By John Gronski
As I conduct leadership workshops across the United States and Europe many leaders attending the workshops ask me how they can best motivate, influence, and work with younger people entering the workforce, particularly those known as Generation Z, the men and women born between approximately 1997 and 2012.
I had the opportunity to interview twenty Gen Zer’s who were working as counselors at a summer camp in New England in June 2025. I asked them what attributes they thought were important for leaders to demonstrate and I found several themes permeating through the answers they gave that I would like to share with you.
Generation Z values leaders who are honest and transparent. They also expect their leaders to create an environment where teammates feel included and that they belong. They expect leaders to care about their followers and demonstrate kindness and empathy. They expect leaders to treat their followers with dignity and respect. They also want leaders to be accountable for their actions and to take responsibility and own the decisions they make.
Interestingly, the Gen Zer’s I interviewed do not only expect their leaders to demonstrate these attributes, but they also expect their peers to demonstrate these attributes. Not only that, but these Gen Zer’s also feel that they themselves should act in accordance with these traits that they expect from their leaders and others.
So, what do these findings mean for senior leaders? It is important for senior leaders to understand what these young people entering the workforce expect from their leaders. A recent study found that Gen Zer’s are more likely to follow informal leaders who demonstrate these attributes than formal leaders who do not. So, leaders should know they can very well lose their credibility and ability to influence their young followers if they do not demonstrate attributes such as honesty, transparency, caring, inclusivity, and accountability.
Another interesting point about these findings is that the traits Gen Zer’s are looking for in their leaders are essentially the definition of a servant-leader. Servant leaders have a desire to serve others rather than expecting those they lead to serve the leader. Servant leaders prioritize the growth and well-being of their people and their organization over their own personal gain. Servant leaders also understand that leadership is about influencing followers to achieve the organization’s mission and to improve the organization and the best way to do this is to place the welfare of their people ahead of the leader’s own personal welfare.
So, in summary, based on my admittedly small sample and unscientific survey of Generation Zer’s I would argue that Gen Zer’s respond best to servant-leaders and character-based leaders. Leaders can also expect their young followers to expect to be held accountable for their actions and are probably disappointed in leaders who turn a blind eye when standards are not met. This also must mean that Gen Zer’s expect leaders to communicate expectations and priorities.
About John Gronski
Major General John L. Gronski (U.S. Army Retired) is the founder and CEO of Leader Grove LLC, a leadership consulting firm. John is the author of three books, “Iron-Sharpened Leadership”, “Leadership Sharpeners”, and “The Ride of Our Lives” and is an international and Fortune 500 speaker. Learn more about John at https://johngronski.com/
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