In the Lead with Reid Litman

In the Lead with... is a conversation with industry leaders on key trends and leadership challenges. In this issue, we spoke with Reid Litman, global consulting director at Ogilvy Consulting. Reid is Gen Z, and here we discuss his perspectives on how to lead and develop Gen Z.

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Ruchin Kansal (R.K.): Tell us about you, your work and your passions, Reid.

Reid Lietman (R.L.): I am a global director at Ogilvy Consulting, which is the strategy and innovation unit of Ogilvy, a marketing and public relations agency. Based in New York City, I work with clients like Coca-Cola, Nike and Google, focusing on brand strategy, product innovation and community building projects through the lens of youth culture — namely Gen Z.

R.K.: What do you believe are the key characteristics and values of Generation Z that differentiate it from previous generations in the workplace?

R.L.: There is a tricky combination of generational differences (characteristics unique to Gen Z compared with previous generations of young people at the same age) and time differences (the realities and context of the moment in time that we live in), causing Gen Z to stick out like a sore thumb in the workplace. But these differentiators (and for managers, perceived barriers) are also the levers of opportunity.

In terms of generational differences, over half of Gen Zers believe they’re more creative than previous generations, and they uniquely describe creative pursuits as essential, meaning they don’t see creativity as a side outlet, but rather as core to who they are. Creative expression is seen as vital to successful relationship building, self-realization, and the ability to make a living.

We were born into a world where personal brands feel as important as corporate brands. This desire to create and shape the brands we interact with from day one is perhaps the closest thing this massive and diverse group has to a unifying characteristic.

This, combined with the time differences we’re experiencing around evolving career norms, is leading to a new flavor of Gen Z workplace values. Today, a cocktail of freelance/gigwork trends and economic uncertainty/inflation have put the traditional employee expectations of job security, health benefits and paid vacation time at risk. In a world where many predict 50 percent of the U.S. workforce will be gig by 2027, Gen Z has a more spirited and impatient relationship with their employers than the previous generations.

We also have to remember most younger workers graduated into a completely remote world and are struggling more so than past generations with skills such as client relations and internal socialization. So, while it’s not surprising that younger employees tend to place more value on mentorship than older generations (an age difference), the desire for close friendship is an emerging generational difference employers must understand and invest in (a generational difference).

R.K.: How does Gen Z perceive the lack of long-term job security and its potential impact on financial well-being? Similarly, are companies worried that high employee turnover among Gen Z might lead to a competitive disadvantage? How can these concerns be reconciled?

R.L.: I think today’s employers definitely stress Gen Z’s higher turnover, which leads companies to deprioritize upskilling and training. They feel it’s a waste if these young people are going to leave in under two years anyway. 
But this is a race to the bottom. While there is truth to higher turnover among Gen Z, these realities are rooted in more macro shifts — the idea that Gen Z will have many more jobs and careers than past generations is not a Gen Z decision. It’s a socio-economic and technological outcome. This is something all organizations will have to face — it’s really not a disadvantage to any one company.

Therefore, the companies that win with this group will be the ones to meet Gen Z where they are in their career journeys and address their desire for training, even if it’s at a faster, shorter or less-formal clip than yesterday’s training programs.

AT&T offers an interesting example of this. They’ve built AT&T University to offer flexible career paths, virtual internships, tuition assistance and more, based on individual employee preferences.

R.K.: Is multigenerational conflict a truth in the workplace? If yes, how does one tackle it?

R.L.: I often say that no two groups in culture today are seen as more dichotomous than Gen Z and baby boomers. And this narrative is largely driven by perceptions of work ethic, grit and compensation — so it definitely bleeds into, if not, actually stems from workplace experiences.

A recent Gallup Poll showed a stark contrast between how other generations view Gen Z and how they see themselves. For example, while older groups commonly refer to Gen Z as lazy, 56 percent of Gen Z simply said they just “do not feel prepared for the future.” The education they’ve received is outdated in real time by a rapidly changing job and technology landscape. I’ve heard from many young employees that they feel like they’re just floating, and that there are often times when they were forgotten to be invited to meetings. That employers expect them to know things and do things without codified training.

In this light, 2024 is a perfect time to focus on generational synergies rather than divides, and to use our workplace needs as an opportunity to make all lives easier. Gen Z is hungry for mentorship, recognition and upskilling, while boomers are searching for a younger workforce to support and eventually replace them. So, let’s start there.

My solution is for managers to use at least one day per week in office as live training and mentorship to junior talent.

We’ve started to do some of this at Ogilvy Consulting — we have created community pods within our group, led by partners and principals to help facilitate more of the conversations young people are looking for. And to better codify mentorship and skill building between junior and senior talent. It’s about bringing people together in ways that are most meaningful to them in this hybrid world.

R.K.: How do you approach creating a company culture that resonates with Gen Z employees while still aligning with the overall goals and values of the organization?

R.L.: So much of the struggle with Gen Z stems from how we pose, define and frame the challenges of succeeding with them. We need to shift the narrative from, “How can we possibly rectify Gen Z’s values with our business goals” to “What is the red thread between our young team members’ ambitions and the impact we hope to create in the world as a for-profit business.” For example, I don’t think a culture that resonates with Gen Z is inherently at odds with the goals or values of most organizations, it actually attracts us. We’re ambitious and curious and completely unmarried to the way things have always been done. We want to explore how capitalism and growing businesses can be a force for good rather than a divisive one. Oftentimes, alignment between our goals and the goals of the company already exists; the dots just aren’t being connected. The impetus for employers is to cast your culture in a way that creates intersections between business growth and positive impact, between employee promotions and personal brands and upskilling. A culture that resonates with young people and flourishing business goals must be cast as part of the same song.

