Leadership conversations about younger employees often begin with what they lack.
They don’t stay long enough. They expect flexibility. They ask too many questions. They challenge long-standing processes. They’re entitled.
What if we’ve been asking the wrong question?
After working with organizations across Canada and the United States – from manufacturing and healthcare to policing, education, professional sports, municipalities, and the public sector – I don’t see a generation that needs fixing. I see an opportunity that many organizations haven’t fully embraced.
The real competitive advantage isn’t found in choosing experience over youth or youth over experience. It’s found in creating workplaces where both make the other stronger.
For decades, organizations rewarded consistency. Today, they must reward adaptability. The organizations that will thrive are not necessarily those with the most experience – they’re the ones that learn the fastest.
That requires something many organizations unintentionally discourage: different ways of thinking.
Michelle Bonnici, Chief People Officer at ENWIN Utilities, describes one of today’s greatest leadership opportunities as bringing together employees with different experiences, communication styles, and expectations while ensuring valuable knowledge is shared across generations.
I couldn’t agree more. But I’d go one step further.
Too often, we talk about it as though it only flows one way – from experienced employees to younger ones. Experience absolutely matters. Institutional knowledge cannot be replaced. Neither can the fresh perspective of someone who hasn’t spent twenty years accepting, “this is how we’ve always done it.”
The strongest organizations don’t simply transfer knowledge. They exchange it. That exchange requires humility from everyone – regardless of age, title, or experience. I’ve seen that in leaders like Staff Sergeant Nick Goy of the LaSalle Police Service, who continues to learn from the people and communities he serves. His willingness to ask questions and remain a student of others demonstrates that great leadership begins with curiosity, not certainty.
One leader who embodies this mindset from a different generation is Cole Mucci, Founder and CEO of KingsOne Farms.
At 24 years old, Cole leads employees who, in many cases, have decades more life and work experience than he does. As the founder of one of Canada’s most advanced greenhouse lettuce operations, producing hundreds of thousands of heads of lettuce each week, he has built a business that continues to grow while leading a diverse and experienced team. Rather than trying to prove himself by pretending to have all the answers, he leads authentically. He has made a point of getting to know the people on his team, understanding their backgrounds, and learning about the different cultures represented throughout the workplace.
Those actions are simple, but they communicate something powerful: you matter here.
When asked what it is like leading people older than himself, Cole doesn’t pretend it’s easy.
“It’s a little bit difficult when you have a team that’s older than you. Sometimes it’s challenging leading people who have so much more life and work experience than I do, but I’ve learned that listening and earning people’s respect goes a long way.”
Some leaders might see that as uncertainty. I see emotional intelligence—the future of leadership.
Perhaps we’ve mistaken authenticity for inexperience.
“I don’t like ‘yes’ people. I value honesty, and I want people to tell me what they really think.” That authenticity is reflected in the culture Cole has built. “Everyone gets along and is comfortable and happy to be here.”
That’s more than workplace culture. It’s a different philosophy of leadership.
Perhaps what younger leaders bring isn’t entitlement at all. It’s transparency, collaboration, and a willingness to question assumptions. They are generally more comfortable questioning assumptions, experimenting with new ideas, embracing technology, and engaging directly with customers and communities in ways previous generations may not have considered. Those aren’t replacements for experience. They are complements to it.
Cole, for example, has embraced social media not simply as a marketing tool, but as a way to build authentic relationships with consumers. By showing the people and purpose behind the business and engaging directly with the public, he is connecting with audiences in ways that reflect how many younger generations expect to interact with organizations today.
Likewise, experienced employees bring judgment, context, trusted relationships, and lessons learned through years of navigating challenges. The strongest organizations don’t choose between those strengths. They combine them.
Unfortunately, many workplaces still frame generational differences as obstacles instead of assets. Younger employees become labelled as entitled. Older employees become labelled as resistant. The labels become the barrier.
The most innovative organizations I’ve worked with do something different. They create environments where questions are welcomed regardless of tenure. They encourage everyone to be mentors, everyone to challenge assumptions, and everyone to remain a learner. That’s what modern leadership looks like.
Innovation doesn’t begin with technology. It begins with people who feel safe enough to challenge assumptions, admit mistakes, share ideas, and ask, “Is there a better way?”
That is why psychological safety matters. Not because it makes people comfortable – but because it makes organizations better.
The future of work won’t be built by one generation. The real question is whether organizations are ready to learn from them. Because the greatest competitive advantage isn’t experience or youth. It’s the willingness to let each generation make the other stronger.
