The tale of 2 managers

This is a tale of two Managers who managed GenZ teams!

Manager A
Believed in appreciating employees for showing up and for the effort they put into their work, (regardless of the outcome).

Manager B
Did not believe in micromanaging. Did not like nitpicking on the team member’s performance - and saved feedback for an annual discussion.

Which Manager do you think could improve their managerial style?

Most would answer Manager B.

In reality, both approaches are flawed!

Manager A’s approach, while well-meaning, can dilute the drive for excellence. Constantly rewarding every effort can foster a participation trophy mentality. This undermines the pursuit of high performance when in the corporate world, results matter.

On the other hand, Manager B’s lack of feedback and appreciation can negatively impact team performance. Without regular 2-way feedback employees can quickly become disengaged and are more likely to leave.

For today’s managers, managing their Gen Z teams requires a balanced approach. They can’t be too nice or too strict: they need to be fair. Our Winning Manager Program for first-line managers emphasizes this importance of providing constructive, regular, and timely feedback for continuous improvement - especially in the context of managing GenZ at work.