You’ve probably heard this line before (or maybe even said it yourself): “When I was their age, we didn’t act like this.”
At The Metiss Group, we understand it’s easy to roll our eyes and mutter, “Kids these days,” when we see young leaders struggling. But when we stay stuck in the tired trope that these young leaders just “don’t measure up” instead of developing them, we create a self-fulfilling prophecy.
This article unpacks the challenges young leaders face today and, more importantly, offers actionable strategies to help them rise to the occasion. This article will help you understand:
Leadership Struggles Aren’t Generational, They’re Maturational
The whole “kids these days” trope isn’t new. It’s as timeless as bad dad jokes and questionable haircuts.
And while it might seem like today’s young leaders just don’t have the chops we did at their age, the truth is, our leaders said this about us, too.
It’s not because they’re inherently worse. It’s because leadership is a skill that evolves over time.
Research backs this up. A study from leading behavioral scientists at Management Research Group compared Gen X to Millennials (Gen Y) using their Leadership Effectiveness Analysis tool. This tool uses self- and peer-reported feedback to assess a person’s leadership traits, across categories such as innovation, delegation, feedback, cooperation, and more.
When comparing Gen X to Gen Y, there are some pretty clear differences.
Look at the difference in persuasion between both groups. And it makes sense that Gen Y would have a much lower score in delegation when compared to Gen X — they probably haven’t delegated much so early in their careers.
So when you look at this chart, it’s easy to think to yourself, “See? The younger generation is too different from us.”
So MRG used historical data to look at Gen Xers when they were the same age as Gen Y. The results were considered statistically identical.
This shows that our leaders had the exact same raw talent to deal with as we do. The challenge, though, is leadership takes time and experience to develop, no matter the birth year.
The Best vs. the Rest in Young Leaders
Another thing to consider is who we’re comparing. If you’re in senior leadership today, it’s probably because you were the cream of the crop.
We often ask leaders if they regularly attend their high school reunions. Most often, they say no. Why? “Because I don’t have anything in common with those guys.”
And it’s probably true. You got to where you are today because you’re the best in your class.
You can’t judge the entire younger generation by that standard. Not everyone in any generation has the capacity to lead at a high level.
Why the Pressure Is Higher For Young Leaders
In addition to everything above, we’re also calling young people into leadership roles earlier than ever, often without the years of shaping and preparation that used to be the norm.
Think about it. Back in the day, you didn’t step into a leadership role until you’d put in some serious time.
I’ll never forget being in my late twenties and going up to my boss saying, “Hal, I’m ready to lead!” After he got done laughing at me, he said, “Lead?! You haven’t finished paying your dues yet! Maybe in 10 years.”
This time allowed me to observe good leaders and bad leaders. I was able to learn from both their mistakes and their successes.
Now, young professionals are expected to lead teams, drive strategy, and make big decisions before they’ve had a chance to soak up that experience. A recent study found that 38% of American workers report to a younger leader. That’s a lot of responsibility for folks who are still learning the ropes.
This faster track to leadership isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it does come with challenges. If we’re expecting young leaders to perform like seasoned pros without giving them the time or tools to grow, we’re setting them up to fail.
Leadership isn’t something they can just figure out as they go. And here’s some tough love: if you’re hiring young leaders, it’s on you to help them succeed.
We can’t just toss them into the deep end and hope they’ll learn to swim. And don’t expect them to become an expert from a PowerPoint deck or a three-day training session on leadership.
Real leadership development happens through a blend of coaching, hands-on practice, and ongoing feedback. If we want this generation of leaders to thrive, we need to invest in them — just like someone invested in us.
The Bottom Line
So, is this generation of young leaders worse off than we were? Not a chance. They’re just facing different challenges, under different circumstances, in a world that’s moving faster than ever.
And let’s be real—we weren’t perfect either.
So instead of throwing up our hands and saying, “Well, they just don’t have what it takes,” we need to start helping younger leaders get to where they need to be.
At The Metiss Group, we help organizations like yours accelerate the performance of their young leaders.
Now that you understand why it seems like this generation of young leaders struggles more than we did, the next step is to understand how to deliver feedback in the workplace without sounding like criticism. This will help you shape your young leaders and foster trust, growth, and high performance within your team.
