, or irrelevant, they will scroll LinkedIn and find someone who gets it. You don’t need a ping-pong table, you need a real development conversation.

4. Coach, don’t control. These generations were raised on access to information, ideas, and options. When you micromanage or dictate, it feels like a downgrade. What they respond to is coaching feedback that is timely, human, and future focused.

Don’t wait until the annual review to give real-time feedback. Ask questions, be honest and be human. It is not about managing them better it is about helping them lead themselves.

5. Clarity is the standard so don’t let ambiguity kill momentum. If your expectations are fuzzy, your standards inconsistent, and your role descriptions lifted from 1997, you are setting them up to underperform. Spell it out. Define what success looks like. Then let them iterate, improve, and find better ways to hit the target because  they often will.

6. Show them their contribution counts because Gen Z and Millennials want to know their work matters. They are impact-driven and value-aligned but that doesn’t mean they expect to save the planet with every email. However, they do want to know how they fit into the bigger picture.

   
   

You want value? Start by making them feel valuable. It is that simple and that powerful.

If you are trying to manage your younger team the way you liked being managed in 2003, with vague goals, rigid hours, and just-be-grateful-to-be-here energy, you are going to keep losing good people. These generations don’t want to be told how to think, they want to be trusted to figure things out. They value authenticity, responsiveness, and leadership that isn’t performative.

They have watched traditional leadership fail in real time, toxic cultures, burnout glorified as ambition, loyalty unrewarded, and they are choosing something different. They ask questions, and challenge inefficiencies. They care about impact, not just instructions.

Yes, they want flexibility. But they also want feedback, development, clear expectations, and meaningful work. And when they get it, they don’t just perform, they innovate, influence, and accelerate results.

So if your workplace feels stuck, it is not because they are hard to manage. It is because the system they are in was built for a workforce that no longer exists.

The future of your business depends on your ability to lead people who think differently, not manage them into sameness.