Every previous generation has been quoted to mention, “This generation don’t work.”
Take a look around your office (or your next Zoom call).
You’ve likely got a team that spans decades. There’s the seasoned expert who remembers a world before the internet, the independent manager who mastered the art of working from home long before it was cool, the purpose-driven team lead who wants to make an impact, and the digital-native new hire who can create a TikTok video faster than you can write an email.
For the first time in history, we have four (and sometimes five) distinct generations working side-by-side. This is a massive superpower for any organization. It’s a goldmine of diverse perspectives, skills, and experiences.
But let’s be real: it can also be a huge leadership challenge. Each generation has been shaped by different world events, technologies, and economic climates, which means they often have different communication styles, expectations, and motivational drivers.
Trying to lead them all the same way is a recipe for frustration. The key isn’t to treat everyone the same; it’s to understand what makes each group tick and lead them in a way that resonates. Here’s how to better motivate across generation.
Leading Baby Boomers
Born between 1946 and 1964, Boomers are often the most experienced people in the room.
They believe in company loyalty, strong work ethic, and appreciate a fair and direct leader.
Baby boomers are driven by respect and recognition, making an impact, and stability and teamwork. They’ve put in years and want their expertise to be acknowledge and valued in their team, they are in their legacy building stage of career where they are motivated to share their learned lessons and start mentoring the next generation. They grew up in a stable workforce where organizations were collaborative, clear, and appreciated top-down leadership.
Here’s how to motivate them:
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Leverage their expertise: Don’t just give them tasks; ask for their strategic input. Create formal or informal mentorship programs where they can share their wealth of knowledge with the next generation. They’re ready to help shape the next generation of the team, give them opportunities to build their legacy.
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Show respect: This is a given, that everyone should be given respect and dignity, but for the boomer generation, it’s crucial to acknowledge their contributions publicly. When you have a big win, make sure to highlight the role their experience played in that success. Honor their expertise and perspective for the team’s accomplishment.
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Communicate face-to-face: While they’re perfectly capable with technology, many Boomers appreciate the nuance of a direct conversation over a quick instant message, emails, zoom calls, etc. making time for direct, face-to-face, conversation means more than a quick text.
Leading Gen-X
Gen-Xers are born between 1965 and 1980, aka “latchkey kid” generation. They grew up with less supervision, making them incredibly self-reliant, adaptable, and resourceful. They are often the skeptical but steady glue holding the workplace together. They are fiercely resourcesful and will make anything happen with their creativity.
They believe in autonomy and freedom, work-life balance, and competency and pragmatism. They hate being micromanaged, they grew up self-managing and appreciate opportunities to receive a mission and have the flexibility to figure it out themselves. They value a clear disconnect between work and life, and those boundaries are important because they don’t live to work, but they work to live. They usually fall within the Achiever motivation because they want straight talk over jargons so they can get the work done efficiently.
Try these methods to motivate your Gen-Xers:
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Give them freedom: This is non-negotiable. Assign a project, agree on the deadline and the desired outcome, and then trust them. They’ll come when they need support or resources, but they’ll figure things out independently – they autonomy helps them manage their projects better.
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Focus on results, not face time: Don’t worry if they log off at 5 PM. Judge them by the quality of their work, not the hours they spend at their desk. They’ve cultivated a need for deep work rather than hours worked mentality, it’s about delivering high quality work with the least amount of time spent, so they can leave work at work.
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Be direct: They appreciate clear, concise communication. Get straight to the point in your emails and meetings – wasted time is wasted time and those resources are better spent on living a more balanced life. So, have a purpose for your emails and meetings with little wasted time.
Leading Millennials
Millennials, born between 1981 and 1996, are often misunderstood and labeled as “entitled”. On the contrary, they are ambitious and want to know that their work has meaning beyond just making a profit. Doing work for the greater good is bigger and better than the bottom line in organizations.
They are purpose driven and wants to be informed of the impact of their work. They are true Influencers and want to ensure they are living for a greater purpose. Millennials grew up with internet, video games and environment that provided constant feedback and immediate responses and they see that in their work. They appreciate collaboration and teamwork in developing a strong team to learn and share knowledge.
