The Gen Z Evolution

What I’m Learning from My Podcast Guests

One of the unexpected joys of hosting The Gen Z Evolution has been the incredible guests who’ve shared their stories with us. After dozens of conversations, I’m starting to see patterns that nobody talks about in the typical generational workplace discussions.

The most successful intergenerational teams aren’t the ones where Gen Z adapts to existing systems, or where older managers completely overhaul everything. They’re the teams where both sides get curious about each other’s approaches.

Take my conversation with Maria, a Boomer CEO, and her Gen Z marketing director, Alex. Maria initially came to me frustrated that Alex was “always suggesting new tools and processes.” But when we dug deeper, she realized Alex wasn’t criticizing her leadership – he was trying to contribute his strengths.

The turning point came when Maria asked Alex to teach her about the social media tools he was suggesting, and Alex asked Maria to explain her decision-making process for major campaigns. Suddenly, Alex understood the strategic thinking behind Maria’s caution, and Maria saw how Alex’s tech-savviness could actually reduce risk, not increase it.

Now they co-present to clients, with Maria handling strategy and relationship-building while Alex demonstrates implementation and metrics. Their different generational strengths became complementary superpowers.

Another pattern I’m noticing: the most effective Gen Z professionals I interview aren’t the ones trying to change everything at once. They’re the ones who’ve learned to frame their ideas in terms of business outcomes, not generational preferences.

And the most successful managers aren’t the ones who’ve mastered “managing Gen Z.” They’re the ones who’ve gotten better at managing, period – regardless of age.

These conversations are teaching me that maybe we’re asking the wrong question. Instead of “How do we manage Gen Z?” maybe we should be asking “How do we bring out the best in everyone?”