Leadership | How to Lead Across Generations

Lead a team that spans Gen Z to Boomers. Swap labels for real conversations, clear team rules and mentoring both ways.

Created byLearoy Team

Last updated 10/2026

English

What you'll learn

Explain what's changed in mixed-age workplaces, from Millennial managers to Gen Z starters and hybrid work
Use generational labels as loose tendencies that prompt questions, not rules that decide for you
Spot when friction is really about someone's situation, not their generation
Run a mixed-age team check-in with the Team Preferences worksheet
Agree clear communication rules for urgent news, channels, reply times and after hours
Set up mentoring that works both ways, including reverse mentoring

Course content

6 sections • 10 lectures • 43m total length

What's Changed, and Why People Come First6:10
Key points
Since this course was made, Millennials have become the managers, Gen Z has arrived and hybrid work has changed how we work.
Generational labels describe loose tendencies across huge groups. They're not rules about any one person.
Before you blame the generation, check the situation: commute, caring, role, setup.
Use labels to get curious, never to decide. Wonder, then ask.
Never make age the joke, about anyone.
Ask each person: How do you like to hear from me? When are you at your best? What do you wish your last leader had known?
Try this tomorrow
Write down one assumption you've made about someone in your team. In your next one-on-one, or a five-minute chat, ask them the three questions instead. Compare what they say with what you assumed.
Download the one-page cheat sheet from the resources.

A Diverse Workplace1:08
A Diverse Workplace - Here we will take you through how generational differences influence the way we work and why we must consider diversity in the workplace.
Valuing Cultural Diversity5:19
Valuing Cultural Diversity - Here we will take you through an article 'A taste of Harmony' to understand how valuing cultural diversity can benefit your business.

We have also included some quotes under the downloadable resources to takeaway.

Accommodating Differences2:06
Accommodating Differences - We will define the ACORN imperatives

A - Accommodate Differences

C - Create workplace choices

O - Operate from a sophisticated management style

R - Respect competence and initiative

N - Nourish Retention
The Mixed-Age Team Check-In5:53
Key points
Most "communication gaps" in mixed-age teams are unspoken habits, not age.
Run a 45-minute team check-in with the Team Preferences worksheet: About me, Our team agreements, Learning swaps.
Agree rules for the work (what's urgent, which channel, reply times, after hours). Respect preferences for the person.
Mentoring works both ways. Reverse mentoring is strongest when it's about real experience, not just tech tips.
If someone pushes back on the form, take their answer and ask the question they haven't answered.
Review your agreements in three months.
Try this tomorrow
Book a 45-minute team check-in for next week. Send everyone the Team Preferences worksheet today, with this note: "Part one only. Five minutes. Bring it along. I'll go first."
Getting Culturally Savvy5:17
Getting Culturally Savvy - Lets explore becoming culturally savvy to smooth communications as we make connections worldwide, and to better understand the contemporary workplace.

Test your cultural (and other) biases in Harvard's Implicit Associations Test via the link under the external resources.
The Future of Workplace Diversity5:32
The Future of Workplace Diversity - We will take you through an article to explore why diversity is the future of the workplace.

Requirements

Access to a computer, tablet or iPad
Headphones or speakers to listen to videos

Description

Your team might include someone in their first full-time job and someone who's been with the business longer than you've been working. Maybe some of them are in the office, some are at home and one is in another time zone. And at some point, someone's probably handed you a neat list of what each generation supposedly wants.

I'll be honest. That list won't help you much. Labels like Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X and Boomers describe loose tendencies across millions of people. They tell you very little about the person sitting across from you. In this course, I'll show you how to lead the actual people on your team, whatever generation they've been filed under.

We'll start with what's changed. Millennials are now the managers. Gen Z has arrived, and many of them started work through a screen. Hybrid work has changed where we work, when we work and how we notice good work. Then we'll look at how generations and culture can shape expectations, and how to make room for real differences without stereotyping anyone.

Then we get practical. You'll follow Aroha, a newly promoted team leader in Auckland, as she leads a team spread across New Zealand, South Africa and Canada. You'll learn a simple mixed-age team check-in, agree communication rules that work for everyone and set up mentoring that runs both ways. You'll finish with a practice role play where you set expectations with a long-serving team member.

You'll get two downloads: a one-page cheat sheet and a Team Preferences worksheet you can use with your team next week.

Who this course is for:

New and experienced team leaders who manage people from several generations
Managers who are younger than some of the people they lead
Leaders of hybrid or remote teams spread across sites or time zones
Anyone who wants to stop guessing what people need and start asking

This course was created with the help of AI tools, including AI-generated narration.

Written by: Bren Allen & Dominque Mann

Who this course is for:

Anyone looking to boost their skills as a leader
Anyone with an interest in taking on a leadership role
Anyone with leadership or management experience, whether in a junior to middle management level or those who wish to move into a middle/senior management role
Anyone from a small, medium or large organisation

Leadership | How to Lead Across Generations

What you'll learn

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Course content

Welcome to How to Lead Across Generations1 lecture • 6min

Defining the Generations2 lectures • 10min

Cultural Diversity2 lectures • 6min

Accommodating Diversity4 lectures • 19min

Practice: try it yourself0

Wrap-up2 lectures • 2min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: