During a recent client engagement, I asked an entire team of executives to leave the room

It was unplanned, and they looked a little shocked, but they trusted the process and left.

Why? I had a cohort of twenty-somethings trying to learn some new skills, and they couldn’t shake their nerves. They were all struggling, and their roles were critical. The turning point for me was when I saw one young lady really bomb an exercise, and when I privately approached her, she had tears in her eyes as she explained how much she wanted to learn but felt like she was failing in front of all her leaders.

So, the leaders had to go. My obligation in this scenario was to produce a cohort that could excel in a specific customer-facing capacity, and that trumps the optics on executive observations. Once the executives were gone, we had a big conversation about performing under pressure and betting on ourselves. A few hours later, they were all nailing it.

More and more of our clients have skyrocketing Gen Z employee populations and working with this specific cohort is something I have always loved. They are striving, trying to find their way, but can be hard to reach and engage. They have a lot to say and a lot to learn, and corporations often struggle with that balance.

Before these talented young men and women can deliver exceptional experiences to their clients and customers, they must first have some identification and feeling of belonging to their organization. That link between employee experience and customer experience is well documented, but less often put into practice. The story above could have had a disastrous outcome. That Gen Z team could have failed.

Often the way we lead, the way we clear the path for others to be successful, and the way we advocate for our teams makes all the difference!