The Future Begins with Z: Nine Strategies to Lead Generation Z as They Disrupt the Workplace

Learn how to inspire and connect with the next generation of workers as they transform the workforce.

Generation Z has entered the workforce and are challenging leaders in ways they have never experienced before. Gen Zers often bring little work experience following college graduation, with parents encouraging them to focus on academics. Plus, having grown up on screens, they frequently bring lower levels of emotional intelligence than previous youth generations. This can be troublesome, as supervisors may experience a new job candidate who is overconfident, maybe even cocky, yet lacks the interpersonal skills to receive tough feedback. Or who is fragile and often walks away from conflict. These two realities combined provide management troubles never seen before.

Today, 4 in 5 hiring managers say Generation Z is the most difficult population to manage. Almost one in three avoid hiring them altogether. We cannot walk away from this challenge as these young teammates represent the future. While the boss has visibility on the past, they have visibility on the future. This resource, The Future Begins with Z, offers nine strategies to lead Generation Z as they upset the workplace. Some of those strategies involve:

• How to attract and onboard them so they’ll want to stay. • How to offer firm feedback to a fragile young employee. • How to uniquely motivate and incentivize them. • How to cultivate full engagement in Gen Z teammates. • How to equip them to manage their mental health challenges.

If we lead them well, we’ll find young professionals often enter their careers with a greater insight into social media and how to monetize it; they seem to understand what young consumers want and they possess deeper intuition on where culture is going. They are not tied to expectations for how work is done and are more open to new ideas. To succeed, today’s leaders will need to listen a little more and to coach a little more than we once did. The future is in our hands. Let’s make the very most of it.

© 2025 HarperCollins Leadership (Audiobook): 9781400256099

Release date

Audiobook: 4 November 2025