What to do when your Gen Z team lacks initiative

When I talk to my clients lately, there’s a recurring theme: “my Gen Z employees aren’t taking any initiative!” They’re passive. Unambitious. Waiting to be told what to do. And it has real repercussions for the employee and the organization.

This clash feels very challenging to leaders, but we won’t solve it by dismissing an entire generation as apathetic and unmotivated. Gen Z currently comprises a fifth of the labor force, and will be one third by 2030. This is a problem that isn’t going away.

So let’s get one thing straight: Gen Z isn’t lazy. They’re navigating a professional landscape without a playbook because we never gave them one. On top of that, they have different values from other generations, ones that prioritize mental health and wellness. They’ve seen organizations be disloyal to their employees, and they’re hesitant to give a company their all or “pay their dues” with overwork. And when leaders misread their silence as disengagement, or passivity as apathy, they miss opportunities to guide the next generation.

Clarify what professionalism looks like

In a recent live session of my early-career cohort program, a few participants didn’t show up. No advance notice, no follow-up note. From a workplace perspective, this would raise major red flags. When I followed up with these participants individually, I kindly, but directly, said so.

They were shocked.

It turns out that no one had ever told them that failing to communicate about an absence could reflect poorly on their professionalism. They weren’t being careless, they were simply unaware.

Later, when I asked them to reflect on a team meeting they’d attended, some admitted they hadn’t taken any notes. Why? Because they assumed they’d be told again if something was really important.

Keep in mind that the bulk of this generation is 1–3 years out of school, where it’s normal to turn off your camera during Zoom class. It’s okay to skip a club meeting. The stakes feel low, and the norms are loose. As a generation, their communication is much less formal. In a professional context, those casual actions carry real meaning, but no one’s explained the translation.

That’s where structured cohort programs come in. They make the invisible visible. They normalize feedback. They model real-time ownership. And once Gen Z knows what taking initiative looks like in action, they’re much more likely to do it themselves.

Ask yourself: What unspoken rules might I be assuming everyone already knows?

Feedback is more than helpful, it’s permission

In another client organization, a manager (let’s call her Erin) believed she had a standout early-career hire (let’s call her Emma). Smart, polite, dependable. But months in, she started to worry. Emma rarely spoke up, never asked for more responsibility, and seemed to lack ambition.

“I think she might be disengaged,” Erin told me.

But when I met with Emma during a group coaching, I got a very different story.

She’d been at the company for almost two years and still had no idea how she was doing. Her performance reviews were vague. Erin seemed busy. She didn’t want to bother anyone or seem like she was overstepping, so she kept her head down and tried not to rock the boat.

I encouraged Emma to communicate her feelings to Erin. When she did, Erin was stunned. She had no idea Emma wanted more feedback, and had been worried about overcommunicating.

Many younger professionals are shy at work because they don’t know what is and isn’t “allowed” yet. They’re waiting for you to give the signal that it’s safe for them to speak up or to try something new. But when that signal doesn’t come, they play it safe. And why wouldn’t they?

Once Erin began offering regular, specific feedback, everything shifted. Emma began contributing ideas, asking for stretch assignments, and even sought out a mentor.

Ask yourself: How often am I sharing feedback with my team?

Build the bridge with learning that sticks

In a recent session with my NYU graduate students—nearly all Gen Z—I shared a comment I often hear from senior leaders: “Gen Z doesn’t work hard.”

Then I asked the class, “Do you think that describes you?”

Not a single hand went up.

These students are curious, driven, and deeply engaged. They weren’t offended, but they were confused. They wanted to know why that perception exists, and how to change it.

That moment revealed the heart of the issue: leaders are misinterpreting behavior without understanding the context. What looks like disengagement is often just unfamiliarity. What looks like apathy may be fear of overstepping.

Managers are responsible not only for overseeing performance, but also for coaching and supporting employees in applying their skills on the job. This relationship isn’t about "fixing" Gen Z, it’s a two-way street. Like every generation, they are learning and growing, and it's our job to support that process. In fact, there's much we can learn from Gen Z, particularly in how they normalize conversations around mental health and prioritize life alongside work.

Ask yourself: How have I given my Gen Z team members the hands-on experience they need to succeed?

To quote Adam Grant, “The most meaningful way to succeed is to help others succeed.” We can’t blame a generation for being underprepared when we haven’t done the work of preparing them. Instead, let’s meet them with clarity, empathy, and programs that build confidence from the ground up.

That way, Gen Z employees can begin to see themselves as capable leaders. Not someday, but now.