Of the many duties of a leader, perhaps one of the most important is bringing out the best in their team members. Understanding their needs, strengths and weaknesses and giving them opportunities to shine can help you set them up to succeed in any endeavor they take on. This is especially true as Gen Z professionals enter the workforce with their own perspectives and challenges to overcome.
To truly bring out the best in them, leaders can focus on a few key tips as recommended by the members of Young Entrepreneur Council. Here, they share their advice for helping this generation shine, and how doing so will benefit your overall business as well.
Young Entrepreneur Council members discuss tips for helping your Gen Z employees shine.
Photos courtesy of the individual members.
1. Be Transparent And Empathetic
Gen Z is a diverse and passionate generation that finds value in many things—especially when it comes to their careers. They value making an impact and being able to grow as they learn to navigate through life. Bringing out the best in this generation means being a transparent and empathetic leader. They want actions, not just words, and you can easily lose their trust if those two don’t align. – Julian Hamood, Trusted Tech Team
2. Let Them Experience All Aspects Of Business
You should give them experience or exposure to the business as a whole. We are “raising” business consultants, and this is historically reserved for more seasoned professionals. We offer them a crash course on the entire client journey. This helps them to understand how companies run better and also opens their eyes to potential alternative pathways without them having to test out those jobs. – Marjorie Adams, Fourlane
3. Offer Flexibility
The one thing that the Gen Z workforce desires more than anything is flexibility. So, if you haven’t gone remote yet, I suggest you consider it. Now, it’s totally understandable that remote work culture is not for everyone. Even if you represent an on-site work setting, consider flexible working hours. The freedom to work whenever and from wherever breeds productivity unlike anything else. – Jared Atchison, WPForms
4. Give Them Ownership And Responsibility
Giving Gen Z employees a sense of ownership and responsibility is essential. This means assigning tasks specific to their skills and letting them take the lead on projects. By doing this, you can help them feel like they’re part of the team and that their work is valuable. Additionally, it’s important to provide regular feedback so they can understand their progress and where they need to improve. – Blair Williams, MemberPress
5. Focus On Communicating Well
This is true for Gen Z as well as any generation of employees: Constantly be learning to be a better communicator. The more clearly expectations, instructions and feedback can be communicated, the better organizations can function and achieve their goals. When communication is poor, misalignment occurs across all facets of the organization, which ultimately hinders the team’s ability to execute. – Akshar Bonu, The Custom Movement
6. Recognize Their Efforts
The one thing that Gen Z craves even more than remuneration is recognition. So, recognize their efforts and appreciate them as they achieve set milestones. This gives your employees a much-needed morality boost, bringing out the best in them and motivating them to yield promising results without having to experience burnout. – Stephanie Wells, Formidable Forms
7. Provide Opportunities For Advancement
Gen Z is looking to improve and advance, which often means eventually starting their own businesses. Advancement can mean promoting them within your company or providing them with skills they can use later on wherever they go. Provide cross-training so they learn multiple skills and encourage them to learn as much as possible, even beyond the scope of their current job. – Kalin Kassabov, ProTexting
8. Nurture A Learning Environment
Always offer continuing education to new and existing employees. It is a great way to integrate teams and, through this work, they can see what each of them add. Where older generations may have advantages in terms of experience problem-solving, younger generations can offer fresh perspectives. A learning environment sets the stage for mutual understanding and respect. – Matthew Capala, Alphametic