Gen Z is actively avoiding middle management roles, because they view it as a high stress, and low reward position. For many, traditional hierarchical power just doesn’t feel worth the tradeoff.

In this episode of Frontline Insights, host Kenis Folk sits down with Jason Vicks, a change leader in Blue Skies’ Change Management and Adoption team, to unpack what this trend really signals and why it’s less about generational rebellion and more about why control-based leadership isn’t working anymore.

Drawing on Jason’s experience of mentoring leaders through complex organizational change, the conversation explores how Gen Z’s language, in essence, mirrors long-standing leadership principles but are just expressed differently. When your new joiner says autonomy, what they mean is empowerment. When they use the term psychological safety, what they actually mean is empathy. What senior leaders sometimes hear as resistance, Jason reframes as a demand for better systems, clearer ownership, and leadership that earns trust rather than assumes it.

If you’re navigating generational shifts, struggling to attract future leaders, or questioning why traditional management roles feel increasingly brittle, this conversation offers a sharper way to look at what leadership must become next.

Listen now to explore why Gen Z is forcing a leadership reckoning, and what conscious unbossing really demands.

A production of Blue Skies Consulting

Executive Producer: Justin Nolte
Hosted by Kenis Folk
Content and Episode Planning by Giraud Jackson
Audio Engineering and Editing by Brandon Friedel

Connect with us on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/blueskiesconsulting

Remember, behind every transformation, there’s a story worth telling.