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.

What does a people-first culture actually feel like, especially inside a transformation that’s as complex as a company itself?

Heidi Rothbard, VP of People and Culture at Blue Skies, shares how intentionally designed systems keep teams connected and supported as they grow. Her approach treats structure not as bureaucracy but as the backbone of belonging - showing that growth and connection can coexist.

She brings that to life through small, lasting practices: walking new hires through the org chart with personal stories, keeping a “blue book” that makes names and connections memorable, and creating a safe-space role that gives people a place to turn without judgment. These aren’t HR programs; they’re the mechanics that make a people-first culture work in practice.

Heidi also shares the long game of recruiting - keeping doors open for great people even when timing doesn’t align, building trusted relationships that endure between projects, and recognizing when a standout contractor becomes part of the family.

As the firm’s first non-billable hire, Heidi helped Blue Skies grow beyond one region while preserving what mattered most: authenticity, creativity, and a deep bias for relationships over lone heroics.

If you’re leading a transformation or building a large program that depends on people staying connected through change, this episode offers a clear playbook: story-driven onboarding, relationship-first recruiting, and structures that make care sustainable.

🎧 Listen now to hear how small structural choices make culture something people can actually feel.

📄 Bonus: Read Heidi’s article “What Makes a Good Management Consultant” : http://bit.ly/4nw8lt9

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.

“Change works best when no one notices, which makes proving its value harder than it should be.”

When change management works, it often disappears. No chaos, no disruption, no delays. And ironically, no recognition. That invisibility makes it one of the hardest investments to measure.

In this episode, Pete Hadley, a seasoned change management expert grounded in learning and adoption, shares how he has led business adoption for enterprise programs including S/4HANA deployments and large-scale initiatives in healthcare, energy, and life sciences. He explores how to measure ROI when success looks like smooth adoption, and how to make that value visible to leadership.

Pete reflects on the overlooked signals of transformation, how early alignment sets the tone, how adoption shows up in subtle ways day to day, and why the real story often emerges months after go-live. His perspective moves beyond dashboards to the lived experience of teams adjusting, adopting, and ultimately thriving.

Listen in to rethink how you measure the ROI of change management and how to make that value clear to leaders.

Bonus: Read Pete’s article “Determining the ROI of Change Management”: https://blueskiesconsulting.com/determining-the-roi-of-change-management/

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.