Gen Z gets a bad rap for being lazy, but they're actually the most entrepreneurial generation we've ever had. Calle Foster, a leadership coach who spent 12 years in corporate learning and development, explains why that stereotype is costing you as a leader.
The real issue? It's how we're leading them. Gen Z was raised in a very different world than previous generations, and that context shaped how they show up at work. When leaders come at them with command and control, they shut down. They internalize it as their fault. They need guides, not controllers.
Calle talks about what Gen Z actually responds to: psychological safety, questions instead of orders, and understanding the why behind the work. She also addresses generational trauma—how silence about bodies, fertility, and mental health gets passed down through families and how we can break that cycle.
We also dig into how this applies to medicine and residency training, parenting Gen Z kids, and building teams where multiple generations actually respect each other instead of denigrating one another.
Highlights:
- Gen Z shuts down under command and control. Telling is yelling.
- Gen Z expects emotional availability from leaders because that's how they were parented by Gen X.
- Vulnerability from leaders creates safety for everyone on the team.
- Generational silence about bodies and fertility gets passed down.
- Gen Z has emotional language that's a strength, not a weakness.
- If women aren't building AI algorithms, we're automating bias into healthcare.
If you're a parent, a manager, or an attending working with Gen Z, this episode is for you. The way you lead and communicate shapes how the next generation shows up. My goal is to give you tools to understand your body, your hormones, your relationships—and how to build teams and families where people feel safe enough to actually speak.
If you've found this conversation helpful, please subscribe so you don't miss future episodes. And if you're in a leadership position, consider where you might shift from command and control to coaching.
Get in touch with Calle:
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