Inc. Magazine
Gen-Z is not resisting authority—they are rejecting outdated leadership built on fear. Raised with emotional awareness and valuing empathy and autonomy, they don’t respond to blame or control. Instead, they thrive under emotionally intelligent leaders who prioritize communication, mutual respect, and shared accountability over intimidation.
Why Doesn’t Gen-Z Respond to Fear-Based Leadership?
Author: Liles Dixon
In a recent column for The New York Times titled “America Is Learning the Wrong Lesson From Elon Musk’s Success,” organizational psychologist Adam Grant recalls the time when he got to meet Musk:
“I asked him how he makes it safe for SpaceX employees to speak up about problems with rockets. He said, ‘I try to make it unsafe to not do that.’”
Setting high expectations for employees is a good thing. But how you enforce those expectations matters. As Grant goes on to say, “For more than a century, my field has studied how leaders achieve great things. The evidence is clear: Leadership by intimidation and insult is a bad strategy. Belittling people doesn’t boost their productivity but diminishes it.”
Unfortunately, bosses who rule with intimidation and insult seem to dominate the workplace.
According to a McKinsey report, “fifty-six percent of American workers say their boss is mildly or highly toxic and 75 percent say that dealing with their manager is the ‘most stressful part of their workday.’”
Are You a Fear-Based Leader?
Liz Ryan, founder and CEO of Human Workplace, says fear-based leaders have these five characteristics:
- Resistance to new ideas
- Control over communication
- Micromanagement
- Avoidance of feedback
- Blame culture
t is important to note that fear-based leaders don’t always know that they are one. According to Ryan, the term also refers to managers’ fears as well. Although they may use their seniority as a weapon, remember, they are part of the system too.
Where Gen-Z Fits In
For Gen-Z, fear-based leaders are a huge problem. A 2023 Deloitte survey of 2,000 Gen-Zers and 600 bosses across Millennials, Gen-Xers, and Baby Boomers noted that Gen-Zers list empathy as the second most important characteristic they want a boss to have, while bosses rank it as a distant fifth. Further, only 35 percent of Gen-Zers feel that their boss is actually empathetic.
Marcel Schwantes, contributor to Inc. and author of “New Study Uncovers 5 Things Gen-Z Workers Really Want From Their Employers,” delved into a Deloitte Digital survey and found that only one in 10 bosses recognize that in addition to empathetic bosses, agency is a top priority for Gen-Zers (60 percent of Gen-Zers like their autonomy and wish they had more).
Commonly referred to as difficult, Gen-Z makes up nearly a quarter of the workforce worldwide. “I can’t read a news article without seeing complaints the older generation has about Gen-Z,” says Tamara Alesi, CEO of Mediaplus North America, in an interview for AdAge. “It’s a stereotype that never ends: Gen-Z is to lazy behavior and poor work ethic as Millennials are to avocado toast and an inability to save money. But what if the problem isn’t them?”
Talkspace, an online therapy and psychiatry platform that regularly releases reports, surveys, and trend insights about workplace stress, burnout, and emotional fatigue, took a look at how different generations approach therapy and mental health. It found that workers who regularly have to display emotions that conflict with their own feelings are more likely than others to experience emotional exhaustion.
What to Do About It
Workplace psychologist, professional adaptologist, and Lisay Consultancy owner Julia Lisay sees how necessary it is for different generational perspectives to be acknowledged. She believes that with “intentional communication and adaptability from both generations,” our disconnect can heal.
“If managers are trained in emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, and cross-generational communication, organizations can foster a culture where these skills are embedded into daily operations,” says Lisay.
For incentive: Organizations that invest in emotional intelligence training experience a 20 percent increase in productivity.
Fast Company contributor Alex Amsden also offers a perspective on shifting workplace cultures. “To create a culture of accountability that truly enhances performance, leaders need to think about accountability differently. That means moving away from coercion and blame to mutual responsibility and ownership, which empowers individuals to own their roles and contribute to the team’s success.”
So, maybe Gen-Z is harder to work with. Maybe we are less willing to conform. But remember, breaking the cycle of fear-based leadership isn’t just for Gen-Z; it’s for all of us.
Credits: TCA, LLC.