From Management to Mentorship: Your Guide to Gen Z Success

1. Transform Your Mindset

"They're not going to fit into our systems. We need to create a system that they fit into."
_{Poul Cullura, Award-winning Store Owner, Retail Leader, and Gen Z Guru.}

Creating lasting workplace transformation takes courage and commitment. Gen Z isn't the problem — outdated management approaches are. Shifting your mindset can help you understand how to unlock GenZ’s strengths and drive real results.

Here's your action plan:

·     Start seeing Gen Z as the responsible contributors they are

·     Paint the bigger picture and show how their work creates meaningful impact

·     Remember that purpose-driven work outweighs traditional perks every time

·     Embrace change as evolution that benefits everyone when done right

·     Tailor your management to Gen Z’s needs to create positive lasting changes

2. Build Trust Through Empowerment

"Trust and courage are absolutely the way to succeed with them, because they don't want to cheat on you. They just want to be apart of something bigger."
_{Poul Cullura, Award-winning Store Owner, Retail Leader, and Gen Z Guru.}

You can't micromanage your way to Gen Z's trust. Building genuine trust requires courageous leadership that champions autonomy, flexibility, and authenticity. As Poul’s rule of thumb goes, leaders who admit their fallibility increase their chance of building trust and credibility. Show Gen Z that you’re human, too, and they might reward you by going the extra mile and staying loyal.

Here's your pathway to trust:

·     Give Gen Z co-ownership over their tasks and execution

·     Break down your organizational hierarchies to connect the shop floor with the top floor

·     Treat your younger employees as partners in performance rather than subordinates

·     Replace rigid structures with flexible frameworks that spark collaboration and creativity

·     Take a leap of faith and trust their abilities to balance work life and personal life

3. Master Versatile Leadership

"My store manager often says: I'm not only a store manager, I'm also their best friend, their shrink, their mother, their father, and their study counselor."
_{Poul Cullura, Award-winning Store Owner, Retail Leader, and Gen Z Guru.}

Today's leadership demands versatility. Gen Z brings their whole selves to work and seeks genuine mentorship from their leaders. When you understand that, to Gen Z, work and life are interconnected, you create the foundation for building winning teams and authentic connections.

Here's how to lead with impact:

·     Deliver frequent feedback continuously instead of waiting for formal performance reviews

·     Wear multiple hats confidently: you’re their mentor, friend, trustee, and study counselor

·     Share your mistakes openly – it proves you're human and builds trust with Gen Z

·     Show that relationships matter as much as results through flexible scheduling and genuine interest in their dreams and aspirations

4. Prioritize Growth and Recognition

“Only 4% believe salary and gifts are the main drivers of motivation; 41% are motivated by meaningful recognition. What’s most expensive?"
_{Poul Cullura, Award-winning Store Owner, Retail Leader, and Gen Z Guru.}

Simply put, Gen Z values development over dollars.Growth opportunities and meaningful recognition fuel their engagement and long-term commitment to your company. While salary isn’t their primary motivator, fair compensation still matters.

Here's your development strategy:

·     Create clear, visual career progression paths tailored to each person

·     Offer accessible micro-learning opportunities that allow them to grow on the go

·     Recognize their values and behaviors in ways that amplify their strengths

·     Show confidence in their potential and offer them challenges that can help them grow

·     Remember that investing in your Gen Z workers’ development pays dividends in motivation, retention, and performance

5. Create a Community-Driven Culture

“27 of my 47 employees will attend a festival and the remaining 20 will keep the store running. When the 27 festivalgoers return, they take responsibility for the trust and flexibility they were given and provide their peers time off in return. They self-organize!”
_{Poul Cullura, Award-winning Store Owner, Retail Leader, and Gen Z Guru.}

Gen Z thrives when their personal and professional lives blend seamlessly. Prioritize building a community-driven culture around a shared set of values and putting the values into practice through how you interact with one another. When you create an environment where Gen Z can bring their complete selves to work, they take responsibility for making operations run smoothly and delivering extraordinary results that exceed expectations.

Here's your community blueprint:

·     Recognize that work and life interconnect for Gen Z and honor their reality

·     Build your culture around shared values and practice them consistently

·     Allow self-managed schedules that leave room for personal commitments and priorities

·     Champion collective accountability to promote shared ownership and responsibility

·     Trust their collective problem-solving abilities to keep operations running smoothly

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Found this interesting? This is just a small glimpse from our webinar with award-winning retail leader Poul Cullura. There was a lot of interest, so we've made the on-demand version available – sign up below to watch.