R.K.: Gen Z is often described as socially conscious and concerned about global issues. How do you incorporate opportunities for social impact or corporate social responsibility into your leadership strategy to engage and motivate Gen Z employees?

R.L.: Yes! We are concerned about global issues. We have to be. As governments and other large institutions are increasingly slow to react, Gen Zers expect employers to join their fight, co-create solutions and work together to drive change by placing purpose and impact at the heart of their strategies. These topics, these issues, aren’t just nice-to-have things on the side, or a month in the calendar for employers to spotlight, they are dominant attributes of the culture. Of our culture. And so, the natural imperative is we want to work at organizations that understand this and are energized by it.

This doesn’t mean employers are responsible for solving all of the world’s social problems, but it does mean that employers must be in tune with the issues and opportunities adjacent to their industry or workforce, and then co-create solutions with passionate young employees to make positive change.

One example:
Nike has created an ecosystem of small-format, digitally enabled stores (called Nike Live) that puts employees in the driver’s seat to influence decisions around key corporate goals — namely how to get more females involved in sports and help sustainability initiatives on its road to zero emissions.

These locations, which are lab-like spaces, are designed to evolve customer offerings, emphasize localization, improve sustainability, and increase focus on women by tailoring the in-store stock, design and engagement elements to the neighborhood they live in. Store employees, which Nike calls “athletes,” are also empowered to operate a new texting service, where each location has a phone number shoppers can use to text athletes and ask them pretty much anything. Athletes can then share their learnings back to corporate as Nike looks to continuously improve the experience.

R.K.: What strategies do you employ to provide meaningful feedback and foster professional growth and development for Gen Z employees?

R.L.: Gen Z is entering the workforce and beginning to level up in a very different world from past generations. Many graduated during the pandemic lockdowns and then began working in a remote or hybrid capacity — meaning their onboarding and socialization has been rough at best. So, they have none of the context, but all of the pressure and 10 times the technology many did when joining the workforce.

While no one size has ever fit all, there are a few principles I try to follow for providing feedback and fostering growth with

Gen Z employees:

Start with "fren-torship:" As the borders between “work” and “life” deteriorate and Gen Z traverses the loneliness epidemic, cold and formal managerial relationships rooted in legacy positions or prestige must give way to more human, friendly dynamics. It’s the cost of an “always on” working world, and it’s important to who we, Gen Z, are as people. I’m not advocating for everyone to be besties at work or for companies to sacrifice rigor for participation trophies, but friendship, socializing and empathy are pillars of successful Gen Z working cultures and will lay the foundation for productive feedback.

Champion consistency: The Gen Z world moves really fast — there is something new all the time, and we’re wired for change and quick analysis. But as older generations know, execution, patience and consistency are critical to success in business — but sometimes sparse in Gen Z. Show up and work hard — over and over and over again — sometimes feels fundamentally at odds with Gen Z’s more chaotic energy.

Gen Z comes equipped with ample spirit, ambition and horizontal knowledge, but it’s our job as managers to help them channel it in a consistent way. This can be accomplished through something as simple as weekly meetings or workstream reviews — where juniors present their current thinking and are checked against previous weak points. Managers that are able to help convert Gen Z’s enthusiasm and adaptability into routines and healthy habits early on will see outsized rewards.

Celebrate failures and reward comebacks: Feedback has always been a tricky subject in the corporate world, and so, too, it will be for the generation raised on Instagram likes and safe spaces. My advice is to lean into humor and help young employees embrace a mindset of celebrating failures. Why? Gen Z is known to be fragile. For years we have talked about the importance of creating psychological safety at work, and this is it in its most extreme form.

Celebrating failure is a way to ensure we’re acknowledging all relevant mistakes in real time without punishing the individual or breaking their spirit of disruption in the early days. It’s not about making light of underperformance or missed objectives, it’s about spotlighting failures or mistakes in a way that allows the individual to improve and feel pride in their growth rather than shame. Frame failures as lessons — each miss is an opportunity to score a new goal. You don’t have to worry about fragility if feedback is designed and delivered to build rather than break.

R.K.: In a decade or so, the world will transition to one led by Gen Z. What will it look like?

R.L.: Great question. The short answer is I don’t know. The long answer is that I think Gen Z will usher in a more empathetic and diverse working culture — where many more types of leaders, working styles and processes will have their turn in the sun. This will allow people who have been previously outcast in the corporate world to bring in a new wave of skill and creativity alongside their ways of working.

I think our challenge as Gen Z leaders will be measuring long-term successes and being honest with ourselves about what worked, what didn’t, and why that is. The flip side to Gen Z’s bright and idealistic coin is having to face the music when bold and progressive ideas don’t yield the results — when we were sure they would. I think accountability and objective measurement are things we will struggle with. Consistency and efficiency may be our enemies as we blaze new trails.

But I’m optimistic. Beyond being smart and savvy, this group is ultra-comfortable with change and excited to embrace merit and speed at the expense of tradition, legacy or conservative comfort zones — these are handcuffs other generations have struggled to shake. Gen Z is bright and empathetic, creative and curious. Our leadership in business, and more broadly in culture, will reflect all of these traits.

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This article originally appeared in the Fall 2024 issue of In the Lead magazine, from Stillman School of Business’s Department of Management and the Buccino Leadership Institute. The bi-annual magazine focuses on sharing leadership perspectives from the field, with content that is curated from leaders across industries.

Categories: Arts and Culture, Business