Leaders across industries are reaching the same conclusion. Managing Gen Z feels harder than it should. Performance is uneven, feedback is resisted, and turnover is high. Too often, the diagnosis is dismissive. Gen Z lacks a work ethic, is entitled and generally disengaged.
Nita Umashankar disagrees. As a tenured professor of marketing at San Diego State University, as well as a consultant and coach, she has spent more than 17 years working closely with young adults entering the workforce. Her conclusion is clear. Organizations are misidentifying the problem. “Gen Z isn’t underperforming because they don’t care,” she says. “They’re underperforming because workplaces assume skills they were never taught.”
That assumption is costing companies talent, time, and credibility.
The Hidden Context Shaping Gen Z Performance
Gen Z entered adulthood under conditions no previous generation experienced. COVID disrupted in-person learning and social development at critical moments. Social media rewired attention, comparison, and confidence, and now, AI is redefining what entry-level contribution even looks like.
“The result isn’t laziness,” Umashankar explains. “It’s uncertainty.”
Many Gen Z employees struggle with focus, prioritization, and understanding expectations, not because they lack capability, but because the rules of work were never made explicit. When employers ignore this context, they misinterpret hesitation as disengagement and questions as incompetence.
Organizations that fail to account for this lose talent unnecessarily. Those that adapt their leadership approach see faster ramp-up, stronger engagement, and better retention.
Professionalism is Not Intuitive. It is Trained.
One of the most damaging assumptions organizations make is that professional behavior is instinctive. Communication norms, accountability, feedback literacy, and focus are treated as defaults rather than skills.
“They are learned behaviors,” Umashankar says. “Not automatic ones.”
Gen Z grew up in environments defined by structure. Clear rubrics, examples and continuous feedback. Expecting immediate autonomy without direction is not empowerment. It is abdication.
In her consulting and coaching work, Umashankar advises leaders to introduce structure early. Not as micromanagement, and not as a permanent state, but as a bridge. Explicit expectations, direct training and clear standards for ownership, communication, and follow-through.
“When expectations are clear, Gen Z adapts quickly,” she notes. “Structure creates clarity. Clarity builds confidence.”
Coaching and Accountability Drives Results
Another frustration leaders cite is what Umashankar calls swipe culture. Gen Z grew up with infinite choice. Content, relationships, and opportunities are easily replaced.
What young employees may view as exploring fit, employers experience as disengagement or short-term thinking. Frequent job changes and defensiveness around feedback can stall growth and erode trust.
The solution is not more perks or softer management. It is visibility paired with coaching. “When Gen Z understands how these behaviors affect trust and career progression,” Umashankar explains, “they are often willing to adjust.”
Organizations that combine coaching with accountability see measurable outcomes. Engagement rises. Professional norms solidify faster. Feedback becomes productive instead of threatening. Turnover declines as employees understand how growth actually works.
Clear milestones and consistent feedback loops help Gen Z connect effort to outcomes. That connection is often the missing link.
This is a Leadership Problem, Not a Generational One
The most effective leaders Umashankar works with stop asking what is wrong with Gen Z and start asking what their organization is failing to teach.
Gen Z does not need to be coddled. They need clarity, standards, and leaders willing to invest early in skill development. When companies lead with empathy, train intentionally, and hold employees accountable, they unlock productivity, professionalism, and loyalty.
“Gen Z is not broken,” Umashankar says. “The system is incomplete.”
Follow Nita Umashankar on LinkedIn for more insights on how organizations can gain one of the most adaptable and capable generations in the workforce has seen.