To lead them:
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Be a coach, not a boss: Schedule regular one-on-ones focused on their career development. Ask them about their goals and actively help them get there. They are Influencer motivated and want to be included in the bigger picture conversations to learn and align their purpose.
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Connect to the big picture: Constantly translate how their daily tasks connect to the team’s and the company’s mission. When this is miss aligned they can feel disconnected from the work and it can cause delays in their professional development. Supporting them by sharing the bigger impact of their work keeps them motivated and connect with the work.
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Foster a team environment: Create opportunities for group projects and social connection. They are motivated by feeling like part of a supportive team. This is crucial for their work because they can give more than the hard boundaries for work-life balance, because sometimes work and life starts to merge in this generation, where work friends are personal friends too.
Leading Gen-Z
Born roughly after 1997, Gen Z are true digital natives. They’ve never known a world without the internet – they are pragmatic, entrepreneurial, and deeply concerned with authenticity and social impact.
They believe in flexibility and authenticity, where the schedule of the day isn’t as important as the work getting done. They grew up a technology at their fingertips and it’s an extension of themselves. So, to be tied down to an office, desk and chair feels foreign to them. Inauthentic corporate speak is a motivation killer because they grew up during economic uncertainty, and were more pragmatic about money and the value of transparency over pay and career progression. They saw corporate greed and corruption through financial crisis and their company loyalty is based on social and culture not purpose or bottom line. They want to work for companies making a strong positive impact in the world.
Motivating them comes with it’s own set of challenges, but you can start here:
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Communicate in short bursts: They are used to platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Use visuals, short videos, and clear, concise bullet points in your communications. Long-winded ways of communication becomes undesirable and wasted space, focus on bullet points and follow up with micro information (instructions, resources, directions, etc.).
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Be radically transparent: Be open about challenges, company performance, and career pathways. They value honesty over a polished corporate narrative. Nothing is great and nothing is horrible they want the mess of seeing the corporation through it’s growing and adaptive stages of development. They grew up learning everything has a price and they want to focus on healing what’s possible and creating what’s needed.
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Offer flexible work options: If you can, provide options for remote or hybrid work. This is a huge motivator for them. They know how to get the work done, and they aren’t confined to work between 8-5pm as business hours because of their tech savvy nature they prefer to get work done when they wish when they have clear direction and more ownership of their work habits.
Seems impossible until it's done
When you look at each generation individually, it can feel daunting because everyone is coming with different values, life experiences, preferences, etc. This is what makes for diversity of thought and it enriches the company culture.
Can you imagine a family where everyone was around the same age? That wouldn’t work, the different dynamics of a family from grand-parents to kids make for a rich experience that strengthen the value of the family.
Same applies for work – while the language of motivation might change with each generation, the core human needs are universal. Everyone, regardless of their age, wants:
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Respect: To feel valued for their unique contribution.
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Purpose: To know that their work matters.
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Trust: To have a leader who has their back.
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Growth: To feel like they are learning and moving forward.
This is easily done by difficult to maintain until you’ve create a psychologically safe work environment where everyone feels they belong. Don’t worry about memorizing these generalized stereotypes, but focus on developing your curiousity and learning from each member of your team, one-on-one, in groups and team, start implementing a few social-work activities to get people out of the work mindset, and continue to hold people with those fore values: Respect, Purpose, Trust, and Growth.
Become a generational guru, and see your impact
Leading a multi-generational team is one of the most complex but rewarding skills a modern leader can develop. It requires empathy, flexibility, and a willingness to adapt your style. It can be tough to do this alone because of several layer of power-dynamics, previous professional experiences and trauma, and different learning styles.
A leadership coach can help you:
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Understand your own generational biases and communication style.
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Develop the skills to connect with and motivate each person on your team.
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Create a team culture where every generation feels seen, heard, and valued.
If you’re ready to harness the superpower of your multi-generational team, let’s talk. Book a free, no-strings-attached call today to see how coaching can help you become the leader everyone wants to work for.
