Redefining Leadership for Gen Z: Coaching, Connection, and Trust with Tim Elmore

Update: 2025-12-18

Description

What if the leadership approach that built your success is exactly what's holding your organization back from the future?

In this episode of Humanity at Scale, host Bruce Temkin speaks with leadership expert and author of The Future Begins with Z, Tim Elmore, about why the leadership styles that once worked may now be slowing organisations down. Together, they explore how Gen Z is reshaping workplace expectations, why leaders must shift from gatekeeping to guiding, and how connection, coaching, and clarity can bridge generational gaps. Tim shares practical frameworks, from the PERKS hiring model to the ALEG feedback approach and reverse mentoring, that help leaders build resilience, emotional intelligence, and trust across teams. This conversation reveals how Gen Z isn’t resisting leadership; they’re signalling how it must evolve for the future.

Here are some of the topics that Bruce and Tim explore:

How to shift from "gatekeeper" to "guide" leadership to align with Gen Z values
The Peter Pan Paradox framework: Why Gen Z has high "authority" but low "maturity."
How to use the PERKS hiring framework to close expectation gaps
Why "work-life blending" beats "work-life balance."
The ALEG model for building resilience through accountability
How to implement reverse mentoring for mutual growth

Tim Elmore is the founder and CEO of Growing Leaders, an Atlanta-based nonprofit equipping schools, universities, and corporations to develop the next generation. After working for 20 years alongside leadership expert John Maxwell, Tim has trained over 500,000 leaders across the U.S. and in 50+ countries, partnering with brands like Chick-fil-A, Coca-Cola, and Ford. Author of 40 books—including The Future Begins with Z. Tim helps organisations attract, engage, and grow Gen Z talent through practical, energising, and research-backed leadership strategies.

Episode Resources: