Jenkins (2020) states:
“93 percent of post-millennials revealed that an organization’s impact on society affects their decision to work there, 84 percent believed they have the necessary skills to be successful in a professional environment, 58 percent are open to working nights and weekends, 77 percent think they need to work harder than past generations, and 76 percent of post-millennials are willing to start at the bottom.” (Jenkins, 2020, p. 72).
Gan (2019) states that Gen Z, who will make up over 90% of all new recruits, have the right attitude, values and behaviors to serve in the Army effectively. Based on that data, it would be easy to conclude that Gen Z would adapt well to military service. However, the Army has continued to primarily focus its training and instruction on the preceding millennial generation (millennials) (Reid, 2018). This has caused generational conflicts as Gen Z Soldiers view leadership horizontally as opposed to the traditional vertical hierarchy the Army has in place (Peebles, 2021). This results in a disconnect in how senior-level leaders believe they should lead Gen Z Soldiers as opposed to how Gen Z Soldiers wish to be led (Miller, 2019).
What Gen Z Soldiers want from NCOs
Participants in my research study stated they wanted NCOs to be fair in the way they led, empathetic to their concerns, confident in the way they led, and honest in their interactions. The 20 Soldiers also added that they preferred NCOs who took charge and pushed them to perform better. Overall, there were a total of six themes that I found which best represented the respondents’ answers to the research question of how Gen Z Soldiers wish to be led. They were Army Values, fairness, role models, confidence, motivation and inspiration, and empathy.
Army Values
The Army Values of leadership, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage was the number one theme discovered during my research (Hanks, 2021). One participant summed this up best by stating that good NCOs do not lie to Soldiers or make promises they know they cannot keep.
Fairness
Lips-Wiersma, Haar, and Wright (2020) state leaders exhibit fairness by holding subordinates to acceptable standards and being reasonable in their responses. The Gen Z Soldiers in my study related that fairness and engaging others without judgment or bias was important for them to establish trust. Therefore, NCOs who want to be successful should strive to look for alignment among Soldiers and try to create mutually effective outcomes.
Role Models
According to Boatwright (2016), leadership role models are people who are already in positions of authority whom workers look up to and emulate. While role models may not necessarily be in leadership positions, Gen Z Soldiers prefer NCOs to serve as role models.
Confidence
Gen Z Soldiers stated they want competent NCOs who are proficient at their jobs so they can properly train and lead Soldiers. Several Soldiers provided negative examples of NCOs who are not proficient at their jobs and view them as fakes and poor leaders who do not inspire trust.
Motivation & Inspiration
Gen Z Soldiers not only want NCOs who can motivate them to complete regular tasks, but who can also inspire them to achieve bigger goals through positive motivation and inspiration. Many respondents used motivation and inspiration interchangeably; however, they are different and distinct. Inspiration means to give somebody the urge to do or feel something, while motivation is something from the outside that compels one to take action (Badubi, 2017). Farag et al. (2009) described the difference between the two, suggesting motivation comes from an external source in an external environment, and inspiration comes from within. It is important for NCOs to note the differences to cultivate their Soldiers.
Empathy
Empathy enables people to develop rapport and trust with others. It is also a critical skill for leaders to develop and practice in order to successfully lead teams accom-
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