Companies can’t keep waiting for early-career employees to “prove themselves” before investing in … More their development.
Gen Z needs people skills more than ever, and they know it. Growing up as digital natives, missing formative in-person experiences during COVID, and now entering hybrid or remote-first workplaces, many young professionals feel adrift when it comes to the unspoken rules of office life. And in turn, 82% of managers report that their Gen Z new hires’ soft skills need more guidance, time, and training.
This doesn’t come as a surprise when you think about it. As companies continue to cut away middle management, Gen Z new hires find themselves reporting to overloaded, burnt-out managers who lack the capacity for the hands-on, immersive support they need.
So how can companies best support their Gen Z employees? To learn more, I had the chance to interview Sue DeLazaro, Founder of Ideal Culture Lab and the creator of the Career Accelerator program. Career Accelerator is a hybrid training and coaching program specifically designed to fill the soft skills gap among early-career professionals.
Sue DeLazaro, Founder of Ideal Culture Lab
Why Gen Z Needs People Skills, Especially Right Now
Many Gen Z professionals launched their careers during or just after COVID, often working from their bedrooms without ever setting foot in an office. As Sue DeLazaro put it, “All that in-person stuff many of us take for granted, they just weren’t exposed to it.” Without the chance to observe how meetings run, engage in casual watercooler conversations, or receive informal feedback, they’ve missed out on what previous generations learned by osmosis and hands-on experience.
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The result, DeLazaro says, is often misinterpreted: “It almost looks like a confidence issue. But really, they are trying to understand the lay of the land without guidance.” Questions like “When do I speak up in a meeting?” or “What’s appropriate or inappropriate?” leave many early-career professionals feeling unsure and therefore silent.
On top of this, in an effort to get leaner and leaner, organizations are increasingly pushing to remove middle management. The result is increased pressure on remaining managers. With busy, stretched, and burnt-out managers, Gen Z professionals are finding fewer mentors available to fill in the gaps. “There are fewer people to go to,” DeLazaro notes. “The ones that are there are busier than ever.”
The Skills They Need to Develop: Emotional Intelligence, Growth Mindset, and More
The most urgent skills Gen Z professionals need aren’t technical, they’re human. “The four EQ skills are vital for Gen Z,” says DeLazaro, “as well as decision-making, collaboration, business etiquette and teamwork.” Emotional intelligence helps young professionals navigate ambiguity, ask questions when they’re unsure, and communicate effectively across levels and functions. “You need to understand where you work. You need to understand who the players are. That’s EQ,” DeLazaro pointed out.
But emotional intelligence isn’t just a buzzword, it’s a foundation for confidence, clarity, and contribution. “You’re never going to feel like you have the full story,” DeLazaro explains. “But if you have to make a decision when your boss is gone, what do you need? You need to know yourself. Your values and beliefs.”
Perhaps most importantly, the program encourages a mindset shift toward a growth mindset and a mindset of “yes.” “These early years in your career are your season of yes,” says DeLazaro. “It’s your time to try stuff, even if you don’t think it’s exactly up your alley.” That spirit of experimentation builds resilience and helps Gen Z professionals figure out what they want more of and what to leave behind.
How The Career Accelerator Program Approaches Development
At a time when most people skills development is reserved for leaders, the Career Accelerator flips that model on its head. “It’s a training, coaching, and mentoring program all in one for Gen Z employees,” says Sue DeLazaro. Designed specifically for Gen Z professionals in their first or second job, the program includes 12 live sessions over 15 weeks, covering topics like self-awareness, communication, collaboration, influence, and decision-making. Between sessions, participants receive tailored one-on-one coaching and on-demand mentoring support. During this one-on-one time, participants get a coaching-mentoring mash-up where DeLazaro asks questions, coaches, and shares her own experiences.
Unlike traditional programs, Career Accelerator blends assessments like EQ, StrengthsFinder, and Hogan with practical workplace scenarios. One such case study presents a cross-functional team in a flat organization, where roles aren’t clear and participants must figure out how to communicate, ask for help, and take initiative while working with people across the organization that they don’t know well. “Can I go to the vice president because they’re on this team?” DeLazaro prompts. “Or do I need to go to someone else? And how should I communicate with this person?”
This real-world simulation builds what the program calls “workplace fluency,” a confidence in navigating unspoken norms and expectations. And it’s working wonders. DeLazaro shared one standout example of a participant who once avoided asking questions out of fear that she’d look unprepared. “She assumed everyone else knew the answers,” DeLazaro said. “It was a huge time waster, and she felt stuck.” After completing the program, that same participant was entrusted to lead in her manager’s absence, with full decision-making authority and trust: “Whatever you decide while I’m gone, I’ve got your back,” her manager said.
Developing Gen Z Is an Overlooked Opportunity
Companies can’t keep waiting for early-career employees to “prove themselves” before investing in their development. Training like Career Accelerator needs to be ingrained into onboarding and early development programs. As DeLazaro puts it, “People are just kind of complaining about what [Gen Z] don’t know, but they’re not training them.” If companies want resilient, self-aware, and high-performing teams, it’s time to stop expecting these skills to emerge on their own and it’s time to start teaching them from day one.
Kevin Kruse is the Founder + CEO of LEADx, scaling and sustaining leadership behaviors with behavioral nudges, micro-learning, and live cohort-based workshops. Kevin is also a New York Times bestselling author of Great Leaders Have No Rules, 15 Secrets Successful People Know About Time Management, and Employee Engagement 2.0.
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