In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Tim Elmore, a leadership expert, bestselling author, and founder of Growing Leaders.

Tim has spent decades studying emerging generations and helping leaders understand how to develop the next generation. His latest book, The Future Begins with Z, challenges the way many people think about Generation Z and offers practical strategies for leading them well.

We talk about why so many leaders are frustrated with Gen Z, why every generation tends to criticize the one coming after it, and how this generation may actually be exposing what leadership has been getting wrong for decades.

This conversation is not about lowering standards. It is about learning how to lead differently.

Tim explains why Gen Z does not need to be fixed — they need to be understood, challenged, coached, and given meaningful responsibility. We also talk about parenting, technology, loneliness, faith, belonging, AI, the future of work, and why leaders need to stop managing generations and start understanding people.

About the Guest

Dr. Tim Elmore is a leadership expert, speaker, bestselling author, and founder of Growing Leaders, a nonprofit organization created to equip emerging leaders.

He spent more than 20 years working alongside leadership expert Dr. John C. Maxwell and has spoken to more than 500,000 leaders from organizations including The Home Depot, Chick-fil-A, Ford, Coca-Cola Bottlers Association, Delta Global, and major professional sports teams.

Tim is the author of 40 books, including Habitudes, Eight Paradoxes of Great Leadership, and The Future Begins with Z: Nine Strategies for Leading Generation Z as They Disrupt the Workplace.

His work focuses on generational leadership, developing young talent, and helping leaders build resilient, accountable, high-performing teams for the future.

Key Takeaways

→ Why every generation thinks the next one is going to ruin the world

→ How Gen Z may be exposing leadership problems that have existed for decades

→ Why Tim believes Gen Z is "the sandpaper on our leadership"

→ Why leaders need to turn frustration with Gen Z into fascination

→ How younger generations often see the future before established leaders do

→ Why Gen Z wants to feel heard, valued, understood, and included

→ The difference between fitting in and truly belonging

→ Why Gen Z does not need lower standards — they need better leadership

→ How leaders can balance accountability with empathy

→ Why parents and leaders may have overprotected young people physically while underprotecting them digitally

→ How technology, social media, and AI are shaping the next generation

→ Why boredom, downtime, and analog experiences still matter

→ How Gen Z is responding to loneliness by searching for deeper meaning, faith, and connection

→ Why leaders need to "play chess, not checkers" when developing young people

→ Tim's ALEG framework: Ask, Listen, Empathize, Guide

→ Why connection must come before correction

→ How leaders can prepare Gen Z to become the future leaders we need

Closing Thoughts

This conversation with Tim reminded me that it is easy to criticize the generation coming up behind us.

It is harder — and more important — to ask what they are revealing.

Gen Z is not perfect. No generation is. But they are growing up in a world that is moving faster than any generation before them. Technology, AI, social media, loneliness, pressure, and uncertainty are shaping how they see life, work, leadership, and belonging.

As leaders, parents, coaches, and mentors, our job is not to simply complain about what they lack.

Our job is to help bring out what is already there.

That means listening more. Coaching better. Holding high standards. Building real trust. Creating belonging. And guiding them with wisdom instead of just authority.

The future is not about managing generations.

It is about understanding people well enough to lead them.