When I entered the workforce in 1989, I was in the last year of the Baby Boom generation. If my boss said, “Jump,” I would respond, “How high, and how many times, sir?” If he handed me a report late on a Friday and said he wanted it on his desk Monday morning, I worked through the weekend. That was what was expected.
Fast forward three decades.
Many of the senior executives I coach today are in their early to mid-fifties. They grew up with the same expectations I did: loyalty, long hours, and visible effort equaled commitment. Now they are hiring and leading employees who see work through a completely different lens.
A new study from Suzy Welch, PhD, and Daniel Davis, PhD, at Becoming You Labs shows just how far apart those lenses have become. Their research compared what hiring managers value most in new employees with what Gen Z employees (22–28 years old) value most in their work. The gap is striking.
What the Data Shows
Hiring managers emphasized achievement, growth, and hard work. They want employees who take initiative, set ambitious goals, and put in consistent effort. In other words, they equate success with output and endurance.
Gen Z, by contrast, chose meaning, purpose, and authenticity. They care deeply about helping others, staying true to themselves, and doing work that matters. What stands out most from the research is how few young workers share the same priorities as their potential employers. Only about two percent of Gen Z respondents placed all three of the managers’ preferred traits—achievement, growth, and hard work—anywhere in their own top five values.
That number tells the story. The two groups are not slightly out of sync; they are operating from different definitions of success. This is not a small difference. It is a philosophical divide about why we work at all.
Two Generations, Two Definitions of Work Ethic
Most senior leaders I know still use the phrase “strong work ethic” to mean long hours, intense focus, and relentless follow-through. Many young professionals define work ethic as showing up with creativity, curiosity, and energy for something meaningful. They believe that doing great work includes doing work that feels worthwhile.
Both sides think they are describing the same virtue. They are not.
This is why I often hear executives complain that “young people today have a sense of entitlement” or that “they don’t want to work.” What they really mean is that Gen Z’s motivation is not driven by the same external rewards. They want to be seen, respected, and connected to a purpose larger than themselves.
Why the Divide Matters
This mismatch is not just philosophical. It has practical consequences. When managers and employees measure success by different yardsticks, frustration builds on both sides. Leaders see disengagement and assume laziness. Employees feel unseen and assume their leaders do not care. The result is wasted potential, high turnover, and broken trust.
Gen Z is not rejecting work. They are redefining it. Gen Z want to know that what they do contributes to something real. They want to be treated as individuals, allowed to be creative, and trusted to deliver in ways that reflect who they are.
In my work with clients, I have seen this play out in companies of every size. Senior teams struggle to attract and retain younger employees not because the compensation is off, but because the culture feels hollow. The company talks about excellence but does not connect it to purpose. It demands results but invests too little in relationships.
Connecting Performance and Purpose
This is where leadership must evolve. If you want to engage the newest generation in the workforce, start by linking hard work to human meaning. Help people see how their performance directly supports a mission, a customer, or a colleague.
When leaders make that connection explicit, the energy changes.
I watched one client shift from a metrics-driven meeting agenda to opening each weekly huddle with a simple question: “Who did we help this week?” The conversations that followed reminded people why their work mattered, and performance went up, not down.
We practice this in our own company as well.
When we receive an email from a client or program participant describing how our work made a real difference for them, I forward it to the entire team with a short note: “This is why we do what we do.” It allows everyone to see the direct line between our effort and the positive change we are creating in organizations and in people’s lives. Our mission is to help businesses and individuals be more successful, and these messages are living proof of that mission in action.
The Welch and Davis research shows that today’s young professionals crave significance. They want to be part of something good and to feel proud of their contribution. That desire does not undermine productivity; it fuels it.
Where My Frameworks Intersect with the Data
Across decades of advising leaders, I have built several frameworks that help organizations align culture, leadership, and excellence. What this new research confirms is that the very things Gen Z is asking for are the same ingredients that sustain long-term performance.
From my Culture Framework:
We know that belonging, growth, and well-being are pillars of a healthy organization. People need to feel trusted, supported, and recognized. That is precisely what the research says younger employees want most.
From my Leadership Framework:
We see that emotional intelligence, adaptability, and empowerment define outstanding leaders. These are the capabilities that build connection across generations. When leaders model empathy, invite collaboration, and communicate with clarity, they close the distance between expectations and experience.
And from my Moral Love Leadership philosophy:
The message is simple: leadership is love in action. Love is not sentiment; it is service, accountability, and respect. The five pillars – Protect, Challenge, Serve, Say, and Stay – offer a roadmap for building trust and belonging.
Protect means creating psychological safety. Challenge means expecting excellence because you care. Serve means removing barriers so others can thrive. Say means telling the truth with humility. Stay means not giving up when things get hard. Those are the exact behaviors that build the kind of culture Gen Z wants to be part of.
Practical Moves for Leaders
- Start with purpose. Connect daily work to the mission. Tell stories that show impact.
- Listen before judging. Ask younger employees what gives their work meaning, then design goals that link their motivation to the company’s objectives.
- Recognize effort and creativity. Praise results, but also celebrate insight and innovation.
- Model balance. If leaders never unplug, employees assume they cannot either. Demonstrate sustainable performance.
- Show love through accountability. Caring for people includes expecting their best and helping them reach it.
These actions are simple, but they change everything. They turn work from a transaction into a relationship.
When people feel trusted, respected, and part of a purpose they believe in, they give more than effort. They give heart.
The younger generation is not less committed. They are simply looking for a different kind of commitment, one rooted in meaning, dignity, and authenticity.
Leaders who understand that distinction will not only attract the best of Gen Z, they will build organizations that thrive across generations.
People will get out of bed for a paycheck. They will jump out of bed for a purpose. That truth has never changed. This generation simply has the courage to say it out loud.
I recently built a new landing page highlighting my updated sessions, created with association leaders in mind, but filled with insights that apply to any organization or business.
These programs focus on the future of leadership, building strong cultures, and executing strategy with clarity and discipline. I was honored to share this material at the ASAE Conference, where I was also inducted into the Speakers Hall of Fame.
