High-potential Gen Z talent aren’t getting stuck on skills, they’re struggling with signals and communication norms. “When do I share an update?” “Does this issue warrant a chat, an email, or a quick huddle?”
When those norms are fuzzy, speed drops. Trust drops and retention also declines.
What we’re hearing from managers:
- Early career professionals wait too long to share updates. Then we rush at the end due to lack of communication.
- Messages are technically correct but land as abrupt—or too casual.
- Slack messages pile up when one clear email (or 5-minute call) would’ve solved it.”
This isn’t an etiquette problem. It’s a clarity problem: what good looks like, how often, and why. There are communication norms that up until now were unspoken expectations – how to write an update, ask for help, follow through, or “manage up.”
Here’s a practical playbook that managers can lead with to support Gen Z in their roles
But before I forget, be sure to visit our course library of topics ranging from leadership development, manager training, conflict resolution, teambuilding and many more through our curated custom programs.
Back to creating your practical playbook to support early career professionals.
1) Codify “What Good Looks Like” for common messages.
Be a role model for Gen Z professionals by showing (not telling) what typical workplace messages should communicate and look like such as sharing a:
- Weekly manager update
- Making an ‘Ask’
- Meeting recap
- Hand-off note delegating to cross-functional partners
- Managing up progress email (clear, concise, next steps)
2) Teach the 3C communication method for effective messaging
- Context: Why now? Who needs what to act?
- Core: One decision, one ask, or one update—no kitchen sink.
- Commit: What I’ll do next and by when (or what I need from you).
3) Delineate what communication channels to use
- Chat means fast alignment & quick questions
- Email means briefs, hand-offs and decision-making
- Meetings mean ambiguity or conflict is present and we can’t resolve
4) Practice, don’t preach
Run “Message Makeovers with your Gen Z professionals. Bring real examples, explain before/after patterns. These are great conversations to have in an ERG event or speaker panel at your organization.
Why this matters now
You’re investing in leadership pipelines, onboarding, and career pathways. When communication norms are explicit, you can name them, teach them, and practice them, Gen Z will ramp faster, managers will coach less reactively, and the whole team collaborates with more transparency.
Most teams don’t have a coaching problem—they have a clarity problem.
Reach out to us here at In Our Shoes and we’ll share the templates you can use to run an empowering Message Makeover session with your cohort of Gen Z talent.
What would a 10% improvement in communication mean for your teams?
#LearningAndDevelopment #TalentDevelopment #ManagerEnablement #GenZAtWork #InternalComms #Onboarding #EarlyCareer #SkillsBasedLearning #CoachingCulture #FutureOfWork
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